It was hot work heading up out of the village to the high col of Tizi h’Mzik (2489m). We arrived to find shack where a bloke was serving freshly squeezed orange juice. The starting price was high, but we enjoyed a good haggle to a reasonable price of one pound a glass. 

Before carrying on, we left our packs and went lightweight up a 2640m peak nearby. It was unnamed, so we christened it Captain’s Peak.  

Lunch was a fantastically civilised affair. Served under the shade of a Juniper Tree, we had hot rice and another mixed salad and tuna. And of course, fresh bread, cheese and plenty of sugary mint tea. If ‘just two’ sugars in your teas sounds a bit bad for your teeth, our guide said his family uses 2kg of sugar every day in their tea!!

On the locals recommendations, we changed the final section of the days route so that we could stay in a nicer hut and also avoid loosing too much height. A fine choice. It was a bit cramped in the hut, so John and I opted to  bivi out on the roof, under the stars. Here’s a few pics of the journey…