Camp Endeavour Morocco

I think it must be a pretty rare & special occurrence when you can arrive in a foreign country as a single female traveller, meet up with a group of strangers - that looks vaguely familiar from a zoom chat - and feel instantly comfortable. However, that’s just the Maverick vibe. Before actually meeting, the Camp Endeavour Morocco group was already supporting each other to navigate through the charms of Marrakech airport security via the wonders of WhatsApp.

On arrival, it wasn’t hard to spot the very welcoming smiles of the Maverick Team which consisted of Adam, Sam & Jake. Very quickly everyone was chatting about their past Maverick adventures - race and Camps - and it was clear that we were a very like-minded bunch of individuals.

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Arriving in Imlil the scenery was beautiful and it only became more breathtaking as we gradually approached Toubkal over the following days. The trails are technical but Sam kept the pace comfortable. We hiked anything uphill and the advice that was offered was always supportive and encouraging. That definitely helped to make this camp achievable even when you’ve not had previous mountain trail running experience. At no point did I feel pressured to go at anything other than a ‘comfortable for me’ pace and the distance each day was relatively short allowing for appropriate acclimatisation.

Our local guides were also incredible. They kept us safe and fuelled with tagine. Their knowledge of the trails and the local area made it such a great experience. Their ability to move on the mountains was rivalled only by the mountain goats and that’s even with them carrying plates in their packs to serve fresh salad for the most beautiful mountainside picnic! Along with the Maverick team, I never felt anything other than in safe hands, even on the challenging sections of snowy or rocky ascent and descent.

By far one of the best things about this trip was the friendship, fun and laughter every day. Climbing a mountain is far from a luxury experience when it comes to accommodation, the higher you climb the more roommates you have! Proximity, along with no phone reception, a shared love of Moroccan doughnuts, and an incredible endurance for vegetable soup, created the loveliest environment to really engage and connect with people in such a meaningful way. It was a real privilege to have shared this experience with such a positive, interesting and fun group of people. Also to have made running mates that will definitely continue to stay friends.

I cannot recommend this trip, Maverick Race and the Maverick community enough! Trail running definitely attracts kind, patient and adventurous people and I can’t wait to book future races and camps for more adventures! See you there!

Rachel

Our Camp Endeavour Morocco took place in October 2022 and we’re excited to be going back to the High atlas Mountains this year, 5th - 10th October.

If you’re up for a high-mountain adventure then you can find out more here: Camp Endeavour Morocco 2023