We started hiking with John and Angela many, many years ago. For our first trip to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, we decided to hire a guide for three days of hiking. After all, we knew little about these mountains and didn’t think paths would be clearly marked.
Our guide, Rachid Talaoul
The first day our guide, Rachid, suggested we hike to a religious shrine and visit a waterfall. The day was warmer and the sun more intense than we expected as we hiked up and up.
We passed villages on the walk up the valley.
The view only got better as we climbed higher.
We walked ahead of the group and stopped to look at the scenery. When we glanced back, we saw Angela had become faint and had been helped to lie down. Rachid, our guide, was checking her pulse. She was quite ill for a short time and Rachid gave her great care and we were really impressed with his professionalism. When Angela was well enough, he helped her walk a short way down the mountain to a shady spot.
We sat under a tree and ate our lunches while Angela rested. We were all thinking the same thing: 1) this could have been so much worse but wasn’t, and 2) how lucky we were to have Rachid as our guide.
We could not have been more grateful to Rachid. His knowledge, skill and care turned a very bad situation into one where, after a good rest and lunch, Angela recovered and hiked down the mountain with us. The shrine would have to wait for another day.
Our emergency on the mountain had a happy ending, and, after a day of recuperation, Angela hiked with us again hail and hearty as ever.
October 2014
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Great story of compassion and care – glad Angela was up and about for more hiking soon thereafter.