Madagascar: Trekking to the Top

From Ambalavao, I had to take a 4x4 along poor roads to get into Namoly Valley, which is the gateway to the Andringitra National Park. The road was so terrible that our driver brought along planks of wood so that he could build one of the bridges for us to drive over! (Then, we had to pick up all the boards again after we were across). Along the drive I saw kids walking to and from school from their small villages. Our driver told me that some have to walk up to an hour each way to get to school! There are so many children and so few schools and teachers that children, even up to high school age, only go for a few hours a day! They excitedly raced behind our car when we drove by, knowing that tourists bring business to their towns.

The next morning, Mr. Elder and I, and two other Canadians we had met along the way, headed out to hike up the second-highest peak in Madagascar, Pic Boby. (The highest peak is in the North, close to Diego Suarez, and is not summitable). It sure looked like a long way away! The plan was to complete a 3-day trek as follows:

Day One - hike 12 km across the valley, up along the primary rainforest, across a plateau, and camp at the base of the summit
Day Two - start at 4am to hike to the peak for sunrise, then hike back down to camp for breakfast (7km total), then continue hiking across the plateau, up and over the mountain pass, and camp at a different site on the other side of the mountain range another 9.5km
Day Three - descend the rest of the range, hike through the valley, past small towns to get to our lodge (7.5km)

A long way to walk!

The first day of hiking wasn't too bad - a little steep in parts, and super hot, but the scenery was outstanding, and our little camp seemed cosy. We'd hiked 12 km in 5 hours, and reached the base camp of Pic Boby. We were thankful to have porters who carried our big bags, so that we only needed to take our day packs. They were heavy enough when filled with 3L of water each and snacks for the day!

We reached 2000m elevation! Still 662m to go!

It looks closer now!

Our Campsite

We cooked a simple dinner of rice and beans with chopped onions over a wood-burning fire. We anxiously watched a storm roll in, and were pelted with hail as we ate. The night was uncomfortable with huge winds blowing rain at us, making us feel even more cramped in our tiny tents. But when we got up at 4am, the stars were like nothing I had ever seen! We hit the trail with flashlights and headlamps in an attempt to be at the summit for sunrise. It took us a little longer than hoped, our tired legs complaining with each step of the steep trail, but we made it eventually!

Watching the sunrise as we hiked

At the summit!!!

Then it was back down to have a quick breakfast at the camp. We knew the itinerary for the day was tough - we'd already hiked 7km, plus the 12 from the day before, yet we still needed to hike up and over the mountain pass to make it to the second camp. But none of us had slept well, and the idea of another night exposed under the stormy skies had us wishing for a real bed. So we made the decision to change our plans. We were going to attempt to hike all the way to the lodge that day. That meant another 17km to go!

It started easy, as we walked along the stunning mountain pass, crossing creeks and passing bushes of wildflowers. Then with gritty determination we climbed straight up, knowing this was the last big ascent of the trip. We rewarded ourselves with a few handfuls of nuts and some candy at the top, then continued going. There was more than just the physical challenge ahead of us - we knew the other factor was daylight. The sun sets here at 5:30 pm, so we'd have to keep an eye on our stops to ensure they weren't longer than 10 minutes or so. We rested when we needed to, but basically continued trudging on.

The scenery was now quite different - boulders perched precariously on other stones and the bushes were scraggly. The climb down the other side was tough on our knees, but we were thankful it wasn't raining, as that would've made it slippery. We reached Camp 2, and were feeling motivated to finish. Only 7.5 km to go!

Cowboy Hat Rock!

When we crested the hill and saw the valley below, it brought both relief and discouragement. We could see our final destination, but it seemed impossible that we still needed to hike so far. The valley dipped far below us, then rose on the other side (reasonably gently, but to us, the idea of another incline was disheartening). It took another hour and a half, but we finally made it. We had hiked 36km in 34 hours!


You can image how great we all slept that night stretched out in big comfy beds, and although extremely sore, we were thrilled the next day to look out at the impressive views of the mountain range we'd just passed. We congratulated each other, not just on the physical achievement, but on the fact that we remained upbeat and positive through the whole trip, even when we felt we couldn't possibly finish it. Mr Elder said he'd been waiting for the perfect opportunity all trip, when we were both happy, and the location was beautiful and meaningful, to ask me something special. So overlooking our mountain pass, we got engaged! :) I guess when I come back to Calgary, I won't be Ms. Tamblyn anymore.