 I'm planning a mountain bike trek (well, it's likely to involve a fair bit of hike-a-bike/summit ticking! Hence I think I can get away with posting here!) and have thus been busy researching this route across the High Atlas, which was devised by Michael Peyron. I've found a little bit on the web and have just ordered 'Mountains Look on Marrakech: A Trek Along the Atlas Mountains' by Hamish Brown with the books by Michael Peyron to follow. Anyway, just wondering if anyone here has done the GTAM (bit here) route or other similar unsupported treks in the High Atlas? If so, do you have any advice/links/further reading to offer??  The maps I've located are mainly 1:160k here or at stanfords with the obviously better stuff for around Toubkal (1:50k) and Mgoun (1:100k). Not reet good for micro-nav! It seems that <a certain adventure travel provider> do a similar route but I'm wanting to do it self-supported with bob trailers. Cheers, Neil.
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 I have done a week in the Anti-Atlas and a couple of days in the Atlas years ago. It was pretty harsh riding but with planning I managed OK - getting water was the biggest problem iirc... I would have to take a long hard look at map to remember where I went though.
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I was hoping to get a few peeps to do it so we should be able to carry a fair bit of water.. did you get resupply of food at the villages or carry the lot? Yep, I'm a bit worried about mechanical probs with that harsh terrain. I'm guessing though you are never a day or so from a village within walking distance if it goes tits up!
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I managed to get food in most places - there are places to stay if you can ask for them....how is your French? You can be more than a day away from villages but there are always shepherds around - they must survive somehow......
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Just starting a course in French at the local college so I might scrape through!
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as regards water, it's a case of getting it at village wells then I guess. I was reading a travel diary of a bloke who did a ride in the high atlas and he was moaning about the kids asking for pens and the adults asking for meds. Did you notice that Ed? Must remember to take loads of asprin, pens and ibuprofen
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Pens are in high demand alas. It is a bit self-defeating in a way as there will always be someone else wanting one.....better to donate to an educational charity serving the area maybe...as for repairs - you can get anything fixed in these sorts of places.....good mechanics generally. At least they don't throw stones at you too much...... Bob trailers? The pistes are pretty rough - do you think you will need that much stuff, or is it just a preference?
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I was thinking about the bobs really because I don't have any panniers and not sure about taking a big rucksack (bit unstable probably). Then again, pushing a bike with a trailer is not going to be much fun and it's just more to go wrong mechanically! Might just see if I can get away with a 55l sack and hopefully divide common kit up.
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I got away with an Kimmcask 30 and tools/bivvy strapped to a rack; these days I could go lighter than that I reckon (depending on tools taken?).
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Cheers for your help Ed! Just wondering if you remember which maps you used?
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I will have a look - they were pretty poor IIRC 
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yeah I think they all are oh well, I guess it wouldn't be an adventure if we had 1:25k OS maps!
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There is Google Earth as well - I have used it for route planning in poorly mapped areas....upload the path into a GPS and at least you have an idea of which piste to take? I will have a look at the Maroc coverage tomorrow now it has piqued my interest.
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.jpg) Hi, I'd not rely on local water sources if I were you. Take a water filter or chemical steriliser system. I've used both in the Atlas and I'd rather not drink the water as is unless I'd die if I didn't. You can get food in most villages, basics will be bread, spreadable cheese like dairylea, tinned sardines/tuna etc. If you wan to buy food to cook you can but don't expect to get any prepared meals, you'll be looking at doing the prep yourself. Kids will ask for "Stylo, stylo!" because it often works and they get given something to shut them up! Please try to resist the temptation. There are, as Ed says, educational organisations you can support which will do more targetted work. I'd get panniers if you can, a bob will be a so and so on the pistes and kids will want to ride it in the villages too! A daysack will be fine but as you mention, anyhting bigger will be unstable. When do you plan to go? A lot of rain in Morocco so far this winter will mean a lot of snow higher up, it will last longer and the streams will have water later too.
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 If you can't find any of my books on the GTAM there's quite a lot of info on my website, which is accessible via michaelpeyron.unblog.fr Good luck! Michael Peyron
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