Diary for Skiing in retirement


Trekking in the Simien Highlands

2014-11-05 to 2014-11-11

A series of high plateaux, characterised by 1,000m high sheer cliffs, the Simien Highlands are the result of volcanic activity 20-30 million years ago that has left lavas 3,000m thick.

We spent 6 days trekking to and from the highest point - Ras Dashen - at 4,600m.  On a long day we did 23km in 10 hours and ascended/descended more than 2,500m. Most of the time we were above 3,200m and spent the nights in tents. Day time temperature reached 30 and dropped to -5 at night.

A typical day started at 6.00 with breakfast tea brought to our tent.  Breakfast in the communal mess-tent of bread, jam, porridge, pancake/omlette set us up for the off at about 8.00.  Lunch was brought to us by 'the teamen'.  Afternoon trekking brought us to camp by about 4.00.  No proper toilets at camp - just squat-down long drops of the most heinous kind.  At one camp there was a shower - actually cold water from a pipe. Sunset at 6.00pm. Dinner was soup, veggies (lots of cabbage), sometimes meat of indeterminable origin, but plenty of bones, cake/tinned fruit. Coffee.  By 7.30 its too cold to sit around so other than on 2 nights when we could get round the open fire in the kitchen hut, it was tucked into 4 season sleeping bags by 8.00!