1 hrs, 2.0 kms



The road doesn't end in Amkhssan, it continues winding up the mountains . This means one of three things: One, it’s going to dead end somewhere way, way far away, and I’m going to have a long, annoying walk back, or two, it’s going to reconnect with the other north-south road wich I can then follow south to Tafraoute. I did look over this region on Google mas, but didn’t really pay attention too much, as I wasn’t planning to take this route. So this might be my first chance in quite some time to hike through a region having no idea really where I’m going—it’s good to have this sort of adventure from time to time… so I decide to keep going.

Little do I know that the other north-south road already reconnected to the Ait Baha-Tafraoute highway north of me… and I’m headed deep into The Middle of Nowhere.

But what happens next, in itself makes the adventure worth it.

I come over a ridge and back down to the valley. Right in front of me is a picture perfect waterfall, bursting out of the side of the cliff—the scene reminds me of pictures of Yosemite in California . But this is no well known tourist trap. There are no signs pointing to a waterfall… I’d certainly never heard of a waterfall this direction.

Visiting a waterfall is always a highlight of my travels. Falls of Ouzzoud, Seti Fatna, Akchour,Immouzzer, Tifrit… all highlights of my adventures in Morocco. But to go around a bend a unexpectedly see a beautiful waterfall is a different experience altogether. It’s only happened once so far in my travels, in Tivoli, Italy. This time it’s an equally special experience—perhaps moreso as this is such an isolated location. I quickly follow a path down to the valley for a closer look.

This waterfall is not about quantity, but quality, with water seemingly appearing out of nowhere, and flowing smoothly down the side of the cliff into a semi-encircled pool. No "I was here" graffiti. No sign that anyone other than the locals know about this place. Maybe it’s because this waterfall might only exist during the rainy season . Any ways, today it belongs to me. And if it weren’t such a cold, cloudy day, I’d jump in for a swim. I do take a video clip, of course, a sit down for a concert, with the sound of water falling as a background effect.

It’s starting to rain a little bit. Maybe I should stick around, as I could take shelter in the cave under the falls—perhaps my last shelter in a long time. But then, suddenly, the sun comes out and it actually starts to feel a little warm.

And the thought pops into my head… should I? I look down at that enticing pool. It’s one of my favorite side-adventures of my Global Parkbench Tour, finding magical places to jump in for a swim. I know, to swim in this pool will create a special memory that will stick with me forever… But it’s going to be really damn cold…

Finally, I do it. I jump into the coldest water I’ve felt since swimming at the beach in the USA in the middle of winter. It’s that thousands of needles poking you feeling—and deep too . But I have to get to the waterfall itself and feel it pounding on my head… Something ceremonial about that for me… I make it, not straying far from the edge, in case I freeze up or something… then back to shore. A very short, but amazing swimming moment. Don’t know what the significance is of this sort of side-adventure… you’ve just got to do it to know the feeling.

I take a shortcut straight up the mountainside, skipping the zigzag switchbacks, until I reach what seems like a mountain pass with another valley beyond. This must be a watershed, with water behind me flowing east to the desert, and water in front of me flowing east. I’m definitely getting farther and farther from any place familiar. But I want to keep going.

Up ahead is another village, and luckily I see at least one person, so I can ask the name of the village. It would suck to discover a village but not be able to count it because I don’t know what it’s name is!