Mayo man completes climb of North Africa’s highest peak

Lorcan Towey, of Foxford, Mayo, alongside a group of his friends, have completed an extraordinary climb of North Africa’s highest peak.

Sean Mullan, of Buncrana, Cian Gallen, and Oisin McElhinney of Ballybofey joined Lorcan to take on the 4,167m climb in Toubkal, central Morocco, to raise money for the charity Mary’s Meals. 

“Sean actually suggested the idea of raising money for Mary’s Meals. It’s a charity that raises funds to provide meals for children in Africa while attending school, which helps the kids have a good meal while getting their education.” Lorcan told The Mayo News. 

Pictured: Views from the top of North Africa’s highest peak, Toubkal, in central Morocco.

Mixed with emotion before the climb, Lorcan says there was some trepidation mixed with excitement before the climb.

“I think we were all a bit naive going into it! The only thing that we had a slight worry about was the altitude, which others who had done the hike alongside us ended up getting ill from, but other than that, there was nothing that worried us. Just excitement!”

Detailing his peaks and pits of the climb, Lorcan said some parts were a ‘mental challenge’.

“The climb started in a small town at the base of the mountain, where we were kitted out with some gear for the climb. We had a 5-6 hour walk to base camp at 3200m, where we slept for the evening. We woke up at 3 am for breakfast and began hiking to the summit at 4167m to be there for sunrise, which was definitely the highlight of the hike - the views were amazing.

“Honestly, coming down was the toughest part as you had to concentrate on every step on the steep slope while being exhausted from the day and night before. Also, not having the same reward to look forward to at the bottom made it more of a mental challenge,” he added.

The group successfully met their target of €5,000, which came as an exciting revelation to the group. 

“We were delighted when we got over the line with the target. It happened when we were coming down from the mountain, which we were absolutely delighted to see on the way back to our hotel, as we had no service during the climb.”

All funds raised will go directly to Mary’s Meals. 

Donations can be made to Mary's Meals.

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