Solo Camping in Morocco Didn't Go As Planned

0:00 My expedition to the Sahara continues.

0:03 After a couple of days of settling

0:04 in and experiencing real Moroccan hospitality,

0:07 my mission for today is to find some solitude 'cause

0:10 that's kind of the reason why I've come out here.

0:12 This has gotta be the one.

0:15 We don't really have much of a choice.

0:18 But finding a good wild campsite away from everyone and everything

0:22 will prove to be a bit of a challenge today.

0:25 But for now, I'm making a quick pit stop to get some groceries done.

0:28 Okay, I've come to this little store here

0:31 in a little town in the mountains of Morocco.

0:35 I found some really cool stuff here that I haven't seen before.

0:38 This looks really good.

0:40 It's some kind of peanut paste.

0:43 It's called Coup..

0:44 nay...

0:44 dart (mumbles).

0:48 The usual suspects here.

0:50 Some canned tuna, chopped tomatoes, pasta,

0:56 muesli, and of course, delicious Moroccan couscous.

0:59 Here we go.

1:02 Dates yes.

1:04 You should never say no to Moroccan dates.

1:07 Mm, wow.

1:07 Some of the best dates I've ever had in my life seriously.

1:10 This is a pretty excellent, although tiny haul,

1:12 but I'm really, really happy with what I got.

1:15 Anyway, we've got a long way to go today, so let's get going.

1:20 I'm aiming to get to this really special, really picturesque canyon,

1:25 which is about two and a half hours south of here.

1:28 Hey buddy.

1:31 But two and a half hours on Google Maps in Morocco

1:34 probably realistically means more like three and a half hours of driving,

1:39 and we're already like 2:00 PM.

1:41 Alright buddy, shall we?

1:43 Let's go.

1:45 I always wonder what you guys watching these videos, think about solitude.

1:50 When you see someone actively seeking out solitude,

1:52 do you instinctually understand them or is it something that seems alien to you?

1:57 It's pretty amazing how quickly the landscape changes here.

2:00 Last night, I was camped up in these lush olive groves.

2:06 Everything around me was green and beautiful.

2:08 And now just a few hours later,

2:11 we're entering this really arid dry landscape with these, you know,

2:17 big hills with very little vegetation.

2:20 And then high up in the background, you've got snow capped peaks.

2:26 It's absolutely amazing.

2:31 I know where I'm planning to camp tonight and it's a pretty remote wild spot,

2:35 but I have no idea what the conditions are like right now.

2:38 I don't know if it's snowy up there.

2:40 You know, there's only one thing that I wish I

2:43 had with me that I don't, and that's a drone.

2:47 Sadly, drones are like pretty highly illegal in Morocco,

2:52 so I didn't bring mine, but this would've made for such great shots.

2:57 So sorry about that.

3:00 (pleasant music) I don't expect everyone

3:02 to understand this, but I love being alone.

3:05 And sadly, solitude gets such a bad rap.

3:08 When you wanna be alone too much,

3:10 you get labeled as a loner or a hermit or antisocial.

3:14 But for me, there's no sense of loss or missing out when I'm solo.

3:18 Instead, I just get this supercharged clarity where my brain

3:22 has a time and space to digest, to plan, to ideate.

3:26 And if that makes me a loner, so be it.

3:30 But my lonesome plans got interrupted today

3:32 as some locals rocked up just as I was

3:35 about to turn into my long awaited canyon and told me I can't go any further.

3:55 Those guys just let me know that the road ahead is closed because of snow.

3:59 And that's pretty bad news because I was

4:01 really hoping to spend the night up ahead.

4:05 I said to them that I'm just gonna try

4:07 and drive a little bit further and then come back.

4:11 So that's exactly what we're gonna try and do.

4:13 And let's see, maybe there's a spot where

4:16 I can park somewhere before the road ends.

4:20 I really don't wanna keep driving anymore today.

4:23 It's been a really long day and I'm just

4:25 ready to set up camp and make some food.

4:29 (pleasant music) Alas, my lonesome evening plans were about to slip away

4:40 from me along with the mud on the steep mountain track.

4:44 Yeah, I think the problem is not so much the snow, but just this really thick,

4:51 squishy mud that's really slippery and there's no guardrails on this road.

4:56 Just a sheer drop, 2-300 feet, and it only keeps getting higher and higher.

5:02 And I feel like that's the real danger here.

5:05 That's the real risk that you slip on the mud

5:09 because you lose traction and you fall to your death.

5:11 Well, I guess there's no choice but to turn around.

5:14 That is the only choice, and we're gonna keep going.

5:17 See if we can find a different spot.

5:19 (pleasant music) All I wanted was to finally find a quiet,

5:27 peaceful spot where I could process the journey so far,

5:30 how hard can it be to find a place like that?

5:32 Let's make it happen.

5:34 This has gotta be the one.

5:37 We don't really have much of a choice.

5:39 Sun's setting in less than an hour now.

5:43 And we still have 20 minutes until we get to our campsite.

5:47 I found this wild campsite on an OverLanding app

5:50 and really hoped the info was up to date.

5:53 Okay, we're home.

5:58 And home is looking pretty amazing, actually.

6:05 All right.

6:06 (pleasant music) Pretty cold and windy in here, but stunning.

6:16 Yes.

6:18 Yes.

6:19 (pleasant music) You know, I was gonna say that I was a little bit

6:31 disappointed about not being able to reach my original spot,

6:35 but this is pretty beautiful.

6:38 I'm happy to be here.

6:40 It's so peaceful and quiet.

6:41 There's no one around.

6:42 Home sweet home.

6:44 Wherever our wheels take us.

6:47 I feel like I owe Vilk a nice walk after such a long day of driving.

6:50 So come on buddy.

6:52 Let's go.

6:53 I'm gonna go down to that reservoir.

6:56 I dunno if you can see that blue patch of water over there, looks nice.

7:01 Come on buddy, let's go.

7:05 And then I'll come back and eat.

7:07 (pleasant music) Okay that reservoir is a lot further than I expected,

7:31 so we're just gonna wake up tomorrow morning and go for a run there.

7:35 And meanwhile, I am absolutely starving and I need food,

7:40 so I've gotta go get some food.

7:44 (pleasant music) This feels like a really good spot.

7:51 (pleasant music) I've done a bunch of these overlanding trips and I

7:58 have now learned because I realized along the way that like one

8:01 of the most annoying things for me that really made it super

8:06 uncomfortable for me to do this, like long term was the food situation.

8:11 Like I felt like I just didn't have enough access to good food,

8:15 and I'm not much of a cook.

8:16 So quickly, I kind of felt like I just wasn't getting enough nutrients.

8:22 Like I wasn't getting good enough food for the trips

8:25 that I was doing, and I have learned.

8:28 So this time around, I brought myself some of these cans.

8:33 It's like canned food.

8:35 That sounds terrible, but it's like restaurant made,

8:39 restaurant grade, canned food that's really tasty actually.

8:43 It's made out of fresh ingredients and there's like no junk in it.

8:47 So I've got a bunch of these hidden away, stashed away in the truck just in case

8:53 for days like this, when things go according to plan.

8:57 Let's make some of it.

8:59 (pleasant music) (food sizzling) We've got chili sin carne,

9:12 and I've added a couple of eggs in for extra protein.

9:19 Oh yeah, it's really good.

9:20 Bit of Moroccan bread.

9:23 Mmmm.

9:33 I'm so happy right now.

9:35 (gentle music) You happy buddy?

9:45 Are you happy?

9:46 Where are we huh?

9:47 (gentle music) (door thuds) I just love being

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11:45 Good morning everyone.

11:47 I just woke up here in a very nice and warm

11:51 truck 'cause I had the heating on the entire night.

11:54 It's actually quite cold outside.

11:56 And this morning Vilk and I are going for a run, so I'm very excited.

12:01 (gentle music) (door clicks) Hey you what is it?

12:11 (gentle music) Oh my God.

12:21 Wait, you guys.

12:23 Holy shit, there's ice.

12:25 Look at this.

12:27 That's crazy.

12:30 Obviously that means it must have been below freezing overnight.

12:35 No wonder I was so cold.

12:37 Glad I put on the heating in the end.

12:39 I know that we don't normally

12:40 associate the desert with like freezing temperatures,

12:44 but it's pretty common for it to get quite cold at night.

12:48 Even in these like very, very dry desert style, desert like environments.

12:52 In about an hour or so, it's gonna get really nice and warm here.

12:55 So can't wait for that.

12:56 That's why I'm here.

12:57 I'm not here for the ice.

12:59 I'm here for the sun.

13:00 (pleasant music) You wanna go for a run?

13:05 Let's go for a run.

13:08 (pleasant music) Every January,

13:12 I set myself a bunch of goals for the new year as we all do.

13:16 And this year I've decided I want to run

13:18 a nonstop 100 mile ultra marathon in the mountain.

13:21 And as it turns out, ambitious goals come with ambitious execution plans.

13:26 This is why on this expedition, you're gonna see me running around the desert

13:29 in every episode like an absolute goose.

13:32 (pleasant music) The reason why there's a random lake

13:41 here in what is otherwise a very dry place,

13:44 is that there is a dam nearby right over there, and if you can see it,

13:50 so it's because of the dam that the water is here.

13:53 Makes sense.

13:54 Come on buddy, let's go.

13:56 (pleasant music) Oh my God, I really needed that.

14:08 One hour of running done.

14:09 Let's do a quick strength workout and then have some coffee.

14:12 (pleasant music) Good food and a bit

14:15 of movement every single day and a solid routine.

14:18 Having spent well over a year living in my truck,

14:21 I know these are some of the most important things about long-term over landing.

14:26 In a lifestyle that is rooted in unpredictability, it's so easy to burn out,

14:31 so you need to carve out a space for regularity and routine.

14:37 Ah, I've just put on some fresh clothes.

14:41 Had a lovely run and a good workout.

14:45 Washed myself, washed my fringe, and I feel like I've been reborn.

14:49 Oh my God, I really needed this.

14:52 So I'm gonna start my day right.

14:54 This is local Moroccan olive oil that I bought here a couple of days ago.

15:06 (Eva tongue clicking) Little date.

15:10 Oh my god, it is so delicious.

15:14 They're so creamy.

15:17 (Eva groans) And do you remember that mysterious paste I bought yesterday?

15:23 Well, I got it here.

15:27 It is just peanut paste I guess.

15:32 Mmm, mmmm.

15:35 I later learned that in Morocco, this spread is called Amlou.

15:39 It's basically the local equivalent of peanut butter,

15:42 except it's normally made with almonds, argon oil, and honey, so good.

15:48 (gentle music) Well,

15:52 my first solo wild camp in Morocco turned out exceptionally well I'd say.

15:58 That coffee tasted just as amazing as you would imagine.

16:04 Just noticed that Vilk has a tiny little wound here

16:09 on his toe and there's a little bit of pus coming out.

16:14 It's nothing serious, but I just wanna make sure that it doesn't become serious.

16:18 So I'm gonna, hey, yes.

16:20 I'm just gonna clean it out.

16:25 Yes, I know.

16:26 I know you hate this, good boy.

16:27 And put some ointment on it so it doesn't get any worse.

16:32 There it is.

16:34 (gentle music) (Eva shushes) (tape squeaks) Yeah that's a good boy.

16:50 Vilk, you're such a good boy.

16:53 You're such a good boy.

16:54 Good patient.

16:55 Now you've got your breakfast.

16:57 Oh my gosh, your breakfast.

16:59 Yeah, your breakfast.

17:01 Here you go.

17:03 (pleasant music) Apparently in Morocco,

17:12 even if you think you're totally alone, you better look around twice.

17:16 These sheep and their shepherd along with them seem to come out of nowhere.

17:20 Vilk wasn't enthused about the new arrivals, but this is their turf.

17:24 And they came and they went.

17:28 (gentle music) In next week's video,

17:34 I finally reached this horror desert in Morocco

17:36 and embark on a solo three day off-road crossing.

17:40 Oh my god.

17:41 Of one of its more remote sections.

17:43 I really hope the challenge is going to be worth the reward.

17:47 (pleasant music) Wow.

17:55 (Eva laughs)