While the UK faced freakish weather and security scares, a trek in the Atlas mountains provided examples of human ingenuity and welcome respite from mobile phones...
13 July 2007
A busy ten days started for me helping my young lad's scout troop set up camp for the movements centenary celebrations. In the pouring rain and howling gales I wondered if Lord Baden-Powell himself quite realised what he was starting 100 years ago.
A couple of days later I hosted the BIFM North region summer ball in Manchester and we enjoyed an evening of fine food, entertainment and company until the wee small hours. Straight after the event I travelled to the Atlas mountain region of Morocco where I climbed both Mount Toukbal and Jebl Mgoun.
Walking at 13-14,000 ft certainly provides a challenge but while not physically relaxing it was certainly a mentally relaxing time. As well as the climbing we followed old trading routes used by nomads for generations and farms still occupied by families who have kept sheep and goats in the region for centuries.
It was certainly a contrast to the summer ball - from Saturday evening's four-star hotel in Manchester to Monday evening in a tent on a mountainside digging a hole in the ground for toilet facilities. It was extremely humbling to meet children who genuinely never or rarely see a Western face and with my limited linguistic skills and their own tribal dialect communication was good fun. The biggest surprise though was the temperature that was at 25-30oC during the day and around freezing at night.
Looking round one of the high level settlements it was interesting to see that they had been built on split levels with the animals on the ground floor and family above so that the warmth of the animals created natural heating for the living quarters: even centuries ago in the wilds of Morocco building design was at the forefront of people's minds.
For me it was fantastic being so remote that mobiles and Blackberries didn't work. Moreover, there were no fixed line phones. This was a bonus but I wonder how long the area will stay as such.
On the last day in Morocco I was able to see first hand a storage and irrigation facility that had been built at the foot of the mountains to retain the water caused by the melting snow in spring. It can distribute much needed moisture across the crops at a low level during the extremely dry summer season they experience year after year. Ironically as I was doing this, the UK was suffering the wettest June on record and I am sure a number of you saw at first-hand the devastation that Mother Nature can wreak.
As I arrived back in London I learned of the recent terrorist scares and due to the increased security measures it took some time to pass through Heathrow. As FMs some of us will have to drastically re-visit security procedures at times like this but its important to remember we can all play a part in helping our security forces by remaining vigilant, not panicking and ensuring business is as usual.
All in all a very busy week or so seeing the best and worst that Mother Nature and mankind themselves can do to each other and, even 100 years on, the words of Baden Powell still ring true, "be prepared."
Ian Broadbent is director of group property services at Hallmark Cards and the BIFM FM of the Year 2006
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