The owl in the tree -How I got addicted to camel trekking
I have been drawn to the desert since I was a young girl. I started out like everyone else. Doing the classic bus tour in Tunisia. Driving up and down dunes on the back of an ATV in Morocco.
Yes, I admit it. I was exploring the desert with a full-blown mindset of a tourist on tours designed to entertain. Not designed to connect with the environment, the traditional life, and culture.
One day I took a short walk in the desert by myself. Everything was quiet around me. Soon I spotted an owl in a tree. I was surprised, as it was my first sighting of an animal in the desert. Then it hit me. A noisy bus, ATV, or big groups of tourists would most likely not appeal to any animals.
After that experience, I started to look into how I could enter the desert with a different mindset. I found that camel trekking would help me walk more quietly and away from the tourist hotspots.
Finding the right person to take me on a camel trek, designed to connect with the environment and Bedouin culture, took some time.
I have learnt that patience, research, and networking always pay off when planning adventures. Here, it was the case too.
I ended up finding my person, and we walked 150 kilometres in 5 days in the M’Hamid desert, Morocco. I got badly dehydrated on the trek. I had stomach problems, and I was feeling fatigued some of the days. Nevertheless, I found myself happy and content.
At one point I jokingly told my guide, that I felt the presence of desert spirits in the air. They were testing if I was suitable for the desert life. He turned to me and said: ” So you feel the jins too? ”
After that conversation, I have never felt alone in the desert. Not even on my solo camel trek. The jins are there. They will be testing, guiding, or protecting me according to my behaviour and needs.
This is common knowledge for Bedouins, and can not be shared with outsiders unless they are willing to put aside the noise of standard tourism.
I did 2 more beginner-level treks, before I moved on to designing my own camel treks. Mostly together with local guides to learn more desert skills and responsible behaviour.
I added a solo trek to challenge my knowledge, because handling the camel by myself is different from having a Bedouin next to me.
The camel already knows the Bedouin. The trust and boundaries are already there. When I am alone, I have to earn the trust of the camel and learn to set fair boundaries.
I am not around camels daily, so the process of bonding takes away energy in the beginning. It left me tired when time to set the camp up, cooking, cleaning the gear, and completing other necessary tasks.
After a couple of days, we bonded well. The trek started to feel like a pleasant walk together, and I had time to look after myself as well.
At the end of the trek, I didn’t see the shape of a camel walking next to me. I saw a wingman, a teammate. The bonding was strong and healing.
It is normal to go through these processes when walking with pack animals. It just feels more intense when all alone with a camel.
I could go on forever about stories from the desert. The land that some people see as empty, while others see it as full of hidden gems.
So let this be the end of the story of how an owl in a tree made me addicted to deserts, Bedouin cultures and camel trekking.
I sincerely hope you will find your owl too.
Story by: @1walkingwoman
Cathrine Thovtrup