This was published 6 years ago
Conquering Pic Boby in Andringitra National Park, Madagascar
By Daniel Scott
Pic Boby, the mountain apparently named for Boby, a French botanist's lost dog, the search for which led him to scale the peak and stick a moniker on it. Credit: Alamy
I've been mentally priming myself to climb Madagascar's second tallest mountain and highest accessible peak for several weeks now.
Perhaps, I wonder, waking at 3am on the day of when the 2658-metre Pic Boby ascent finally arrives, I might have done better with some physical preparation.
Yet nothing can ready you for an outbreak of what I can only call ''Malagasy belly'', that has me feeling queasy and profoundly unsure around my mid-section.
My World Expeditions Madagascar Adventure trip notes for today, day 16 of 21, at Andringitra National Park, in the country's central mountain range, has this pithy observation on what I'm about to attempt:
''Pic Boby Ascent – approx 28km walking/8 hours return. Strenuous walk.''
Alongside me for the trek are Colin, a 71-year-old former outdoor education director from Melbourne, and Baruch, a 51-year-old Israeli from Tel Aviv, whom we rechristen ''the commando'', for his fitness and commitment.
Our guide Fidy, a young Malagasy farmer from the local Bara tribe, is having some trouble rousing himself. This is not surprising as, since we arrived at our campsite in a rumbling thunderstorm last night, the party, comprising rum, singing, drumming and manic dancing, has raged continuously.
By the time we leave, at 4.45am, the storm and the party have abated and there are cracks appearing in the dark firmament. But there is still time before the sunrise washes the mountains in a honeyed hue and hours before the heat is properly on our backs.
While he might be dressed, save for his backpack, like he is heading to a beachside bar, Fidy quickly comes good. He is sauntering up the track, while I pant behind him, Colin and the commando also struggling to keep up.
There are few stops on our 600-metre pre-dawn climb to the plateau, which stretches beneath a wall of serious granite, behind which, unseen, is Pic Boby.
At one, we admire a waterfall hurtling down a cliffside, the view doing nothing to quell my stomach gripes. At another, Colin confides his doubts that he "can keep up this pace".
Reaching the plateau provides both mental and physical relief, with a few kilometres of flat trekking and discreet bushes available beside the well-made path.
In a country with such poor infrastructure the Imarivolanitra trail is noteworthy, particularly those sections that are defined by steps formed from thick slabs of rock. The work, which dates back to before Andingrita became a national park in the early 1990s, married European know-how with spine-straining labour by a small army of local tribesmen.
I get lightheaded on the plateau, ploughing contentedly along for several kilometres towards ''base camp'', at the foot of our most formidable climb, and taking in the powerful massif. Silvery cliffs abut the mesa, topped by rounded granite and heavily incised by run-off.
It is 9am when we reach the foot of the final two-hour climb. My tummy is in a hurry to reach the summit but has failed to consult with my wearying leg muscles.
The commando forges on ahead but, thankfully, Melburnian pensioner Colin is travelling at a similar speed and Fidy, our guide, hangs back with us.
There are steps. Then there are more steps. So many that I fear I will see them in my dreams. It's at this point, with only two kilometres to go, that I consider turning back.
Yet we make it up and around another sheer rockface and then see it for the first time, the mountain apparently named for Boby, a French botanist's lost dog, the search for which led him to scale the peak and stick a moniker on it.
In the little valley below it, I'm sure I'm seeing stars. But it's three brightly-clad young French Canadian women straight out of a yoga DVD, chirpy as mountain birds and full of "nearly there now" smiles.
The last half hour involves a zig-zagging climb up the boulder-strewn approach to the summit, that I complete at the pace of an escargot fleeing from garlic and a sizzling pan.
Then we are there, in sight of a man-made cairn of rocks, marking the summit, and a middle-aged Israeli commando sunning himself.
My "wow" is genuine, an exhalation that combines jelly-legged exhilaration with wonder at the 360-degree views.
It feels as if we are at the pinnacle of the world's fourth largest island, its central massif stretching away in rows of rounded and sharpened peaks. Clouds whirl below us, shadowing river valleys and bright green terraces full of rice paddies in the distance.
Or, to paraphrase one recent correspondent from the summit guest book:
"This is so not worth it. I lost my lungs about 10 kilometres back. All for a view I could get from a plane."
Cynical bastard, I mutter often, as we make our more rapid return, that has us back at camp by 2pm, having completed what we calculate to be 25 kilometres, in less than nine hours.
For me, conquering Pic Boby, with Malagasy belly, is one of life's small accomplishments.
However, the less said about the night that follows, in the campsite with distant, hole-in-the-ground toilets, the better.
TRIP NOTES
South African Airways has daily flights to Madagascar from Australia's East coast, via Perth and Johannesburg, connecting to the capital Antananarivo using SA Airlink. Flights from $2440 return, including taxes. See flysaa.com.au or phone 1300 435972.
TOUR
World Expeditions has a range of journeys exploring Madagascar. These include Madagascar Reef and Rainforests, Madagascar with kids and Discover Madagascar with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. Their 21-day Madagascar Adventure', from $4690 a person, visits Andringita National Park and has the option of climbing Pic Boby. Phone 1300 720000.
Daniel Scott was a guest of World Expeditions, South African Airways and Airlink.
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