So there I was in Chefchaouen, dining with Dionne and Mike, discussing our plans for the next day. I shared my excitement for going in search of “Project Fog Catcher,” a student project high in the Anti Atlas Mountains. Mike, being the curious one, asked what a fog catcher was. So I explained: mesh nets that capture fog and filter it into clean drinking water. These fog catchers provide the community where they are located with 200 liters of clean water per day on average. It was amazing to think of the impact such a simple innovation could have on people's lives.
After learning about it, I knew I just had to see this project for myself. I contacted the university that was conducting the study about my interest in visiting the site, but they never replied. So months later, with nothing to lose, I decided to take matters into my own hands and go in search of the fog catchers. I mean, how hard could it be?
While telling them of my plans, Mike suggested Dionne go with me. I loved the idea. When I met up with Dionne and Mike the next morning, they had already arranged a driver to take us on our little adventure. The journey through the mountains was breathtaking, and we were in high spirits.
We knew that the fog catchers was in a remote area, and we were determined to find it. The fog catchers were an important project, providing access to clean drinking water to the community, and we wanted to witness it firsthand.
Along the way we made several stops to take photos, including one along the Mediterranean coast. Dionne painted a watercolor of the coastline while Mike studied a map. Suddenly, he looked up with concern. Our driver was going the wrong way. We were headed to a town with a similar name. When Mike mentioned this to the driver, he explained that the village of Amtil was very difficult to reach, that the roads were in poor condition. We asked if we could at least try, and he reluctantly agreed.
The narrow unpaved road to Amtil clung to the mountainside with a sheer drop-off on the other side. It was terrifying, and I was seriously reconsidering our decision. After what felt like an eternity, we arrived in the Berber village and immediately began asking locals if they knew where the project was located. The language barrier made it difficult. It was amusing to hear Mike and Dionne try to describe the fog catchers. They must have thought us mad as they listened to us explain nets that catch fog and turn it into drinking water. We asked many locals, but no one knew anything about them.
But alas, no luck. It was getting late, and we finally accepted that we weren’t going to find them. But before heading back, we decided to explore the Berber village. Dionne and I were snapping pictures when a man brandishing a staff appeared out of nowhere. His single tooth glinting in the sun, he ran towards us, shaking his staff in the air, shouting angrily about the photos we were taking. I yelled to Dionne, “RUN!” and we bolted back to find Mike. When we finally caught up to him, breathless and laughing nervously, we learned that some Berbers don’t appreciate having their pictures taken without permission. We never could have imagined when we set out that morning that our fog-catching adventure would include a narrow escape from a stick-wielding villager.
As the sun began to set behind the Atlas Mountains, casting a golden glow over the rugged terrain, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the unexpected turn our day had taken. While we didn't find the elusive fog catchers, we did stumble upon something just as valuable: a sense of camaraderie and adventure that brought us closer together. We laughed at our failed attempts to communicate with the locals and marveled at the stunning landscapes that surrounded us.
I realized that sometimes the best experiences are the ones you don't plan for. The ones that push you out of your comfort zone and make you appreciate the beauty of the moment. The ones that make you realize that life is full of surprises and that there's always something new to discover.
As we drove back to Chefchaouen, the failed mission already becoming a story we’d tell for years, I realized I’d found something better than fog catchers: friends who were crazy enough to chase them with me.