Afritrex - The Mountains
Ras Dashen, Ethiopia 
Elevation: 4,533 m
First ascent: 1841 by Ferret and Galinier
Range: Semien Mountains
Easiest route: Hike/scramble
Coordinates: 13°14′12″N, 38°22′21″E
Date of Ascent: (predicted) 11 Novmber 2008
An African swansong atop a peak in the Ethiopian Highlands, the only country in Africa to never have been a colony due to determination, fierce pride and a defendable landscape. A pride we may share that day, briefly, at the summit of the last of our challenges before the journey home through the sand of the Eastern Sahara.
Ras Dashen is the highest mountain in Ethiopia and the highest of the Simien range, a group of eroded mountains that rises stunningly from the surrounding 3,000 m plateau in northern Ethiopia to reach an elevation of 4,533 m. Despite the overall high elevation of Ethiopia, the Simien range is the only place in the country that is regularly snow-covered in Winter. 
The mountains are composed of basalt volcanic rock, though there are no active volcanoes today. In the midst of the Simien range, Ras Dashen is a cluster of nine rocky peaks. The mountain trails of the Simien Range are dotted with many small agricultural villages. Traditionally the local people believed the mountains to be inhabited by hostile spirits, so the peaks remained unclimbed until Italy's occupation of Ethiopia in 1935.
Ras Dashen in situated in the Simien Mountains National Park which is easily accessible and excellent for trekking with stirring views and a wide variety of wildlife. In seven to ten days you can walk from Debark, the access point for the park, to the summit; something that, at that stage of our journey we might actually be able to consider.
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Toubkal | Cameroun | Pic Marguerite | Kilimanjaro | Ras Dashen | back to Mountains
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