Sometime in early 1969, if I remember correctly, I bumped into Marc Miller in Rabat. Marc knew that I was interested in hiking Morocco’s mountains, and he mentioned that he had met the new Peace Corps doctor, who had similar interests. When I first Louden Kiracode, we shared some hiking experiences that we had had and views on books on mountaineering that we had read. I had visited Interlaken a few years earlier and taken the cogwheel railway to the Jungfraujoch, so we talked about the Eiger, and Louden, who had moved to Colorado, spoke with some awe, if not ambition, about the north face of Longs Peak. A few months later, he and his wife took John Paulus, Tony Singleton, and myself to Imlil, and we all hiked to the summit of Toubkal. A few photos from that trip are included in an earlier blog post. During the Moroccan summer, the way to summit is straightforward and just a slog, but we all enjoyed ourselves immensely, and it wasn’t long before Louden and I were back to climb Tazaghart and other mountains in the Middle Atlas.
Returning to the States, Louden settled in Durango, Colorado, where he practiced his medical specialty. He had studied oriental religions as an undergrad at Princeton, and Native American medical practices fascinated him. Indeed, in a previous post, Louden documented his observation of a curing ritual that he witnessed along with the American anthropologist, Vincent Crapazano, in Meknes.
With Peace Corps in the past, Louden and I did not connect again until late in our lives, and our conversations were more personal. Louden shared some of his life experiences as well as poetry and prose that he had written over the years. I found it thoughtful and interesting, and urged him to publish a selection.
Before the end of August, his book will be available on Amazon.
Morocco That Was 