The desert awoke slowly in the early hours, before the day’s climb, Dah brewed chai on the sands beside the majestic Benamera monolith. Our team, accompanied by Mauritania’s only two climbers, set out to scale the monolith, experiencing every step of the ascent. The peaceful morning quickly gave way to fierce gusts, emphasizing the dramatic shift in the desert’s mood and the resilience needed to face it.