Ayder, Turkey
Join me for an epic trekking take away chances into the beautiful Kackar Mountains inwards Eastern Turkey where raw wilderness together with ancient lifestyles piece of job out lasting memories.
I began my Kackar mount journeying walking upward a dirt route towards lush greenish foothills from the pocket-size tourist town of Ayder. Passing the occasional deserted yayla side yesteryear side to a river swollen amongst fresh snow-melt.
Yaylas are pocket-size Turkish mount villages inhabited yesteryear nomadic herders who convey livestock hither to graze high pastures inwards saltation & summertime months. Many were abandoned, a few showed signs of life every bit locals began returning amongst their animals.
In 1 such village, called Yukari Kavrun, I was startled to uncovering a large angry bull blocking the road. I cautiously backed away until the snorting brute decided to harass a grouping of cows nearby piece locals yelled together with chased it downward amongst ropes.
The people who alive inwards these valleys come upward from all over. Their ancestors were originally from Armenia, Greece, Georgia, Russia, fifty-fifty Uzbekistan. They brand a living herding cows together with sheep; producing delicious cheese, yogurt, together with the best dearest inwards the world.
Dangerous Weather
Climbing a steep trail to a higher identify the village, I stopped briefly for tiffin on a colina surrounded yesteryear colorful orange, yellow, together with regal wildflowers. H5N1 jagged wall of snow-capped peaks loomed ahead every bit I hiked on.
Weather changes chop-chop inwards the Kackar Mountains. Bright bluish sky was consumed yesteryear a blanket of black clouds rumbling amongst lightning together with thunder. Then came the hail!
I was forced to retreat into a valley to uncovering comprehend every bit lightning repeatedly struck the exposed ridge inwards forepart of me, hastily constructing an emergency shelter using a pelting tarp together with crawling nether simply every bit the worst atmospheric condition hit.
CRACK! BOOOOOM! It was the loudest thunder I’ve experienced, practically shaking the mount beneath me. Soon followed yesteryear blinding flashes of lightning. I love crazy weather, but this was pretty scary. Hail hammered downward from the heavens — closer than commons hither at 8,000 feet.
Alpine Lakes & Backcountry Camping
The bad atmospheric condition passed almost every bit chop-chop every bit it arrived though. I emerged from my shelter to laid out hiking again, searching for a decent camping ground spot. Stopping to laid upward military camp together with railroad train hot tea beside a deep bluish alpine pond every bit the Sun dropped below the horizon.
What sort of shelter was I packing? H5N1 hammock of course! But at these altitudes at that topographic point are no trees… solely rocks. However you’d live surprised at simply how versatile a camping ground hammock tin post away be. H5N1 laid of stone climbing nuts, a large trash bag, together with a foam pad turns a hammock into a traditional bivy sack for sleeping on the ground.
The temperature dropped together with I gazed at the stars inwards total quiet for a while, drinking some olive petroleum together with doing pushups to build upward some torso oestrus earlier climbing into my sleeping pocketbook for the night.
The side yesteryear side morn was mutual frigidity together with sunny. I scarfed downward some bread, honey, together with trail mix for breakfast earlier heading dorsum out on the trail.
Walking downward into a valley through snowfall towards some other mount lake. The sunlight didn’t in conclusion long though, together with black clouds presently moved inwards for a s day, threatening to delay me again.
Lush Green Valleys
I managed to hike upward together with over the piece of job yesteryear subsequently taking shelter nether a stone for an hr every bit some other hail & lightning tempest floated by. The trail hither is almost completely hidden from stance nether a layer of snow, which unremarkably sticks closed to until mid July inwards the Kackar Mountains.
There were a few tricky sections where the snowfall was deep, but I made it downward into the side yesteryear side valley subsequently nearly half dozen hours of hiking — together with what a beautiful identify it was! The expanse is called Dupeduzu, a pop camping ground spot inwards these mountains. Fields of blinding white snowfall morphed into lush greenish grass covered amongst vibrant wildflowers.
The soundtrack to this paradise? Gushing rivers winding downward from the steep mountains above.
After camping ground out for a tertiary twenty-four hours inwards the mountains, I hiked downward to lower altitudes inwards fellowship to stock upward on food. Luckily at that topographic point are many yaylas non far away where it’s possible to purchase basic supplies similar bread, cheese, trail mix, canned tuna, olives, together with beans.
Because it was nevertheless early on inwards the season, some villages are sparsely populated or completely abandoned. It took me a few hours to accomplish 1 of the larger villages called Olgunlar. They take away maintain a few pocket-size guesthouses here, together with an early on morn dolmusch (public taxi) that volition take away maintain you lot out of the mountains on a dirt road.
Kackar Mountain Wilderness
Once stocked upward for some other ii days of trekking, I left Olgunlar on pes to laid out climbing towards my ultimate goal, a stunning high mount lake called Deniz Golu, together with peradventure a summit assay on Mount Kackar itself, depending on hiking conditions.
On the agency I encountered to a greater extent than streams to cross, local Muslim shepherds leading their sheep together with cattle out to the freshest grazing pastures, together with enough of butterflies. The same argue this expanse produces the best dearest is also why at that topographic point are together with then many species of butterfly around…
The Kackar Mountains take away maintain an incredible amount of diverseness when it comes to wildflowers!
I pitched my hammock/bivy beside a large boulder at the Dilberduzu camping ground area, where there’s genuinely an outhouse due to the large lay out of local hikers who piece of job yesteryear through for summertime mountaineering adventures. I finally ran into a few other hikers hither too.
On the morn of my quaternary twenty-four hours I rose amongst the Sun to climb every bit high every bit I could into the Kackar Mountains. It didn’t take away maintain long to accomplish snow, together with a bulk of my hike was spent inwards it. Not fully equipped to trek inwards these conditions, I was using pocket-size garbage bags to draw of piece of job the within of my shoes — a type of poor-man’s GoreTex.
While your footwear gets soaked on the outside, your feet themselves remain pretty dry. Most of the snowfall was good compacted yesteryear this request anyway, together with then I solely sank downward to my ankles.
Extreme Sledding Adventure
The effects of height hiking at 10,000 feet was taking its toll — catching my breath was a fleck to a greater extent than hard together with slowing me down. But subsequently nearly 2-3 hours of scrambling upward over rocks, I made it to lake Deniz Golu, which unfortunately was nevertheless frozen over!
Too bad, every bit I’d previously seen photos of the lake, together with it’s a spectacular shade of blue.
I hiked farther upward to 11,000 feet searching for a high advantage request for capturing photos of the amazing landscape closed to me. Mount Kackar itself was covered inwards a thick layer of clouds & fog, together with amongst no discernible trail inwards the snow, it wasn’t prophylactic for me to piece of job yesteryear away along on my own. Especially without proper gear.
Once I had the shots I was looking for, it was fourth dimension to brand my agency downward these mountains together with dorsum to civilization. What is the quickest agency to descend a snow-covered mountain? Extreme sledding of course!
While walking out of the Kackar Mountins I discovered a grouping of local women preparing a picnic inwards the grass side yesteryear side to an abandoned yayla. They waved me over together with insisted I bring together them. The tasty homemade nutrient together with boiling hot tea was simply what I needed subsequently 4 days inwards the wilderness…
Our linguistic communication barrier was high, solely knowing nearly v words inwards each other’s native tongue. But amongst lots of smiles together with mitt gestures, nosotros had some awkward yet amusing conversation. I thanked them together with walked on to Olgunlar, checking into a guesthouse together with catching an early on morn taxi out. ★
Watch Video: Kackar Mountains Trekking
(Click to spotter Kackar Mountains – Trekking inwards Turkey on YouTube)
Location: Ayder, Turkey
Accommodation: Kuspuni Otel (Ayder) & Kackar Pansiyon (Olgunlar)
Packing Guide
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