It was a hike with Idadik.org. As I described in the previous post, we got camp near Karagol lake. Our next climb promised to be more difficult. We woke up early in the dark – about 4 a.m. Not all of teammates could find a power to participate, only five of us. We started after a quick bite. Beautiful landscapes opened up, especially when the rising sun began to color the mountain peaks. The guide set a very fast pace. Our group of five people spread out along the route. I tried to keep up for a long time, but eventually fell behind the guide. Instead, I joined the rest of the group.

The first stage of the route was an almost continuous steep climb. Then the path became gentler, but in places it was very narrow, with rocky scree, so there was no time to relax. The heat was gone, and there was a strong wind in places, so I had to put on a windbreaker. It was so strange to meet two shepherds sitting on their haunches and wearing T-shirts on the pass.

The most exciting part was crossing the narrow ridge. We crossed several passes and approached the foot of the summit. We seemed to have completely run out of strength, but a few handfuls of raisins gave us new energy. A steep climb up loose rock led to the summit, and we conquered it!
The experience was certainly unforgettable. This is why I go to the mountains.

The way back was no less exciting. Our guide quickly ran ahead. We followed the trail, and when it disappeared, we looked for the way using the route recorded in Wikiloc (thank God I had made a recording). However, when the group stretched out and I found myself in front, I lost the trail and ended up on a steep descent with crumbling rocks and cracks dug out by spring water. It was difficult. I lost a lot of time trying to get back on the trail. Eventually, I made it out, and the rest of the group caught up with me. We continued on together and made it back to camp. We had time to wash in a cold stream and rest, and then we had a 9-hour night drive to Izmir ahead of us.

A couple of hours after setting off, we came across a wonderful restaurant serving delicious Turkish food. It was delightful, especially after two days of living on bread and dry snacks.

These were two remarkable days of testing the strength of spirit and muscle. But how wonderful it is to feel free after sitting at the computer every day. wikiloc