Anabasis of Turkish rogues

Story about the hike “Lycian Way” (Türkiye) in April 2013
I traveled to Turkey in the second half of April and early May, the temperature (15-20°C) and weather conditions during this period were close to ideal. In fact, only one day turned out to be critically unfavorable. For a spring or autumn hike along the Lycian Trail, the clothes and equipment that are used on summer hikes in the Carpathians or Crimea are quite suitable.

Once one of my friends recommended that I read a book called Anabasis. The author of this work, the ancient Greek figure Xenophon, became a participant in large-scale epic adventures. To put it briefly, a Persian candidate for king named Cyrus took advantage of the services of a cheerful company of ten thousand Greek mercenaries. In the midst of the decisive battle, which at first went very well, the prince, enraged by a sense of impunity, rushed into the thick of the battle and was hacked to pieces or stabbed to death by the bodyguards of his brother, the rightful king. Left without an employer in a hostile country, the Greeks managed to maintain the combat effectiveness of the army and fight back home. Anabasis is truly a wonderful work about fortitude, courage and mutual assistance, manifested almost two and a half thousand years ago.

Some time after reading, I considered several options for a route for relaxation on foot, and then I read about the Lycian Way. Having studied the map, I realized that a significant part of the path coincides or is very close to the route taken by Xenophon’s comrades. A real opportunity to personally walk along the mountain paths, where perhaps all these hoplites with their peltasts were trampling... All other options were no longer considered...

The plane takes off smoothly and the familiar, well-trodden Ukrainian land remains far below. The two-hour flight to Istanbul quickly passes by. We are landing over the Bosphorus. In the rays of the sun sliding over the horizon there are dozens, maybe hundreds of ships of various types and sizes. The panorama of the city spread out in the distance is striking in its scale. The liner dashingly floats over the roofs of densely populated neighborhoods with colorful local buildings.

Despite the fact that the departure from Lviv was delayed by almost 45 minutes, we landed exactly on schedule - miracles and that’s all! However, there is very little time left for docking. I rush to the exit, simultaneously calculating the options and tactical moves possible in case of being late for a domestic flight to Antalya. However, I was worried in vain - near the exit from the telescopic gangway, an energetic employee of the Pegasus company was lying in wait for me, with the help of whom I went through customs within 15 minutes, received a stamp in my passport and sat comfortably in my place at the porthole.

Already in the dark the plane lands in Antalya, I quickly get my luggage, jump into a taxi and head towards the Sun Rise Hotel. A smart taxi driver surprisingly easily found the hotel where the Oran family was already lying in wait for me. Having paid for my stay in advance and promised the owners to take part in a ritual tea party, I received the keys and headed upstairs... A quick inspection of the room cleared up all questions about such a low price... however, the room had everything you needed, including an excellent view of the city, sea and mountains...

Having gone downstairs, I became acquainted with numerous representatives of family-hotel contracting. For the next two hours, I intensively drank tea and had informative conversations with Orhan, the younger brother of the hotel owner. Having learned that I arrived a day earlier than the whole group, the participants of the tea feast immediately decided to occupy my leisure time tomorrow with a tour of the Old City. Encouraged by this prospect, I retired to my chambers.

I escape from the tenacious clutches of Morpheus... it’s dark... someone screams in a heart-rending voice... a fire? ...or is it a cat stuck in a pipe? After a few moments, consciousness gives answers to the basic questions of existence - “who am I” and “where am I.” The brain builds logical chains: Türkiye - mosque - muezzin - prayer - calling... I smile maliciously - the earplugs I have stored radically solve the problem.

I have breakfast on the terrace, while exploring the surroundings. However, the set of “oriental delicacies” served was breakfast more in name than in essence - a set of several pieces of bread and microscopic plastic packages of butter, jam, honey and something else. Frankly, I was even worried - maybe someone up there decided to punish me with such a meager meal for the trick of plugging my ears...

I spend most of the day exploring the Kaleici area where the hotel is located. My guides are Orkhan and another representative of the Oran family - a cheerful grandfather with the manners of a party functionary. I definitely liked what I saw - the confusion of narrow streets and architectural diversity made me wonder, and the mountains rising on the opposite side of the bay excited my imagination.

The day flew by unnoticed while exploring the local sights, and here I am standing on the roof, waiting for the rest of our team members - the guys with whom we will have to stomp along the same path over the next weeks, cry from successful jokes and laugh at adversity. Looking ahead, I will say that the company we selected was wonderful. During the trip we became true friends and after returning we not only continued to communicate, but even made several joint forays into the mountains.

A few days before departure, I received a letter from the organizer of the trip with instructions and a list of participants, last names and initials were indicated... for fun, I tried to guess the composition of the team according to gender. By some names it was possible to accurately determine that these were ladies, but the overwhelming majority of the rest suggested that “theoretically, both this and that are possible”... Thumbs up Nikolai Viktorovich... it looks like a prospect is emerging... I told myself, I was especially intrigued by a couple with the name Kopeika... The meeting on the roof of the hotel shattered my oriental fantasies - there were equal numbers of women and men. What I took most painfully was the betrayal of the kopecks - the long-legged twins turned out to be an opposite-sex married couple.

The lineup was very strong - not only the instructors (of which, by the way, there were two in our group), but also the rest of the participants in the hike were well prepared, many had experience in serious ascents and long category hikes. In the following days, it was often difficult for me to maintain the pace set by our guides, but I followed the basic principle of tourist walking - first I moved one foot, then the other - this method always gives predictably excellent results.

The “boxes” of residential areas flashing behind the windows of the minibus are gradually replaced by foothills and rare rural houses. The bus stops, and from the gardens surrounding the landing point, local residents and other household plotters watch us with interest. We unload, check our equipment, and now our squad enthusiastically rushes towards adventure...

We come out onto a dirt road winding along a wooded slope, and after a few minutes the first of the route information boards of the Lycian Way appears. We take a short break, more out of tradition than necessity. I would like to note that the route was prepared masterfully - difficult sections harmoniously alternated with simple ones, landscapes replaced each other like pieces of glass in a kaleidoscope, and “points of interest” evenly scattered along the entire route did not let you get bored.

So, the first day of the hike was just a warm-up - an easy walk through a coniferous forest full of tall trees, flowers and unfamiliar aromas. The weather was excellent, everyone was in the same cheerful mood, and within a couple of hours we were at our first stop. The clearing for spending the night was fairly cultivated - next to the place for cooking, under the spreading pines there was a wide table with benches, and about ten meters away a concrete tank bristled with taps and hoses for ablutions.

The people in our team were organized and, most importantly, economical - I didn’t even have to remind me that there was dinner in the prison, pasta... I had only managed to set up a tent and grab a couple of logs from the thicket when they began to threaten me with a full pot of delicious porridge. Having had a hearty dinner, I decided that there was no reason to hide my main tourist flaw from others - I took out a pack of tobacco from my wide trousers, rolled a cigarette and took a drag with pleasure.

The morning greeted us with fog and numerous boar tracks around the camp. After quickly having breakfast, we set out on a radial foray to a huge television tower located a couple of hundred meters above our camp. The road to the top was winding and rocky, however, fog prevented us from fully enjoying the delights of the surrounding splendor - directly from the base the tower was visible from strength to the second floor. There was no point in staying here any longer, so we began to descend towards the camp. Somewhere in the middle of the journey, a light rain began to drizzle, by the time we returned it had matured to a full-fledged downpour.

Upon returning to the camp, everyone gathered around the table to “drink tea before the long journey.” The bad weather raging around quickly worsened with a deadly hail the size of a young platypus egg. And then, sipping from my mug, I noticed that something was missing... Where is Seryozha? REFERENCE: Seryozha is a hefty man over 40, very sincere and friendly, physically strong, notable for his unique walking style, and can cause significant seismic vibrations while moving.

At first, Seryozha’s absence did not alarm us very much. Through questioning, we managed to find out that the last time he was seen was near the camp, with Anton, one of the instructors, walking in front, and his partner Sasha escorting us behind us - it was almost impossible to get lost or escape unnoticed in such conditions. After a few minutes of waiting and screaming, it became clear that Seryozha had really disappeared... The guides acted quickly and professionally - they identified the most experienced guys, indicated the search directions, conditions and deadlines for returning to the camp... the ruthless search engine began to spin.

Everyone was rushing around the area as if wound up, they were looking for Seryozha everywhere - on the top near the TV tower, where lightning flashed and thunder roared, they rolled into ravines and examined the sides of the roads... it looks like our comrade has disappeared quite thoroughly. A couple of hours later, there were cautious suggestions that there was some alien intervention here... The situation was complicated by frankly shitty weather. And the fact that the missing man did not speak languages ​​did not favor the version of escape... Finally, three hours later, joyful cries were heard: “They are leading, they are leading!” How and why this could happen remains a mystery to me, but it turned out that Sergei passed by the camp and stomped back along the route... Subsequently, he was unable to give a sensible explanation for his initiative. Obviously, having thought about something important, he found himself outside of time and space and moved one leg, then the other - as always, the basic principle of tourist walking gave a predictably excellent result - Seryozha returned to the place where he started yesterday...

Rejoicing at the capture of the escaped fighter, we shouldered our backpacks, threw on our raincoats and clattered our sticks together down the slope. The rain gradually weakened and then stopped altogether. The path ran along the mountainside and was covered about five centimeters with hailstones and snow. The transition was quite simple and despite the unexpected delay, we managed to set up camp before dark. The evening passed in intimate conversations around the fire.

Overnight, the abnormal snow magically evaporated, and the sun sparkled in the sky. Since today we had to overcome a rather difficult section of the route, we decided to set out early. After some time, we stopped in a rocky gorge in the depths of which was hidden one of the main attractions of the Lycian Way - Harmony Canyon (Goynuk Canyon). This place is popular and civilization has already launched its predatory claws into it - at the entrance, a forced distribution of protective mega-suits was organized in exchange for money. After some two hours, clean and well-fed, we were full of energy for the further journey.

The path to the evening camp was not long; we had to cross a mountain range, gaining and then dropping several hundred meters. However, the climb was not as difficult as some sources described, and the descent was quite gentle. In general, by about eight in the evening I had already set up a tent and was sitting by the fire with a full bowl of delicious stew with a small admixture of pasta. Having quickly finished his portion, he decided that it was time for a smoke break and delicately moved away from the fire. I had just made a rolled-up cigarette when someone squeaked, “Kolya is smoking!” I even jumped in surprise. I saw that it was Masha who burned me, it turned out that the team decided to protect my already heroic health and at a secret meeting they agreed to spy on me and in any way prevent me from inhaling the smoke from the combustion of tobacco. I don’t think so, I’ll gradually sort things out with you... just let me get to the alcohol...

The next day we covered a decent distance along the rocky river bed. Then we went onto a dirt road, at the end of which we were promised lunch and a meeting with Ahmed... The area where we found ourselves was divided into vast areas with estates and gardens. All this fruity splendor was guarded by hordes of hefty dogs, similar to Central Asian shepherd dogs. We managed to settle down for lunch in one of these estates. It was nice to sit at a real table, and the hospitable hosts presented us with fresh vegetables and other oranges.

Having eaten and rested, we got ready for the road... and then it turned out that the plan provided for a short-term separation of the group. The cunning Ahmed loaded the bus with all the most expensive things we had... girls and backpacks. We, lightly and in accelerated mode, swallowed several kilometers of asphalt road passing through the village of Gedelme. Below there was a joyful reunion of the team. In addition, a real oasis of civilization awaited us - two competing establishments with ice cream, strawberries, fresh juice and other subjects of commodity-money relations. Some even showed cowardice and decided to spend the night in a hotel with a real bed and shower.

On the way from the “cultural and trade center” to the proposed parking lot, we came across a gigantic plane tree (Plátanus); it was not possible to determine its age, but it had clearly seen a lot. In order to grasp this hulk, it was necessary to mobilize the entire personnel of the unit.

It turned out that the place where we planned to put up tents was dug up with excavators, we had to urgently move to plan “B” - everyone scattered in different directions and within a couple of minutes two cozy clearings were discovered on the mountainside, dense bushes hid them from prying eyes and the wind. From our new camp there was a stunning view of the mountains and ancient-looking ruins.

As part of the water carrier unit, I provided the team with the necessary supply of water. Then I set up the tent so that sitting at the entrance I could contemplate the distant distances and settled down for a well-deserved smoke break.
- Kolya!
- What, Asya?
-Your tent is good...
- Not bad...
- This one burns at a speed of a hundred bucks per second...
- It doesn’t matter, Larisa and Natasha will take me to live with them...

The new day promised us a long climb, and therefore we had a thorough breakfast and without undue haste. The weather was wonderful throughout the first half of the day. Gradually, as we climbed, coniferous trees replaced deciduous trees, the grass on the sides of the path gave way to stone scatterings, and the sky became overcast. After resting and having a snack with cheese and sausage, we made the final push and reached the finish line of the day's trek.

The place is truly epic and is called Çukuryayla. Almost everything was huge here - Lebanese cedars with intricately twisted trunks, stone blocks of Cyclopean size and Olympos towering above all this prehistoric splendor. Believe me, the views from here will not let even experienced travelers get bored... a lost world, Lukomorye in a word.

Inspecting the surrounding area and collecting wood for the fire took about two hours. We had just finished dinner and poured tea into mugs when it began to drizzle. We had to disperse into tents. It was assumed that tomorrow we would get up before dawn and begin the ascent to Tahtalı - the Turkish Olympus. However, as often happens in the mountains, the weather made adjustments to the original plan - after midnight the heavens opened up and moderate rain turned into hours-long downpour with thunderstorms and heavy winds.

After the night flood, Dimon and Andryukha managed to skillfully light a fire in the middle of the vast and deep puddle that our camp had turned into. Breakfast and a mug of hot tea significantly lifted my spirits. After the meal, we quickly realized that this place was disastrous and it was time to get out of here, and therefore we made the difficult decision to split up again - the strong-willed guide Sasha led us to storm Takhtala, and those who were smarter, led by Anton, crossed over the nearest stone ridge and calmly went down to the next stop.

Thus began the most difficult day of the hike for me. The plan included almost 800 meters of elevation gain, followed by a drop of 2000 meters, for a total length of 21 kilometers. It was impossible to determine the situation higher up the slope - dense fog reduced visibility to one hundred meters. We left our main backpacks under one of the huge boulders, scattered in abundance along the mountainside. We took with us only the essentials and began to climb along a barely noticeable rocky path. After 200-300 meters, snow-covered areas began to appear, and soon the trail was completely lost under a continuous layer of snow. The fog became even denser and we had to navigate solely according to the data of the navigator. Closer to the top, we fell knee-deep into the snow, but thanks to the experience of our instructor, we successfully completed the climb.

It is worth noting that there is a lift on the opposite slope; its upper station is at the very top. A restaurant was built nearby, where we settled down to rest. However, we didn’t have time to sit around, and therefore, cheered up with a cup of hot tea and a piece of expertly prepared cheesecake, we continued our journey in the opposite direction.

They returned to the place where the backpacks were secretly buried quite quickly and continued along the route almost without stopping. Throwing my backpack over my shoulders, I realized that it had become significantly heavier. I quickly realized that I had made a serious mistake when I relied on the rain cover of my backpack to protect my things from moisture. During my absence, my sleeping bag and most of my clothes got wet through and through; I had to hide them in a plastic bag.

The next few hours of continuous descent for me merged into a series of fragmentary images - we are descending along an endless and steep forest path, enjoying a piece of lard with a crust of black bread, overcoming idiotic fences with built-in stairs, a citizen who has appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the forest is trying to sell souvenirs, someone's plot looks like a botanical garden... nonsense... moving forward in the continuous rain, just moving my feet.

Finally, on the radio, they manage to call a rearguard group - those who are smarter... Everything is fine with them - they promise a warm welcome and dinner. Finally we arrive at the camp, a joyful and touching moment of meeting, but we parted just a few hours ago. I set up a tent, simultaneously assessing the degree of damage caused by the bad weather and my own irresponsibility - my sleeping bag was soaked through, my clothes too. The rain doesn't stop, so you can't count on drying out near the fire. I’m pretty tired, I literally force myself to swallow a portion of porridge, washing it down with tea. It's time to go to bed, your body desperately needs rest. I put my feet in a huge garbage bag, climb into my sleeping bag, put another bag under my head, and pull on my hat and gloves. For prevention, I drink a packet of nimisil.

I open my eyes, the sun is shining brightly through the nylon of the tent - it’s already good. I switch to self-testing mode - I check the mobility of the joints and the functioning of the respiratory system - everything is functioning normally... I get out of the tent - I look around, birds are singing, sheep are grazing, somewhere near the horizon there is a barely noticeable strip of sea. Today we go there - there is a shower, and dinner in a restaurant, there are sockets with electricity... but for some reason it pulls in the opposite direction from the technocratism of civilization, to where the wind howls and the clouds cling to the rocky peaks.

Before leaving, I have time to dry my sleeping bag and other things. In addition, a significant part of the food that has been in my backpack since the beginning of the hike finally ends up in the cauldron. The backpack becomes three kilograms lighter. Great, life is getting better! We have more than enough time for the transition. The descent is smooth, and the landscape begins to vaguely resemble the subtropics.

In the area of ​​the famous eco-resort Ulupinar we cross the river and after a short climb we come to the Lights of Hemera, another attraction on our way. In several places, flames burst out directly from the slope of Mount Yanartas. This is the burning of natural gas that finds its way out through cracks in the rock. There is an opinion that the methane escaping from the depths of the mountain contains a unique impurity that promotes spontaneous combustion... I think that specially trained Turkish arsonists ensure that the fire burns day and night. Probably in the dark all this gas disgrace looks really cool, but we passed the Chimera during the day and the view was “C-grade”. Of course, I couldn’t resist the temptation to dashingly light a cigarette and at the same time set my beard and eyebrows on fire.

We are moving along the asphalt road towards the village of Cirali, where we plan to spend the next two days. Fruit trees grow in abundance along the road. We cast predatory glances at the citrus plantings. During one of the short rests, grandpa appeared with a full basket of oranges - help yourself! He refused the money with a smile, just like that...

There are practically no shoulders and you have to walk directly on the asphalt. I was pleasantly surprised by the behavior of Turkish drivers. Despite the fact that the road was quite wide, almost all oncoming cars stopped and waited for us to pass safely, the same ones that were driving in the same direction as us turned on their headlights and, making sure that they were noticed, drove past at a speed tending to zero.

Upon arrival in Cirali we quickly find a parking spot. The owners of one of the small hotels put an orchard at our disposal, where we set up tents. As a bonus, we get access to showers, a washing machine and a landscaped veranda for evening gatherings.

We had dinner at one of the many establishments with local cuisine. The impressions from the food and service were most positive. After dinner, we visited the nearest store and, having purchased local alcohol, went to the beach, hoping to see sea turtles laying eggs. We didn’t manage to join the mystery of oviposition, but it was great anyway.

The next day I had to choose from several options - a forced march to a lighthouse located in the middle of nowhere, a radial hike through nearby bays and... doing nothing. We resolutely rejected the last shameful option. And after arguing a little more, they voted for a compromise radial along the coast. I must say that we never regretted our decision - an easy walk without a heavy burden on our shoulders pleased our bodies, exhausted by a week of long marches.

The nature on the coast is significantly different from what we saw in the mountains - a sea of ​​flowers, cacti and other relict horsetails... a complete arboretum. The path along the winding coastline offers amazing views of many coves with clear water. In general, the surroundings of Cirali are an ideal place for relaxing walks and beach meditations.

On the last day of our stay on the Mediterranean coast, everyone scattered in all directions... I acted according to my own plan. Early in the morning I took a leisurely stroll along the empty beach and, despite the cool water, took a swim. I fortified myself with some pancakes, which were cooked on a round oven in real time. Then I decided to explore the ruins of the ancient city of Olympos, located nearby. These ruins occupy a vast area and are surrounded on three sides by mountain slopes, and a river flows right in the middle.

Like most ancient settlements, Olympos has seen its ups and downs. At different periods of its history it was influenced by various cultures - you can feel their echoes in numerous dilapidated buildings, fragments of walls, stone tombs and other architectural forms of various sizes. I spent much more time on the inspection than I had originally planned, but I saw only the most obvious part - not hidden from the average tourist.

It’s very easy to feel the local atmosphere - among these ancient rocks and thickets you can easily imagine the heroes of the ancient epic - there is the Minotaur chasing Theseus through the labyrinth, and near those hefty gates Hector and Achilles are heartily bludgeoning each other... There is even a well-preserved amphitheater and a hefty stone sarcophagus with a special hole - for “looking from the other world to this one”... The place is strongly recommended for antiquities lovers to visit!

On the way to the camp, I planned to visit the barber, whose sign I had noticed yesterday, but after checking the chronometer, I decided to postpone the visit to the barber and rushed to get ready for the road. The backpacks are packed, and we are clean and nice, waiting for the bus, drinking coffee on the veranda... Someone will return to their native land tomorrow, and someone will rush off to meet new adventures. But that's a completely different story...

• the hike along the route “Lycian Way” was organized by OutdoorUkraine

*NOTE - Difficulty. According to my subjective impressions, hiking in the Lycian Mountains is a little more difficult than standard routes in the Carpathians or the mountainous Crimea. Only one day was really difficult, mainly due to unfavorable weather.

* NOTE - There are many places along the route where you can replenish your water supply. At each crossing there are two or more such points, often equipped with a tap or hose. The quality of water on the section of the Lycian Trail that we passed did not raise any complaints - I drank water from springs and mountain rivers without boiling or filtering, and did not feel any negative consequences.

* NOTE - The markings on the trail are quite dense and distinct - the status of one of the best trekking routes is obligatory. There are unobvious turns, but with a little observation and ingenuity you can easily find the right path.

* NOTE - I cannot confirm the information that in Turkey snakes, mosquitoes, scorpions and other sectoids significantly spoil the holidays of decent people. Perhaps he just arrived or left at the wrong time. There were mosquitoes in Antalya and on the coast, but in such small quantities that one could not even mention them. We were unable to meet any scorpions or snakes.

* NOTE - Occasionally meeting other tourists on the route (mainly from European countries), we noticed that most often they travel with light backpacks of 30-35 liters. I think that the main reason is that the Lycian Trail is a trekking or even hiking route, that is, the transitions are designed in such a way that the traveler can spend the night in a hotel or guesthouse. In addition, this solution allows us to completely solve the nutrition issue.

* NOTE - The total length of the Lycian Way is about 500 kilometers, but our group covered about a quarter of it. I hope that in the future I will be able to complete the section that starts approximately where the previous trip ended and runs along the coast.

* TIP - be sure to take durable plastic bags for garbage on your hike and never be lazy to carefully pack your sleeping bag and other things in them before going out.

* TIP - for those who like to save money, it is worth remembering that most often the entrance to the territory of open-air museums is paid, but an attentive person will always find a way to bypass the checkpoint along secret paths and save a couple of tens of euros on drinking and gambling.

Nikolay Korsun, Lviv