Every step matters

As far as I understand myself, hiking for me is not just walking or swimming from one place to another. For me, this is an opportunity to take myself for a walk, turn myself inside out, shake out the dust, air it out and button it back up. This is why I choose remote places (relative to my strength, of course).

Plus, getting away into nature is an important part of my mental well-being. Since childhood, I have loved the dust of the roads, the path in front of me, the hot sun, the spicy smell of herbs, the buzzing of insects and the coolness of the shade. I love looking at the downpour from a shelter, I love raindrops on my face so I can lick them off with my tongue. I love the feeling of the firmament under my feet. Всё это я люблю. It seems to me that this is my way of interacting with the World.

So, the Carian Trail. January in Turkey. The team is international. 15 people. There are only four of us from Moscow, the rest of the guys are from Ukraine. From different places, as I understand it. Kirill, the instructor, is also from Ukraine. I found him through word of mouth. What is most important, it seems to me.

Of the worries, I had enough of those related to the equipment, which haunted me and forced me to prepare very, very carefully. Backpack, sneakers, sleeping bag (it’s still hanging around somewhere in customs and postal warehouses, beast), pants, membrane, glasses, food, water, language, logistics... brrrr. From October, when I took the tickets, until December I had a lot of trouble.

Putting asphalt on my face in December, which I have yet to deal with, has made me hyper-cautious. That’s why I really like to just jump on the pebbles, just walk. And don’t think about where I’m stepping. More than once my husband muttered to be more careful. But here there was about 13 kg of cargo behind us and sometimes the path went along the edge of a cliff. And besides, I am new to mountain pawns, so my movements resembled the slow movement of a turtle. The main thing was not to freak out. That's what I concentrated on.

I also don’t really welcome it when emotions and feelings are silenced by a “positive person.” Are you cold? Come on! It only seems! Are your feet cold? Think positive! BE No really. If my feet are cold, they are cold. And I do something to warm them up. If I'm tired, I'm tired. If it’s difficult for me, it’s difficult for me. I talk about it and then I can do something. And not to suffer, which I cannot say. And then you can say, yes, this is how it is now, but I am here of my own free will and, as an adult, I can endure some difficulties. After all, I have all the necessary things for this. And so it happened this time, which had not happened to me before. Therefore, in the most “fun” moments, I smiled from ear to ear. And she walked. Free will is the key to a good hike)))

1 day

On the first day on the Datca Peninsula we had sunshine and cheerfully climbed the first radial to a beautiful rock. We didn’t know then that this would be the warmest place on the hike. The sun was scorching with terrible force, two climbers were intently climbing the steep wall, we were taking photos, smiling and admiring the surroundings.

Further, going down, we reached a clearing, where we had our first lunch with sublimates. I don’t know how it used to be, but now these are very tasty and satisfying portions of dried food. Sublimate, in short, is dried ready-made meals. They are dried using a special technology, when the water turns directly into steam. And then, just pour boiling water over the dish. It's ready in 10 minutes. This saves a lot of energy and wood. Of course, on a hike you always want to sit by the fire, stirring the next stew with a ladle, but in mountain conditions sublimates are the best solution. Half an hour - and you're full. At the same time, eat what you ordered. The instructor purchased separate packages for everyone to order. That's why some people ate oatmeal for breakfast, and others ate peas.

We also met. Because the team turned out to be a team. Everyone knew the instructor, but not each other.

Then our path lay to the beach. While we were having a peaceful lunch, the clouds gathered, blocked out the sun and even lightly sprinkled us with water. So as not to lie down, as I understand it. Quick packing is generally the forte of an experienced tourist. Even faster than a soldier. I think.

This day we only had 10 km and for the most part we walked along the road. Next, after taking photographs in an open area overlooking the sea and the Greek island of Rhodes, we went down to a farm left for the winter. As usual, I reveled in the sight of multi-colored stones. But she wisely did not put the beautiful stones in her backpack. The thought of having to carry them on myself somehow cooled my love.

By evening, my legs were already buzzing. The descent, despite the fact that we had walked nothing, was not easy. My legs didn’t obey me, they fidgeted in my sneakers (I didn’t bother putting those socks on later), and I really wanted to just fall. The group crawled (when I write crawled, I’m not writing about the instructor and experienced guys, I’m writing about people like me who are slow), so the group crawled to the beach, threw off their backpacks and began to set up camp for the first time.

I didn't take a tent this time. Which made my backpack a lot lighter. Vanya, my companion, thank you very much! You bravely carried the tent throughout the entire trip, which won my heart forever! Despite the fact that I was without my husband on this trip, all the men were very attentive to us, girls without companions. And there were four of us. Here I absolutely did not want to play either feminism, or machismo, or anything else. Hiking, it seems to me, puts everything in its place very well. We all depend on each other. And an outstretched hand can not only help, but also save your life. Therefore, I was very happy and grateful for any help. We generally have a very friendly and warm atmosphere. This made my experience unforgettable!

In the evening of the first day, when we were having dinner, a thunderstorm with lightning had already hit the shore. Fortunately, we were under an awning, we didn’t get as much water, but the awning had to be emptied of the filled water every five minutes, otherwise it threatened to spill out onto our heads or into our shoes. Someone had something sticking out from under the awning. Thus, we spent our first dinner with a game: pour water into a neighbor’s mug.

At night, the thunderstorm got so raging that I personally fell asleep with the thought that if we weren’t washed away, then the overnight stay could be considered a success.

Day 2

The morning greeted us with clouds. My phone showed different options for the development of events, but clearly said: it will rain, there will be a lot of rain. Sighing that a wet fate could not be avoided, we quickly packed up our things. I should add that we got up and went to bed the entire trip in the dark. To leave as much time as possible for the pawn in the light. We got up at 5 o'clock Moscow time and went to bed around 19-20-21. Despite all my love for sleep, here I got up without hesitation, because on a hike everything wakes you up. The body, cold, heat, mosquitoes, different sounds, silence and everything else you can imagine. Of course there are also wild animals. But usually they hear much better than us and wisely move away from noisy companies.

We quickly got ready and walked along the beach. The beach ended in trees, and the tail of the group spent a very long time trying to find the beginning of the path in the trees. We ended up climbing directly to shorten the cooling time, and then the rain hit us. And with hail. The steep slope, lightly watered but generously blown by the wind, is the perfect place to test your psyche. Especially when your poncho, this crap that is designed to protect you from the rain, collapses from the wind on your face and you can’t see a damn thing, and you have sticks in your hands, and a backpack on your back, and water and hail on top. And the wind. And you are standing on a narrow path and every step matters.

Having sorted it out, I somehow moved up with my poncho, and we climbed to the top of the hill. I undressed and tried to fasten the ill-fated poncho on the backpack, because in my carelessness I did not take a separate cape for the backpack. Why? Am I taking a poncho??? At first I ended up with a so-so cape. But, climbing like this, from slope to slope, with the joint efforts of the group (Thank you, Zhenya!!!) we made a normal cape for a backpack out of my irrepressible poncho, so in the end, I decided to have mercy on it, the poncho, and not throw it away upon arrival home. It will come in handy again.

By the way, when we told instructor Kirill that we were showered with rain and hail, he looked at us with big eyes. He never saw rain or hail. Here the thought creeps into my mind, of course, that this is how newbies are tested. It is unclear who is experiencing it. Nature? What spirit? God? Your own fantasy? I cannot answer this question soberly. But a fact is a fact. Experienced and new participants may have completely different conditions on the same trip. And I’m generally silent about groups on the same route. Sometimes you listen to this!!!

We had lunch on a beach with a marvelous river that we had to wade across. Because the rain temporarily stopped (we have to eat, after all!), then we stormed the river quickly and cheerfully (so what?). Because somehow I wanted to throw the backpack off my shoulders. Plus, after the rain I was still wet. My old membrane could not withstand the pressure and leaked. It's time to change, my dear. It helped me out for a long time, but it can’t handle heavy rains.

Having hung socks, jackets, pants, etc. (everything was decent) on the trees, we lit the burner and heated the water. On this trip, which is surprising for me, hunger did not consume me. 1 kg of all kinds of sweets and energy bars is the reason for this, or I just gained weight and could easily part with the extra kilogram, it’s not clear yet. I will study the issue.

In general, when I was the last one to go get some boiling water for the soup, the sky began to swirl and hint that it was time to be honored. Therefore, I devoured my lunch, already putting my hands into my shirt, putting on a T-shirt and pants. Having packed the backpack with my poncho, we followed the main group with a cheerful tail. And because our conversations were already flowing like a river, we almost went onto another path and came to our senses only when Anya, who was bringing up the rear, called out to us. We raised our heads and saw. That we are walking along the road, and the people are crawling up.

Ha! I had to go back. The trail along its entire route is marked with certain signs. And you can find it if you look for it and don’t click your beak. After this incident, we looked more closely at the trail signs. And you never know...

The passes stretched out. Jump-jump, one, two passes. The rain, hinting but not strong, accompanied us. When you walk, it’s usually very hot under your backpack. But when you stop, the wind instantly blows through you. And the wind there is good, down to the bones, as they say, so walking is good, standing is bad.

In the evening we had a planned stop near a store (the excuse was to treat ourselves to ice cream))). There was no ice cream. The store was located in a village of boarding houses, closed until the summer. Bearing in mind the rain forecast and realizing that the lion's share of it would fall at night, we began to discuss with the instructor the option of spending the night in one of the boarding houses. The idea caught on, after a while the owner of the boarding house was found and the decision was made.

We were allocated 1 room for two people. Anya and I, with whom we became strong friends from the very first day, took the room. Very cozy room. But as usually happens, there is always something wrong. Our air conditioner did not work, there were no blankets, the light in the toilet did not work and the lock did not work. I am silent about the fact that there was no hot water. They have everything here with boilers, and besides, we fell out of the blue.

Having decided that we deserved the warm air, Anya and I went to the owner. As a result, they gave us a replacement heat gun, blankets, screwed in a light bulb and tinkered with the lock. Gorgeous! Well, there was no hot water. But when the rain fell with relief on our parking lot, we slept under the roof. Beauty!

Day 3

The morning was damp and gloomy. We had breakfast with sublimates (we couldn’t take them with us), got into the car and drove to yesterday’s parking lot. We disembarked, pulled up our backpacks and walked up the mountain in good spirits.

This day was filled with the smells of thyme, lavender and other herbs. When we walked along the slope of the mountains, the sea turned blue to the very horizon, crashed with waves and in every possible way invited us to get to know each other better.

The road went downhill. We walked, and the sea below rushed at the stones, broke into millions of splashes, became furious and beckoned us to come closer. We went to the beach. They walked for a short time, jumping over stones.

The beach ended with an obstacle made of a large stone. It was impossible to get around it, you had to climb onto it and walk along a narrow path, then go down backwards, holding on to the rope, and then, letting go of the rope, hold on to the stones and lower your legs down. And next to you a wave breaks, washes over the instructor, and strives to lick you into its mouth. Overall, it's fun. Here we took off our backpacks and poles for the first time so that nothing would interfere. Kirill, this is our instructor, was standing below. He told me where to put my hands and feet, and belayed me so that no one would slip down. The rest of the guys (Lord! What a great team we had!!!) were distributed among the young ladies and helped from above. As the group passed through this place, they pulled away their backpacks below, photographed the process and generally actively participated.

After such an adventure, we reached the end of the beach and settled down for lunch on the terrace of a house closed for the winter. There was water there. This is good. There were taps all along the trail. Not in all places, of course, but by correctly calculating the water, you could easily walk from one source to another. By this time, the clouds had gone to the islands, thickened there with a dark sky and rumbled from there, and flashed us with lightning to show us how terrible and strong they could be. Who would doubt it!

We had to walk a lot that day. Get to the ancient ruins of Knidos (that’s exactly what I was going for! Climb the ruins to your heart’s content!). Next we had to go down to the saddle between the mountains and spend the night. The place where Knidos used to be and flourished is wonderful. We began to see its ruins far from the sea, which allowed us to assume the enormous scale of the settlement of that time.

But as usually happens on hikes, you crawl to the desired location of some attraction, barely dragging your feet. So it is here. By the time I entered the territory of the center of Knidos, my legs were humming like the chimneys of a steamship from fatigue. Time, alas, was running out. We took water and walked through the streets of Knidos. They let us in without a ticket, because we are pilgrims, walking along the path. So, Knidos, even at my cursory glance, was beautiful and magnificent. We should return here in a normal state and wander more among the ruins, feel the spirit of the city, the spirit of the times. I really love this business.

Well, while I was thinking like that, we cheerfully climbed up the path, leaving the ruins to our memories. That's why I respect mountain pawns, because around every turn the unknown awaits you. And this, t.s. invigorates. Turning behind another rock, I saw that there was a small obstacle in front of us. You have to step over a small chasm with your backpack. Crap. And it’s already getting dark. And there's not much there to hold on to. And the men had already all run away. In general, I mustered all my courage and somehow crawled through this cheerful place. Where to go?

Then the descent was between the bushes, and the task was to reach the parking lot before complete darkness. The tents were already set up under the dome of the black starry sky. The bright moon came out and shone into everyone's eyes.

From then until the end of the hike we had no more rain. But the temperature dropped noticeably and the wind, the eternal companion of the sea, added its share to the feeling

The night turned out to be cold. In the morning I already felt that I was swelling. When hiking, if I'm cold, I start to swell. The face becomes so plump and plump, the eyes are narrow and narrow. It usually subsides by lunchtime. If it’s really bad, then only in the evening.

4 day

The valley in which we spent the night was very interesting. A flat saucer among several mountains. There is a well here, built who knows when! It is still intact and water for the animals is still collected in it. Judging by the cakes evenly scattered across the plain, huge herds graze here and now. Most likely cows. While they were packing their backpacks, the fastest ones reached the well and looked into its domed depths. Then those who collected the backpack a little later went there too. Interesting building. Water flows here during rains. Of course, people shouldn’t drink it at all, but it’s probably normal for animals!

After seeing the sights, we moved on. Our path now lay along the shore of the Aegean Sea. We could now see the sun on the tops of the hills. It turned out that we were on the north side. But the sun was shining, the sky was blue. And the wind still encouraged us as best it could.

The group was already walking more cheerfully. We got into a routine. Besides, it was the only way to warm up in the morning. Sunny Türkiye, you say?! Yeah, yeah! And then, as it thawed, the undressing of various parts of the body began. You could have removed the first fleece first. Then the first T-shirt. Then you could take off your thermal underwear! Hm. The options were varied.

That day we passed a wonderful fig cottage, closed for the winter, and settled down for lunch in a clearing nearby.

Further our path lay on the biggest climb (I feel Kirill is grinning now) of all the hills planned on the route. But from this climb I was wet as a horse. It’s good that Anya gave me a bar of Venezuelan chocolate before this. After all, chocolate is a great thing!

Imagine. Trail. It goes steeply up either ladders or steps made of stones, roots and just protrusions of the earth, interspersed with zigzags between trees and you gain height in 10-15-20 minutes. It depends how much courage you have to go up. And then the same vigorous descent down. And then up again.

That day we galloped through the mountains like saigas. I think I even forgot about the backpack. Because I had to go. And, of course, there is incredible beauty all around! Review - to the horizon! Colors, smells, trees, bushes! And so on all day!

We arrived at the parking lot when it was getting dark. The tents were quickly laid out, Kirill and the guys went to get water, and those who remained in the camp made a fire!

This was the only time we made a fire on this trip to Turkey! It was very nice to gather and sit around the fire. I immediately remembered various stories and stories from life. Meanwhile, the night made it clear that it would be very, very cool. I had to wrap myself in everything I had.

5 day

The alarm clock might not have rung. It was impossible to sleep with such a beating noise. The cabbage layers of clothing helped keep us from getting cold, but it was difficult to stay warm. In addition, the wind somehow managed to blow out all the heat that we had generated in the pines. The conditions, of course, are extreme (well, for the south, I mean), but I didn’t feel angry that I was doing something wrong. This time I took everything that was given to me for granted. Warm, so warm, rain, so rain, sun, so sun. This is me now analyzing my past hikes, if anything. This hike was completely on my own!

Morning preparations in the still cool night, going out to the trail and further along the coast. On this day we no longer climbed up, on this day we simply walked along the high bank. Today we had a jungle as planned. Small vines turn out to have sharp thorns. Once stuck between several vines, one could easily pierce a jacket, backpack or pants. On the trail, after the rains, the soil was wet. It was very slippery. Despite the fact that everyone had sneakers with a strong tread. Still, we walked carefully.

Areas of wet clay were interspersed with stones covered in crushed olives. Sometimes there were tree branches hanging from above, which, if you didn’t notice, could hit you in the face. Today trekking poles served an unusually faithful service. I don’t even understand how ordinary people walk in such mountains. In regular shoes. What about in ancient times? Not clear. It may well be that their shoes had a different grip and their legs were stronger. It may well be. I don't claim to be the most resilient woman. But it would be interesting to know how?)))

Also, today we had two difficult sections ahead of us. One descent and a path along the edge of the bay. With my unconquered fears (I’ll get rid of you, damn it, I won’t drag you with me, that’s for sure!), I walked through these sections very carefully. Just like before, when I carelessly climbed into different places that I should never tell my parents about. Now, looking back, I understand: well, as it is, for now.

Our last stop brought us to a smooth clearing, where several Turks (with a car) were having fun around a fire. Kirill immediately went to look at the water at the old, rusty pump.

The column didn't work. There were two options. Walk another 10 km to the village and spend the night there and bring water by car. It was unwise to walk another 10 km, so Kirill and the owner of the car left to fetch water. During this time, we prepared dinner for ourselves from the leftover water. Each one has its own bag. When Kirill returned, we had practically eaten everything and even had enough for tea.

This was our last evening on the hike. It was both sad that it was ending, and happy that we got there. This always happens. You can get used to this, to these separations, you need to prepare for this. This sweet moment comes only when a lot of good things are left behind. When the bad remains, you leave quickly and without looking back. It happens like that.

The night, as usual, was colder than the previous one. Having put on everything I could, I again remembered my down sleeping bag, which, for some reason unknown to me, was stuck at customs and plowing through the sea of ​​postal sloppiness. As I write these lines, he is still in the dark. Amazing!

Day 6

In honor of the completion of the hike, the people persuaded Kirill to shift the rise to 8 o’clock in the morning! I jumped up already at 7.30, because I no longer had the strength to stiffen and wanted to warm up. Having wandered back and forth around the sleeping camp, looking at the sea, breathing in the morning, I felt so good. That it was good yesterday, and good today, and good tomorrow. It's different moments that make life so good. And you can only enjoy them when you realize their value. There is no other way. It is not taken, not eaten, passes through the fingers, leaving nothing behind. No taste.

After breakfast, Anya and I decided to bathe our feet in the sea, because coming to the sea and never having a swim - well, that’s already a thing! In general, we went down to the sea, went into the water and realized that we were now beginning an interesting seaweed wrapping procedure. The breaking wave splashed a finely chopped algal suspension. We wiped our feet with a feeling of accomplishment. Painful and conscious.

The last part of the hike along the Carian Trail was on a good road. 10 km from the mountain in three hours is an excellent pace. In the village, we traditionally visited the store and bought all sorts of goodies, whatever we wanted. I wanted sausages. But their sausage is not very papery. Which is amazing.

Then, for an hour, the bus took us back to Marmaris. To the same hotel from which we started on the Carian Trail less than a week ago. A hot shower, a delicious dinner, heartfelt conversations and farewells to those who had to fly away that night.

God, how sweet these moments are. How joyful they are and how grateful they are that good meetings with good people happen in life and there is an opportunity to truly appreciate something truly good.

Lyubov Malofeeva, January 15, 2020