Days 6, 7, & 8: A Beautiful Suffering
I have arrived! After being transported from DC to southwestern Turkey, I was met at a grape-filled campsite by a Corey, a Zeynep, the Turkish father/daughter owners of the site, several chickens and roosters, and a puppy named Pamuk (“Cotton” in Turkish). After a homemade dinner and a gear check, we grazed on the grapes hanging around our heads and went to sleep early. That night, it became apparent that 1) the aforementioned roosters did not know how to tell time and wanted us to wake up every half hour starting at 1am, and 2) the aforementioned Pamuk took his job as guard puppy seriously and joined in the mid-night chorus. After too many grapes and too little sleep, we were ready to begin our hike from Üzümlü to Yeşilköy.
As we walked through Akbel in the outskirts Üzümlü, we acquired several doggo escorts - we may have disrupted the doggo hierarchy as several followed us into other doggo territory. After climbing a large hill or two, we hiked several kilometers through thorny bushes - a stoic Zeynep in the front, a jet lagged and dazed me in the middle, and a Corey cursing loudly in the back. With filleted arms and legs, we finally arrived to Yeşilköy where we sat in a roadside cafe, drinking apricot juice and eating gözleme. We then headed to the neighboring town of Gelemiş for the night, staying at a pension with yet another doggo and a pool.
The next morning began at 6am and took us on a loop that would once again end in Yeşilköy. We started the hike by walking through the Roman city of Patara. The ruins were completely empty and partially underwater, lending to a surreal feeling as we navigated through the city, including removing our packs to get over an ancient wall. The rest of the hike took us on a tractor road (formerly a shepard’s path) on ridges overlooking the Mediterranean.
The hike ended up being substantially longer than we anticipated, and the last two hours were a sufferfest of hiking while “being irradiated” - as Corey would announce - by the sun and hoping that we had enough water to make it to our resting point. We eventually dragged ourselves into Yeşilköy, and recuperated with the same apricot juice/gözleme combination before taking a taxi the remaining few kilometers to Kalkan.
Kalkan is a seaside town that was the perfect location for a well-timed rest day; upon arriving from Yeşilköy, we took very needed naps in a little AirBnb five minutes from the sea. Kalkan caters to British tourists, so I was able to find a street viewing of the English Premier League North London Derby while Corey and Zeynep ate dinner next to the sea.
Today is a rest day, which includes trying to make up for calorie deficits with as many dips as possible (hummus! shakshuka!) and hoping my body forgives me for the last two days. Tomorrow we head straight into the hills that surround Kalkan.
Day 6: Üzümlü to Yeşilköy
Total distance - 13.97 kilometers
Total elevation gain - 309 meters
Total walking time - 4 hours 36 minutes
Day 7: Gelemiş to Yeşilköy
Total distance - 19.91 kilometers
Total elevation gain - 603 meters
Total walking time - 5 hours 13 minutes
