Lycian Way Trek, November 2014

Peter Trescher

540 km in 22days

Day #1, Tuesday, November 4th, cloudy, no rain

 Airport connections in Toronto and Istanbul were straightforward and I arrived in Dalaman on schedule at around 7:45pm, on November 3rd.  Bus transportation from Dalaman Airport was 10TL and took an hour to get to Otogar (bus station).  I had a bit of trouble getting directions at the bus station to find a dolmus (mini bus). The shop owners were telling me that a taxi was how to get around. I eventually found the right area to stand and flag down the dolmus heading in the direction of the pension.  Stayed overnight in Fethiye at the Yilidirim Pension, in a private room. It was a clean budget hotel.  Breakfast at 8:00 am, my first Turkish breakfast, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, boiled eggs, instant coffee, and coffee mate, and lots of good bread. I was learning that milk was not really part of meals in , no bacon and egg and, Turkish tea was the beverage of choice.  I asked the pension owner where I could buy alcohol fuel for my cook stove. He explained directions to a shop in the hardware shop area of town, as well as where to catch a dolmus (minibus) to the trailhead in Ovacik.  I reserved a room for November 29th, the evening before my flight would leave for home again. I left my suitcase behind. My journey had begun.  I found my fuel and the minibus station, and I was at the trailhead at 10:30am.  The route at the beginning started with dirt roads and a well-used trail, with well-spaced, easy to find way markers. Route finding on the first day was not an issue.

 The high-lights of the first day of the trek were para-gliders soaring above, views of the beach of Oludeniz, goats, beehives, cisterns/springs, the echo from the calling for prayer off the canyon walls in Faralya.  The pack was heavy, mainly because of all the food I had packed. I was learning how to make it carry comfortably (it took a week to sort out how to adjust it, as in the beginning my shoulder were sore a lot of the time). My feet were sore by the end of the day, but I had made it further along than I expected that first day.  I hiked till 6:00 pm. All of a sudden it was pitch dark at 5:30 pm, and I was in a canyon with poor choices for setting up the tarp. I was learning that this region is very rough (boulders/stones, thorns, and very few level spots along the trail). I was using the headlamp by then, and all of a sudden I found a nice spot, just big enough for my tarp. The site was deep in a gorge, beside the trail, just prior to a crossing of a dry creek bed. WP# 216.  Setting up camp with the headlamp went well, and I was soon under the quilt listening to new sounds ( I never did see an actual owl on the trip, but at night you could hear them hooting)

 In my notes I wrote that I did not sleep well, but rested well.

Day #2 Wednesday, November 5 th, Sunny

 I was out from under the tarp, and making breakfast by 8:00 am, and was at 9:00 am.  My feet felt fine in the morning.  It was a good thing I decided to use the camp spot the evening before, because the next portion along the other side of the creek bed was very steep and rough. The trail was still well way marked and easy to follow.  I was in Alinca by 11 am, and stopped at a pension/restaurant. I think I had my first Turkish tea here and filled up my water bottles.  The next portion of the trail was along cliffs with the ocean far below. The first waymarks were very hard to find, and I was concerned that this was not a good area to be carrying a heavy pack, and to then lose the trail. The route and way marking got better and the scenery became much more enjoyable.

 The route I ended up taking next, was a bit off the new official route, and had me trudging along a rural asphalt road, to the town of Bogazici. My feet didn’t like it. I was glad to get off the road and back on the stony rough trail climbing up to . It was the first site of ruins on my journey. I soon realized that a lot of the obvious ruins I was going to see were tombs of one sort or another. I think I walked by a lot of ruins that appeared to me as just piles of rocks.  It was along the trail up to Sidyma that I caught up to a young German guy. We hiked together for the rest of the day to just before Bel, where he decided he wanted to set up camp for the night. He was more experienced than me as you will note from my experience in Bel.  I also became very interested in upcoming water sources, and always stopped to inspect the covered cisterns, and water troughs, most were very old, most had some water in them, but there was usually some garbage at the bottom of them, and I would change mind of using the source.  During the first days I was craving pop, and would always seem to settle for orange pop. I was always on the lookout for an ice-cream cone. However the vast majority of the times my search in the coolers at shops had me empty-handed. Tourist season was over and it was too cold for ice-cream, was what I understood.  This particular evening taught me that I must never wander into a town in the evening. I was having a tough time trying to explain using a lot of sign language that I was planning to sleep in a tent, but not in their yard with their chickens and dog, and I was going to be eating my own food this time, to make my pack load a little lighter.  I eventually made it about a kilometer out of Bel, and found a level rock free spot on an unused side road along a pasture. WP #504.  Again I was setting up camp with the headlamp. I went to sleep to the sounds of bells on goats or sheep, it sounded like water flowing, other sounds included barking dogs, and the call for prayer.  My routine in the evening after I got comfortable under my quilt was. I would turn on the headlamp and get out my maps and guide, preparing for the next day. I then wrote down notes about my past day in a journal, and read some history of some of the sites I had passed through. By the time I had done all that it was about 7:30 pm and I was ready for bed. I got lots of sleep on the journey.

Day #3 Thursday, November 6 th, Sunny

 I woke up to the sound of traffic by the campsite, I think it was shepherds on their way to tend the flocks, because in the morning I walked by quite a few sheep and goats grazing along the trail.  My feet felt good in the morning. I made some adjustment to the pack, and stopped a couple times during the day for more orange pop.  I got a bit off the new route, by the time I realized it I was too far along. I got to the old trail head off the road I was on, but it was unpassable due to a bad washout. It bothered me a bit that I was not following the exact trail, and made a mental note to pay more attention.  So I continued on to Pydnia, (the ruins of an old naval yard) via the road along the coast. The views of the ocean were very nice, and I assumed, the grade of the road was much better than the trail.  I was hoping to get close enough to the shore to go for a swim, but the road stayed well above the shore line, and the shore below was very rugged.  The ruins were very interesting, which were on a small knoll, on the edge of a large river delta, built up with many greenhouses.

 I crossed a rickety bridge to cross a stream. I was able to cool off and washed up in the stream, and then made my way across the delta through a forest in the sand dunes. The area was very flat, so it was easy hiking the remaining kilometers of the day.  I then started hiking inland, past the ruins , which contained old temples and an amphitheatre.

 The area was full of greenhouses and shops, so I was starting to get concerned about where to camp. I did however come upon a vacant area along the river that gave enough privacy, and met the other requirements of being flat and rock free.  My food supply was slowly getting lighter, but there still was no need to purchase any. My GPS however was in need of more batteries, so I purchased more, and looked at the options for food to eat on the trail. It looked like I was not going to starve.

Day #4 Friday, November 7th, Sunny, and Hot

 Up at 7:00 am. Breakup of camp, and breakfast went well and was on the trail by 8:00 am.  I walked up into the ruins , with many interesting tombs, monuments, and buildings.

 When leaving Xanthos, I took a wrong turn on a new road that was not showing up on my map on the GPS. I kept following the road assuming that it was going in the same direction I wanted to go. When I finally decided that this road was getting way too far off track, I then started backtracking and bush-wacked for a portion to get back on the road I was supposed to be on. I was both exhausted and upset about the time I had wasted. It was definitely a learning experience to pay more attention to the route and way points set up on the GPS, if I didn’t want to waste time and energy.  The next town Cavdir was not a pretty area, the housing was a bit on the rough side, and it was hot. I stopped at a store and had a peach juice drink.  Along this section I had caught up to a young German couple, and spent the afternoon hiking with them along the aqueducts in the area. It was the start of three days of walking in and along these stone ditches. Although I was hiking on an ancient water system, water was in short supply.  One place along this area with lots of water was Ispanar Springs. It was just in the right spot as it was a hot afternoon, and it was nice to put my feet in the cold stream to cool off. I saw two big tortoises here.  After the springs the trail seemed to disappear through a deep gorge, and it took a bit of time to find the trail on the other side and continue on.  The trail then became well marked, but with very rough terrain as I made my way to Uzumlu. I stopped at a very nice restaurant for the best trout dinner I have had. Maybe it was because I was really hungry at the time.

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 After the supper I hiked further on, maybe two kilometers out of the town. It was almost dark when I found a suitable campsite. It was a bit prickly, but quiet, level, with the rocks already picked.

 It was a day that was not as productive in mileage as I had planned.

Day #5, Saturday, November 8 th, Sun/Clouds, Windy

 Got up at 6:30 am and was hiking down to Akbel for a tea and something like a bagel called simit. I bought some fruit, and pushed on.  I was at the syphonic tube ruins called Delikkemer by noon.

 The trail was following the aqueducts high above the delta with the greenhouses below. I was able to see the areas I had hiked for the past three days.  I passed by 3 or 4 families picking olives along this part of the trail. I guess on weekends at that time of year families go out to the land that they own, and gather olives.  I was in by 2:00 pm. This site is a major attraction with room for lots of buses to park. I wandered down the road, the only tourist for that time of the day. The wind was starting to blow.  I was doing quite well following the route, that day, until I attempted to use a different route to exit Patara. The route I choose soon ran out of a trail, and I ended up bushwhacking up a hill that had experienced a fire a few years before. What appeared to be a relatively easy route from a distance was covered in big boulders, and many thorn bushes. I eventually hooked back up to the trail, but I doubt if I saved time and energy.  Another problem I encountered after leaving Patara, was I was low on water, and the cisterns I found along the way were all dry. I heard a car coming so I flagged them down, hoping they could help. Well they were loaded right up with water jugs, and they filled my bottles right up, and gave me two oranges. I was full of thanks and relieved.  I hiked till 5:30pm and stopped beside a farm to set up the tarp where I thought it was a bit sheltered from the wind.

 As the night went on the wind got stronger. I was hoping the tarp would survive the night.

Day #6, Sunday, November9th, Windy, Thunderstorm, then Sun and Clouds

 Up at 6:30 am, the tarp didn’t collapse, but the wind seemed to get worse as the night wore on. I hardly got any sleep, as I had to get up a few times in the night to replace loose stakes and tighten lines. The tent was not at the best angle for the direction the wind was coming from.  So I packed up in the storm, no breakfast. I started hiking, tired, pushing into very strong winds, and low on water again.  I could hear thunder and soon the rain started to fall. Luckily I found an unused shelter and camp. I sat under what I first thought was an old greenhouse, but soon adjusted the use to a goat shelter. As the rain poured down, I filled up my water bottles with rain water.

 After the rain slowed down, I moved into the plastic wrapped shelter used by the shepherds. I boiled some water for coffee, and had some cereal with warm milk. I felt great.  I made good progress into following a rough trail, which was well way marked. I stopped at the first store and bought a liter of peach juice, which I guzzled, until I felt ill. I then decided to find a nice restaurant where I ordered a huge meal.  I had trouble leaving town, as I was feeling rather stuffed, and the trail out of town was very steep. At one point I just laid down and rested until I felt I had more energy to continue climbing.  The trail eventually leveled out and I hiked about three kilometers from Kalkan, where I found a level clear spot just big enough for the tarp. By the time the tarp was set up it was dark.

Day #7, Monday, November 10 th, Sunny

 Just a few drops of rain during the night. A huge female dog walked by the tent in the morning.  It seems that even when I’m far from towns along the trail the call for prayer is always within earshot.  A steep uphill climb in the morning on a well- built trail, used mainly by shepherds.  Water cisterns with good water were found along this portion of the trail.

 It was along this portion of the trail that a couple of hikers caught up to me. A young Turk and a young German, both male. They hiked faster than me, but had trouble with route finding that day, we ended up staying at the same location that evening.  I had lunch in Bezirgan. I bought some yogurt, bread, cookies, and peach juice. There was lots of fruit along the road in the area which included apples, some grapes.  The afternoon went well, The route was complicated, and undulating. I made good time and the times I did get off route, I was able to get back on course using the GPS.  I stayed in Gokceoren, by a mosque. I enjoyed a big dinner at a pension. I camped in an orchard across the road from the pension. The Turk and the German stayed in the pension.  I calculated my mileage that day at 25.1 km.

Day #8, Tuesday, November 11 th, Sunny

 The night was dewy. The area had lots of dogs and roosters, which woke me up a few times during the night.  Breakfast at the pension was served at 7:30 am, and was very good.  Lots of energy this morning. Made good time today and got off track very little.  The two other hikers started hiking later than me, but by around noon they caught up to me again. I did keep up with them, but before we all descended down to Kas we separated ways, and I didn’t see them or their tracks for the rest of the journey.  The ruins of Phellos high on a narrow ridge were interesting to walk through.  Made it to Kas, where I stayed in a pension. My socks stunk, I washed some clothes. But not the pants, as they had lots of mud caked on them.  An owner of a pension beside were I am staying gave me some very tasty apples.  I went out for dinner in the evening and, it was very good. I had chicken kebabs, soup, salad, tea, and water, for 26 TL.  I took out 200 TL out of a cash machine. They would be able to see that banking record in Brisco, in case the SPOT was not working.  Very sore muscles that evening. Off to bed at 7:45 pm. Very nice to be in a bed.

 Over 27 km today 

Day #9, Wednesday, November 12 th, Sunny

 The pension was nice. I was able to wash some socks and a shirt. I even had a shower. I was supposed to have breakfast but I was rearing to go, so I left at 6:45 am. The town was very quiet in the morning, the roosters and the dogs seemed to have gotten their work done by then.  I was worried about a cliff section and had been thinking about using the water taxi to skip the section. But it was too early in the morning for getting a boat ride. It worked out that the old trail went above the cliff section, and the beach town…which was OK with me.  I was finally able to swim in the sea. Actually twice that day. The water shoes worked great and the water temperature was very nice. I was able to skinny dip, as there was no one in sight for miles.

 Close to Bogazcik I was running low on water. I was walking with a shepherd for a while, and I communicated to him that I was needing more water. He took my bottles emptied them and then filled them up with water at a portable water tank for watering his goats.  The area was very stony, but I found a prepared campsite, again just big enough for my tarp. I prepared one of the meals I brought from home, plus the bread I bought two days earlier.  Cooking uses up a lot of my water, I was short again.  I made good progress that day, making it well past . I would be in Ucagiz in the morning.

Day #10, Thursday, November 13 th, Cloudy

 A very long day. I didn’t sleep well. People had been walking on the trail at all hours of the night. I was worried that they might be coming to my campsite, and ask for my money.  The camera lens shutter started sticking…its old, but has been very reliable over the years…I had to check and open it by hand the rest of the way, before I took pictures.  I had lunch in Ucagiz. It was very good…it made up for no breakfast. It consisted of chicken kebabs, french fries, a tomato and cucumber salad, and peach juice.  I bought food in Ucagiz, nuts, bread, cheese, sausage, more peach juice, batteries, and icecream.  I camped at Cakil Beach. The beach consisted of washed white stones. I swam twice that day, once in the early afternoon, and then after I had the tarp set up for the evening.

 A Russian couple was camped beside the beach as well. It took a bit of exploring to find my campsite so we both had a bit of privacy, but I found a nice spot.

Day #11, Friday, November 14th, Cloudy, Lightning, Hail, Rain

 I slept well, there were mosquitos in the area, but the bug net worked well.  I was preparing to pull water out of the cistern beside the Russian couple’s campsite, they said they had lots of water and gave me some of theirs.  I set out early, it rained a bit while packing up, but soon quit.  The first two hours was straight forward, with the trail following closely along the coast, but after that, my trail finding skills were very much needed. The trail was badly marked in portions, (I would spend time trying to find the trail on the other side of open pastures) the light due to the mist and rain in the afternoon easily disoriented my sense of direction.  The trail up the steep gorge below Gurses, was very challenging, clambering around very large boulders, while always looking ahead to find the next waymark.  Above Gurses it started to rain. I was able to quickly find a vacant farm, and sat in a dry tree house, while eating my lunch.  The rain stopped and I set off again, getting higher up on a ridge where colder air blew in causing a thick cold mist. I became worried about getting disoriented so I sat in the porch of an abandoned stone house, for about an hour.

 When the mist had seemed to lift enough, I continued on my way walking through the ruins of Trebenna. A lightning storm started building up intensity, and it started to hail. I was only able to find shelter under a big oak tree, keeping me out of most of the storm, but being under a big tree is not the best place to be during a thunderstorm.  When the hail/rain eased a bit, I set out again, picking my way on top of ancient crumbling stone walls to avoid the deep muddy water flowing through the fields below.  I made it to the edge of the Gorge at about 4:30 pm. I looked on my GPS which showed that the next waypoint on the bottom of the gorge was about one kilometer away. I knew it was getting close to dusk, but I felt that, one kilometer shouldn’t take too long. As I made way down the ancient, well-built path, I soon realized that although the path had a very good grade it was going to be a longer hike down than I first estimated. On top of the slow progress down the face of the gorge, the thunderstorm seemed to intensify.  Soon I had my headlamp out as I picked my way down the path, with flashes of light from the lightening helping illuminating the trail as well. When I finally stumbled onto the road beside the river at about 6:30 pm, I was completely drenched. With all the rain throughout the day, the river usually with a small flow was now a raging torrent. When I got to the waypoint that marked the area to cross the river, all I could hear in the dark was the roar of fast flowing water.  As I panned around with the headlamp, I could see a road up onto pile of mine tailings. Quickly I assessed that it would be the place I should be, on a night like that. So I picked the smoothest spot on the pile and pounded in the tent pegs, got the tarp up, and laid under it, with my soaked equipment. I was starting to get cold, so I dug into my pack for the clothes bag full of dry clothes and changed out of the soaked ones I was wearing. Then I crawled in under my quilt, and slowly started to warm up. This was not the kind of a hike I wanted to be on, I had taken on more risk that evening than I was comfortable with, and made a mental note of the situation. I fell asleep, exhausted.

Day #12, Saturday, November 15 th, Cloudy

 I woke up to the sound of a big rock loader repairing the river crossing. The river was quieter now, but it was still drizzling a bit. I was resigned to the fact that this was going to be my camp for a while. I passed the time reading, and writing in my journal, and reorganizing my clothes and pack. I was lucky I had made it down the trail in the dark. I did notice that I lost one of my water bottles along the way. Probably when climbing over a fallen tree in the dark.  Surprisingly at 9:30 am the noise of rain on the tarp stopped. I packed up the tarp and I was soon on my way across the repaired river crossing.  The wet clothes in my bag were noticeably starting to smell, and I was planning ahead of when I could get the stuff along with my damp sleeping bag out in the sun to dry.  The next section of the route was a road walk of about 6 km, to the next trailhead. Along this road were a steady procession of greenhouses, and dogs chained to the front of the farm houses. So I made my way zig-zagging down the road. I did find a replacement bottle, that fit better in the pack. I looked for a twin for the bottle (to have things in balance) the remainder of the hike but never did find one (I eventually bought a one liter bottle of “Scwheppes” orange pop to use as the twin to the bottle)…it’s not very good pop…there were lots of empty bottles laying along the route… (I guess not too many people drink one liter of orange pop and throw the empty bottle on the ground).  I was happy to get on to the trail again, and in my excitement I lost my footing, slid backwards causing a hiking pole to get under one rock and over another. As I fell forward, SNAP, one of the carbon fiber poles was in two pieces. I was able to continue using the pole for the remainder of the hike, but it had become poorly supported in the middle, and needed a lot of TLC to keep it from coming to more harm.  The trail continued climbing very steeply up. There are a lot of cisterns in the area. I camped a bit off trail, because I was concerned about being asked earlier in the afternoon, by a very pretty farm girl, in quite good English, if I was hiking alone (usually Turkish women in the rural areas were very reserved, even tried to be unseen). The camp was a very interesting spot, being an ancient shepherd solid stone shelter complete with gutters that collected water for the adjoining cistern. It was a good hiding spot.

 Considering the late start…I did make good progress that day…compared to the day before.

Day #13, Sunday, November 16th, Sunny, Misty on the ridge

 One problem with the campsite was there was a lot condensation around in the morning. My clothes that I had hung out to dry, were wetter than the past evening. Into the pack they went.  I stopped for lunch and laid out all my belongings, letting the sun dry them for an hour.  I made good progress during the day. The route was very steep in the morning as I worked my way up to about 1800m. The views of what was ahead were great, as I could see the land stretch out in the distance to Cape Gelidonia, and its five islands.

 The campsite at the ruins of Belos, sat on a narrow ridge with great views of the Demre area and some of the route I been on the past two days.  It was neat to hear the call for prayer coming from far below.  In the morning I would hike down to , eat a big meal, do some shopping for trail meals, and take some money out of the bank machine.

Day #14, Monday, November 17 th, Sunny

 I was woken up at 6:30 am by goats bleating as they passed the camp. I guess it was time to get up. It had been a bit cold that night, and I had been busy at night making sure my quilt was covering me better as I felt the cold draughts. So morning seemed to come a bit too early this time.  The clothes that I had out to air out/dry the past evening…seemed drier. Except the merino wool shirts and the woolen outer socks.  The trail down to Finike was rough and slow going, but I was in town at 11:30am. I first purchased fresh squeezed orange juice. I really craved an ice cream cone, but none was found. I then took more money out of the bank machine, and went to find a restaurant that looked like it was popular with locals. I settled on one in a mall. It had pictures of what they had to offer, and I pointed to everything I wanted. I had a lentil type soup, lots of bread, a sort of thin crust pizza, I had no clue what the toppings were, but it was filling enough, a fresh salad, bottled water, and tea.  I then waddled out of the restaurant, and proceeded to walk along the beach on a promenade built with paving stones. For most of the way it was a two lane walking path. I was averaging around 4 km/h. A lot faster than plodding carefully down the rough trail in the morning. I also figured out the GPS had an odometer, but it required the GPS to be always on to get an accurate reading. The walk across the delta was about 20 km.

 I came up with an idea of how to strengthen the broken hike pole. I whittled a 6” long stick to fit inside the hollow tube of the pole to act like a pin inside a broken bone. It worked great, until I pushed the lower section of the pole up , to retract the pole. The stick pushed up as far it could go up to the handle, and stayed in that position. It took quite a while to tap on the pole to get the stick to come back out. I threw the stick away, and lived with what it was.  As I was walking across the delta, I noticed that the mountains in the distance already had snow on them. I was considering that I would most likely be taking the lower route, when the trail split.  I bought some bread along the way. Every store selling food had a cabinet outside by the front door with loaves of fresh bread.  I walked along the beach, past a huge beach resort, with everything put away for the winter. At the far end of the resort was the start of a forest reserve. The forest consisted of well-spaced young pine trees. The ground was nice and flat. The only part I didn’t like was the sand. I didn’t like to bring sand into the tent. The camp was close to the ocean, and I fell asleep to the sound of the gentle waves.  With the easy walk across the delta, I was very happy how far I progressed that day. I still had about 5 km more of flat going to get across the delta.

Day #15, Tuesday, November 18 th, Sunny

 There was a lot of dew in the on the tarp in the morning. So sand was sticking to the tarp as I packed it away.  I got the start of a blister on my heel while I was hiking in the morning, maybe sand in my sock, or just too much walking on paved roads the day before. I got my first aid kit out and patched up the blister. It soon felt better with the protection.  This section of the route was an easy undulating walk along a quiet road along the coast. The area seemed to be a recreation park. Many times, I had no clue what an information sign was trying to tell me. I was stopping a lot, as there were water taps spaced regularly every kilometer, and I was checking each one out. But after hiking for half a kilometer after one of my stops, I realized I forgot my sun hat. I dropped my pack and went back to get the hat. I certainly was doddling that morning.  I stopped for a swim before lunch. It was very refreshing, and there was not a soul around. I had my clothes lying out on the rocks, airing and drying out. The water was crystal clear and the temperature was very comfortable. The merino wool shirt was still damp. I solved that problem, by putting it on, and by the end of the day it felt more respectable.

 I met a Russian couple along the road, coming the opposite way. We traded information on the route. They explained to me their ordeal on Mt. Olympos during a thunderstorm. They assured me that the area around the mountain was snow free.  I made it to Karaoz, by lunch time. I stopped at a restaurant for a big lunch. As with a lot of the stops along the way, I was the only customer being served. Except for the cats, which the waiter tried to chase away.  I stopped at a couple stores to gather up more supplies, which included batteries for the GPS, chocolate bars, bread, a coil of sausage, cheese, but the only cereal I could find was “cheerios”.  I made it to the lighthouse at about 3:30 pm. I took the standard, required pictures, and continued climbing higher up along the ridge.

 The area after the lighthouse was very rough. It was a good thing I had researched the lay of the land with Google Earth and the topo maps, as I did come upon an area I had identified as fairly level. I picked a nice grassy, free of rocks spot. I was able to set up the tarp, and eat supper before dark.

Day #16, Wednesday, November 19 th, Cloudy, Cool

 The camp was very quiet, except for the hoot of owls and the bleat of goats high on the cliffs above.  I got up about 15 minutes earlier than my new normal, had breakfast of cheerios/granola, with warm milk, and coffee.  I was hiking by 7:15 am. The trail marking was “excessive”, and the trail well used. I made very good mileage that day.

 I was in Adrasan by 11:30am. The beach front was very quiet, and a lot of the touristy restaurants and shops were closed for the season. All the charter boats were propped up along the road. I stopped for lunch at the Paradise Lodge. The food and service was very good, and I enjoyed the meal with the ducks, dogs and cats. A group of german ladies were eating at the restaurant as well. I had spaghetti belonos and a salad, with lots of bread. Beverages were orange juice and tea.  I started hiking again at 12:30pm making it to the outskirts of Olympos.  I was hiking much later than I hoped because of the poor camping options available, but I finally found a very good site at 5:00pm. The only problem was I could hear growling in the dark. I think it was a wild pig…or a fox.  In the morning I would have to make up my mind about which route option to choose. Day #17 Thursday, November 20 th, Cloudy, Rain, Lightening

 The camp was good. I was up early and got a good start to an eventful day. The ruins of were large and very interesting.

 Cirali was a very nice town, with a long sandy beach, and lots of orange orchards. I bought some supplies, bread, bagels (simit), oranges, nuts. Spending 14 TL.  It was interesting to note how free of litter this town was compared to other parts.  I made my way up to the Chimaera Flames. It cost 5TL for an entry fee, plus they had ice-cream cones, so I spent another 3 TL. The flames were more than I thought they would be. The area smelled sort of like a gas stove, with small flames coming up all over the place out of holes in the ground.  This area after the flames had lots of water, and I stopped to soak my feet in a cold stream. There were water pipes going in all direction, with many restaurants offering trout on the menu.  It looked all day that it might start raining. Then halfway between Ulupinar and Beycik. It started to rain. I stopped and got on my rain gear, and pushed on. Keeping on the trail during a rainstorm is very challenging, especially when the trail has been rerouted, and you cannot stay on track using the GPS. Reading a GPS in a rainstorm is another challenge.  I was relying on navigating towards waypoints as a reference. As the thunderstorm continued and the light disappeared to dusk, I finally found my proposed destination for the evening, the Rivera Park Restaurant in Beycik. I was pretty well drenched by then as I had been out in the storm for over two hours. The owner brought me into his “man cave”, complete with a TV and, a woodstove, which made the room very warm.  The owner let me hang my wet clothes above the stove. He made me a nice supper of trout, then invited me to stay the night in the room. I ordered a breakfast for the morning before he went over to his house for the night.  I set up my pad and sleeping bag on the floor of the room, put a few more pieces of wood in the stove, and fell asleep, warm and dry. It could certainly have been a wet, cold night in other circumstances.

Day # 18, Friday, November 21st, Cloudy, Clearing, Cool

 I slept in the room with my smelly clothes drying above the stove. At first it was too hot, but by morning the fire was out, and I was up trying to get the fire going again.  The rain had stopped around 10pm. and it was looking a lot better in the morning. I was hoping I could continue up the mountain.  Once the fire was going again, I started to pack up my stuff, which had dried nicely. Then I did my research for the day, and caught up on my journal.  Breakfast arrived at 8:00am, and it was very good. It consisted of fried eggs, and the usual other Turkish breakfast items, although this was going to be a very late start, I would be thoroughly energised.  And off I trekked…in a rush to make up lost time. The guide book said I should be on the peak by 11:00, before it clouded in.  I did arrive at the base of the peak and the pass at 1800m by 11:00am. I only had to climb up the ridges of rubble and ice to the summit at 2360m. I dropped my pack under a unique solitary tree, and worked my way up the easy to follow trail.  The clouds seem to lift more as the morning went on. I was on top of the peak around 1:00pm, and sitting in the fancy teahouse of the upper terminal of the gondola lift.

 There were tourists on top who arrived with the gondola. They all looked very well off compared to a hiker with mud caked shoes and pants.  I had a Turkish tea, and a wonderful slice of apple pie/cake. It was very expensive, but it was worth it, considering the location, and the accomplishment.  I was able to get good views to the north towards . My destination was within sight. To the south the area was still covered in cloud.  As I was climbing up the mountain, I could hear what sounded like power-saws in the forest below me. After my tea, and pie, I found out what the racket was about. Parked on the viewing platform were four motocross bikes. How they made it up that rocky trail, was an accomplishment as well. Considering the area was a national park I wondered what the rules were for hill climbing bikers.  The riders explained that they were riding down with the gondola instead. The good thing was the bikes had solved the icy trail problem for me.  So by 1:30 pm. I started to pick my way down the now muddy trail. Now my objective was to get as far down the mountain as possible by evening.

 By 4:30 pm I made it along the trail down to an elevation of 1100 m. As I was writing in my journal that evening. I had to stop writing because my fingers were freezing and were numb. I was wearing my cold weather layer to bed.  As I tossed around trying to find the warmest position, I could feel a cold draft on my back. A lot of time was spent repositioning the quilt around to cover me better.

Day #19, Saturday, November 22nd, Clear and Sunny

 I packed up early in the morning, cold and hungry. I made the mistake of packing my gloves away that morning. My fingers where numb and cold, as I hiked until the sun came out.  When the sun came out I found a nice rock to set things down and boil some water and eat some breakfast. With some warm food in my stomach and the sun warming my fingers, I felt a lot better.  I made it to Gendelme around lunchtime. I found a store, and stocked up on food. I picked out a fruit that looked like a cross between an apple and a pear, but it was not very sweet. I noticed that the store’s cooler temperature was warmer than it was outside the cooler. That dampened my hunger, so I only bought the fruit, a couple of chocolate bars, and a package of nuts.  The route that day was undulating, but it was mainly downhill. I was using the GPS a lot to make sure I didn’t miss the numerous junctions. I don’t think I wasted anytime backtracking during the day, so I made very good mileage.

 I planned on getting to a campsite mentioned in the guide, so I pushed a bit to make sure I got there by 4:30pm. I got to the area in time and spotted a nice camp spot down below me. An almost perfect grassy ridge off the trail about 50 m. As the trail came down into the area, I figured it was about time to start cutting over to the spot. It was all fine in the beginning, but soon the way became very brushy. In my excitement to find this wonderful spot, I pushed through the brush, only to get hopelessly tangled in vines full of thorns. The more I tried to entangle the more scratches and stabbings I had to endure. Eventually I worked my clothes free, and made my way on to the lawn like ridge. The bleeding and pain did stop, however I was picking prickly dried thorns out my clothes for the next two days.

 I made supper, and set up the tarp and quilt, and crawled under. I was reading my guide and doing my journal using my head lamp, when I heard people on the trail. They were calling back and forth and I could see their head lamps, as they made their way up the trail. The grassy area I chose for camping was maybe big enough for one other tent, so I made sure I didn’t flash my light up in their direction. I didn’t want to have that commotion right around me. They sounded like a big group, and they were spread all out along the trail picking their way along in the dark. It sounded like they had settled on a spot about 100m from me.

Day #20, Sunday, November 23 rd, Clear and Cool

 I wore my gloves that morning. The outside of the tarp and the grass was very damp. I was packed up by 7:00am, with the intention of breakfast once I found the sun.  The other group was very large. I counted about 6 tents pitched from, just off the trail, to right on the trail, and on not very level ground. They were just getting up. I could see two girls bathing nude in the creek ahead of me. The water must have been cold. I warned them I was on the trail, and that I would look the other way. Yikes, what a person will do, to wash the perspiration off their body.  I did eventually find a favourable spot to have breakfast. It was a spot high above the canyon on a ridge that needed to be crossed.  It seemed to take for ever to hike down to Goynuk. The route in this section was very rough as I followed the waymarks along the steep cliffs.  The main item on the agenda that day was to find an ATM in Goynuk. I used my GPS, which said there was an ATM along the beach. I set out looking for it, walking into town on a paved road. I had to cross a freeway to get to the beach. I chose to walk along the freeway as the busy traffic zoomed by. I felt like a hobo walking along with my possessions. I walked along the freeway for about a kilometer, until I saw a whole row of ATMs, situated for the convenience of drive through banking off the freeway. I walked up and, picked one that looked like a good bank, and took out 200TL.  After getting money, the next item on the agenda was to find food. I walked into a restaurant that looked good, but was told it was closed. So I picked a café/ bakery beside it that had nice items on display. I picked out two éclairs, a can of peach juice, and ordered tea. The éclairs tasted so good that ordered two more.

 I went to the shop next door and purchased bread, cheese, and sausage. I was able to communicate to the owner that I would need to be picked up from his shop by a taxi. In no time a taxi was in front of the shop. It had taken about an hour to walk into town, and I wasn’t in the mood to walk the same route back. The taxi dropped me in front of the park entrance for a cost of 30TL. I had to pay a 5TL park fee to re-enter the park. It gets expensive when you go back to civilization.  It was about 2:00 pm by then. The next item on the agenda was to get as far along the route as possible by 4:30pm.  I was under the assumption that water was plentiful along this part of trek, so I didn’t really fill my water bottles up when I should have. I read in the guide that I would be getting to a “pinar” which ran all year. When I got to the area, I didn’t find the spring. I stood absolutely quiet a few times when it looked like there might be water close by. Nothing. I only had a little less than a liter of water. I was in water conservation mode again.  I found a nice level camp spot, covered in dry pine needles. It had been a busy day, and I slept well that night.

Day #21, Monday, November 24th, Clear, and Cool

 The camp was a nice dry one. I was up at 6:30am, packed up, and shortly on the trail, with the intention of breakfast when the sun was shining on the trail.  Again, there was no water to be seen in this section. However, as I was climbing a steep section of trail, there laid a big 2 liter coke bottle, full of water…all by itself. I opened it up…and gave it a smell…and a bit of a taste….it was fine. I used some of it for coffee, when I had breakfast.  The route went over a very rough rocky ridge, where I got a good view of Antalya again. It was getting closer.

 Around noon I was relieved to finally come upon a gushing spring. Water was an important part to this trek.  I continued up a dirt road to the 1480 m. pass. The road then continued to zig-zag its way down to Hisarcandir.  Along this section I figured that vegetation and topography would allow me to find my own route to the town below. The route I chose was a good one. However I was a bit off course ending up on opposite side of town. So I had to pick my way through empty streets to the official trail junction. It was now about 2:00 pm. Finding your own route can be more of an adventure (under the right conditions).  This town was the original beginning/end of the Lycian Way. The route had now been lengthened about two days further. So I continued on for the remainder of the day.  The destination for the evening was to be Citdibi. I knew the end of the journey was close, and I was becoming comfortable with the routine. That afternoon I passed by a group of Turks building a fence, and another group loading firewood on to a transport truck. I climbed down a steep gorge, crossed over a water dam, and climbed up the other side of the steep gorge, making my way to the outskirts of Citdibi.

 As I was getting close to the village, I started contemplating spots to set up the tarp. There were farms in the area so I didn’t want to get too far off the road. So by the time I had a spot picked out, I was maybe a bit too close to the village. When I was all set up for the evening, a contingent of women and children came to visit. I think they were trying to get me to move the camp to their village so they could have me stay for dinner and breakfast. I was not in the most presentable shape for staying at a pension…so I communicated that I was happy where I was…and I would not leave a mess. I shook the head-ladies hand, and they left.

Day #22, Tuesday, November 25 th, Cloudy, Cool, Snow, Rain

 It started to rain at 3:00am. I checked to see that everything stayed dry under the tarp.  At around 6:30am the raining slowed. I started packing up under the tarp, and at 7:00am I was ready to go. I crossed the road and hiked up above Citdibi. I had stopped for breakfast at a good spot to setup for cooking, while my pack was sheltered from the drizzle.  I then moved through the ruins of Typalia, high on a pass along the trail.  As I moved higher in elevation the rain turned to sleet. I was working my way through a farm, when I came to the farm buildings. The owner named, Halil was at the door and he invited me to warm up in his plastic covered shack. He had a fire going inside and it was very warm. Halil offered tea, and we sat down and did our best to communicate. After a few cups of tea, and with the wind and rain dying down, I set out again. My pack was a lot lighter now, as I had left a lot of my remaining food supplies with Halil.

 As I made my way up the pass the sleet turned to snow, and soon following the waymarks was impossible as the snow piled up. I started to stay on the road, and mark the route I was following with GPS waypoints. As I descended from the pass the snow soon turned to rain. Within 100m the trail was bare again, and I was able to follow the waymarks to the ruins of Trebenna.  I then descended quite steep paths to the climbing camps around Geyikbayiri, and arrived at the end of my trek at 3:30 pm. It was rather anticlimactic. No one was around. The sign at the spot that I felt was the end, said that the trail head was 700m further back.  The next problem to solve was how to get to Antalya. First I stared at the cars going by, hoping a city bus would be stopping soon. After half an hour I started walking towards town. Soon a heavily loaded truck stopped. I had heard it coming slowly down the road, and hoped it would not stop…but it stopped. I climbed up, and thanked the driver for stopping, and we slowly made our way down the steep road. When we got to level ground he pulled over and gestured to me that it was time for me to go now. For the first time on my trek, I had no idea where I was.  I went over to a convenience store and asked the shop workers which bus would take me to the Antalya Otogar. They didn’t speak English, but they had smartphones and they soon sorted out what I was asking for, and figured out which bus, and where I should stand to catch it. I was very hungry by then…and had a craving for ice-cream…I bought two popsicles. They gave me a piece of paper with the bus #...and I thanked them.  When I flagged the bus down, the driver was not receptive to taking me to the Otogar, drove a few meters ahead…then stopped again. The people on the bus waved for me to get on…and off we went. During this portion of the route, I was very concerned that my pack and I may be quite smelly.  The bus seemed to be going in circles through the city. I had my GPS on, and I could not make sense of the direction he was taking to get to the Otogar. After about an hour…he stopped and said Otogar…and out I stumbled into the darkness. There were no pensions in this area, so I made my way about 100m to the huge Otogar. It was a very busy place. I found a cafeteria, and had a tea and a piece of pizza to address the hunger issue. I then inquired about the bus schedule for a bus back to Fethiye. There was about 4 busses leaving each day.  The owner of the Riviera Park Restaurant had recommended the Dantel Hotel, in the old city. So I decided I would get a taxi to take me there. I went outside made arrangements for a taxi and off we went. When I went into see if a room was available, the front desk man told me he was not open. The good thing was the area was full of pensions, all I had to do was find one, that was… open.  It didn’t take long to stumble upon the Sabah Pension. The owner came to the front spoke good English and was very nice. I soon was in my room, and had a shower. I went over to their restaurant called Yemenli, and had a big meal with a main entre of chicken schnitzel. It had been a very long trying and tiring day, but it had ended very well.  I went back up to my room which was freezing cold. I found a thick blanket and slept great.

Day #23, Wednesday, November 26th, Sunny, Cool

 So I slept in a bit. Breakfast was available from 8:00am to 11:00am. I went over to the restaurant at 8:30am, where I helped myself to the buffet, and had a very big breakfast. The buffet was nicely presented, and I made many trips up to the food table until I figured I had enough.

 I then went back up to my room and sorted through the backpack for the smelliest clothes, and brought them down to the lobby to be washed.  I then walked around the winding streets of the old city, finding my bearings, and looking at the shops and buildings throughout.  At around lunch, I past a Burger King, and decided I needed an order of fries and a hamburger, and then for desert a soft ice-cream cone.  I found the office of the Culture Routes of Turkey Society, and stopped in. I met and sat down with Kate Clow, the author of the guide I had used, and talked to her about the route. She was quite concerned about the motorbikes climbing up Mt. Olympos. I volunteered to email some pictures, when I was back home.  I picked up my clean laundry, and got into the nice fresh, clean clothes. I felt quite a bit more presentable.  I toured around the old city harbour and took pictures of the activity going on, with people fishing, and tour boats heading out.

 In the evening I went out to find the location of the Tram station, so I could ride the transit back to the Otogar, next time.  Then it was supper, and there were many restaurants in Antalya. A lot of them were cooking meat on big vertical skewers, using wood fires. I picked a street-side restaurant, which seemed popular. I ate a big portion of what I think was beef. I then made my way back to the pension. I was wearing my toque in the evening now, and was using my camp shoes for getting around town.

Day #24, Thursday, November 27 th, Cool, and Sunny

 I was up and sitting down for breakfast at 8:00am. I ate quickly and efficiently. I now knew the lay of this buffet.  I walked up to the Tram station, and was soon heading back to the Otogar. I purchased a bus ticket, leaving for Fethiye at 10:30am. Cost for the ticket 40TL.  The bus was very modern, not super big, but it had seats like a jet liner complete with individual entertainment centers, and even had a steward serving drinks and food (for free).

 It was a 4 hour bus ride (which took me 22 days to walk). The entertainment center had a temperature gauge and an altimeter. We started at about sea level in Antalya at 16C. Then up to 1500m at 3C (with snow on the ground). Then back down to sea level to Fethiye at 20C.  We passed quite a few gas stations, where I noted that the fuel prices were (converted to $CAN), gasoline $2.00/liter, and diesel $2.30/liter.  When I got to the Otogar in Fethiye, the bus line had a small van that took me directly to the Yilidirim Pension (no charge, service you would never dream of getting in Canada).  I dropped my pack off at the pension and went out looking for more food.

Day #25, Friday, November 28 th, Cloudy, and Cool

 Slept in to around 8:30am. Had the pension breakfast, not as large a selection as the Sabah Pension.  More clothes to the laundry. Just in case border services need to check things out.  Shopping for presents was the main item on the agenda for the day.

 Changed Euros at the money changers. It seems no matter what method you use, to change your money, you get double dinged.  Ate another lunch at Burger King today. I think I got that craving out of my system for a few days.  So the last few days as I wandered through the streets, barbers pointed out that I needed a bit of work. I finally decided to sit in the chair. Wow. What an experience. I have never received such attention to detail. I walked out of there feeling great.  The shopping for presents went well . I spent money left, right, and center. Turkish delights, scarves, a wallet for me, and earrings for Bianca. A lot of the times after a purchase I had a tea with the store keeper.  Watched TV before bed. BBC News Channel. It looks like we are still muddling along.

Day #26, Saturday, November 29 th, Sunny

 Slept till 8:30am again. Another pension breakfast. I was the only guest for breakfast today.  I made arrangements for a taxi, to get to the Otogar, for early the next morning. I would be taking the airport bus back to the Dalaman Airport, for my 9:20am flight back to Istanbul.  I walked around a lot today looking at boats in the marina. I enjoyed stopping at little cafes having a treat and a tea. I was very much in relax mode that day.  For supper I went to the fish market. I picked out a pile of little fish, which a restaurant beside the market fried up.

 It was a bit too much food. It was very good. I was able to eat all my little fish, but I didn’t eat all my vegetables. ;)

 I think at that point, I was ready to go home. The journey was much more than I ever expected. My hours of preparation had allowed me to see, in a very unique way, another part of the world and myself.

Lycian Way 2014 Gear List and Weights

Base weight 51% 9,736 grams Consumables 31% 5,850 grams Worn 18% 3,320 grams Total Gear 18,906 grams

Breakdown: grams Clothing Outer Layer Top Arc’teryx, Gortex shell jacket 390 Mid Layer Top MEC, down vest 240 Hiking Pants Prana, Breathe 400 Rain Pants MEC, full zip, Pertex 315 Base Layer Top 2-MEC, merino wool, long sleeve 460 Base Layer Bottom Helly Hansen, long pants 225 Inner Socks 2-Wigwam 110 Outer Socks 2-Wigwam 170 Camp/Water Shoes VivoBarefoot, UltraPure 245 Hat toque 75 Swim Shorts boxers, lined 185 Gloves Columbia, medium weight 140 Eyeglasses spare pair, hardcase 135 3,090 16% Packs, Bags Back Pack Six Moons Designs, Fusion 50 1150 Shoulder Bag Pacsafe, Venturesafe 200GII 355 Dry Sack OR, 10 liter 100 Dry Sack OR, 15 liter 120 Mesh Bag Cactus Creek, large 50 Mesh Bag 2-Cactus Creek, small 32 Wallet Cactus Creek,16x11cm 25 Pack Cover MEC, silnylon 90 Emergency Kit Bag MEC, 30x14x8cm 150 Toiletry Bag see through, 24x14x6cm 90 Plastic Bags 3-Ziplock, small 18 2180 12% Tools First Aid Kit Adventure Medical Kits .7 195 Emergency Kit emergency/repairs 305 GPS Garmin, GPSMAP 60CSx 240 Camera Canon, Power Shot A610 340 PLB SPOT, Gen 2 135 Tools (con’t) grams Compass Silva, Type 15, Ranger 85 Headlamp Fenix, single AA battery 85 Knife Swiss Army Knife, Alpina 80 1465 8% Shelter/Sleeping Tarp MLD, Patrol Shelter, solo 454 Bug Net/Floor MLD, Serenity Shelter, solo 201 Sleeping Bag Enlightened Equipment, quilt, +5C 485 Sleeping Pad Neo Air Xlite, short 230 1370 7% Misc./Reference Guide Books/Maps guide books, maps, plastic covers 595 Passport/Money incl, cash, credit cards, ziplock bag 65 Pen 2- good quality 20 680 4% Cooking Cook Set Trail Designs, Fissure Ti-Tri, 750/400ml pots 325 Fuel Bottle MSR, aluminum, 600ml 160 Cooking Utensil cutting board 30 Eating Utensil Spork 15 Water Bottle 2-1 liter plastic pop bottles 80 Water Purification 50 tablets, package 26 636 3% Toiletries Toilet Paper ½ roll 45 Dental Care tooth brush, tooth paste 40 Eyeglass Care Kit eyeglass cleaner, cloth 30 Camp Towel PackTowl, Ultralite, 100x50cm 55 Hair Comb small, black 5 Medicine ibuprofen, 20 pills 20 Soap Campsuds, 60ml 75 Insect Repellant pump spray, 30ml 40 Sun Block zinc ointment 5 315 2% Consumables Meals/Snacks 3-breakfast, snacks, dinner @ 1100g/day 3300 Water 2-1 liter 2000 Fuel Methyl Hydrate 550 5850 31%

Worn grams Base Layer Top MEC, merino wool, long sleeve 230 Base Layer Bottom Helly Hansen, long pants 225 Hiking Pants Prana, Breathe 400 Mid Layer Top MEC, fleece 300 Inner Socks Wigwam 55 Outer Socks Wigwam 85 Hiking Boots Vasque, Breeze GTX 1260 Hat sunhat 70 Eyeglasses worn pair 30 Watch Caprice, Nitelite 60 Wallet leather 150 Trekking Poles Komperdell, Carbon Powerlock C3 455 3320 18%

Post Trip Thoughts

 Granola, with warmed up milk, some dried fruit, and some sugar was filling in the morning.  Powdered milk worked well, as long as I mixed the powder with cold water, and then warmed up the milk.  A different hot drink, such as tea, hot chocolate or an instant soup may be better choice than instant coffee.  The dehydrated dinners were simple to prepare and were filling.  A combination of nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate bars worked well for snacks.  I found staying in the pensions very comfortable, however breakfast was served at 8 am which cut down on my morning hiking time, so I found it was best to make sure I set up camp just prior to entering a town, and not to be wandering into a town to be solicited for a place to eat and stay for the night. However it was nice to stop in the early afternoon for a big restaurant meal for an energy boost.  GPS maps, and waypoints worked very well, gave me a lot of security in route finding, as well as broke up the route into shorter destinations ...lots to learn yet in saving tracks etc. In order to save tracks and distance better, it would be good to save and then clear track log and trip computer each day prior to the start of the route.  The time I spent prior to the trek, plotting way points using a combination of the information from the guide book, the downloaded topographical maps, and Google Earth was well spent in helping me anticipate what was on the ground, while I was hiking. A few times though, the lay of the land was not what I expected. I have also learned that the terrain on Google Earth looks a lot flatter than it really is, and what looks like treeless vegetation, can be full of boulders, brush and thorns.  The shoulder bag worked very well. Tethering of the camera and GPS to the bag worked great. Map pouch worked well, and the zip-lock bags for books and notes kept papers dry. The sliding lock bags are much better than the normal zip-lock bags. Although the shoulder bag was not waterproof it could be stored inside the pack in bad weather, with the GPS moved to a more accessible spot under a jacket.  The water bottles I started with did not sit well in the pack. I found a better style of plastic bottle along the way...problem solved.  Two-1 liter water bottles seemed to be enough capacity although I was concerned at times as I came close to empty.  The new single AA battery headlamp worked well by finishing off low AA batteries from the GPS.  Camera batteries lasted the whole 28 days. Lens protection shutter was sticking a bit...but was not a real issue.  GPS used a lot of batteries....but it was on most of the time...learned how to use more applications on the unit ie...calendar, saving tracks, finding POI and way points...the use of way points really broke the trip up into sections/objectives, and reassured me that I was on track, which made the trip more enjoyable/doable.  Watch with back lighting worked well, for an extra emergency light at night for finding my headlamp, or changing its batteries.  Hiking poles worked very well. The one that snapped was still able to be used. The trail was very rocky, with lots of holes and cracks to catch the tips, so I had to be careful with the poles.  Light hiking boots worked well, only two very small blisters that were healed up by the end of the trek. The trail was very rough and I was glad to have the extra foot support compared to light trail shoes... I removed the liners each night, and they dried well overnight.  The water shoes worked very well for camp shoes and for swimming on the rocky coast. They also worked well for walking around town without the pack.  Tarp worked very well, could pack everything away on mornings when it was still raining, before taking tarp down.  Tent peg combination worked well, it was good to have long pegs in looser soil, and not have to worry. Placing big rocks in front of the pegs help hold them too.  Bug net worked well, could just use the ground sheet in cooler weather... gave better access to gear then.  Sleeping bag could be warmer and wider...but was OK on warmer nights. I never did use the straps that came with the quilt. That might solve my problems…I will experiment with them to see if it allows me enough room to turn and helps resolve the draft problem I experienced.  Sleeping pad worked well...cheated a bit in length by using a bag of clothes for a pillow pulling the pad further down to support my shoulders instead.  Cooking stove worked well, lighter with extension worked well. Cutting board was handy in food prep. The spork worked well.  Fuel container was too big...I had lots of fuel left over...I have just discovered that aluminum fuel containers and alcohol do not mix well...on shorter hikes I will use the small plastic bottle supplied with the cook set.  The roll top bags, the emergency/repair kit bag and the toiletry kit bag were on the heavy side, the roll top bags were water proof, and the other two were not. I could save almost a pound in weight by switching to light cuben fiber bags, which would be just as or more water proof.  The large mesh bag was good to store outer clothes needed during the day due to weather/temp changes, the bag served as a pillow at night.  The three pair of liner/socks was adequate, was able to wash and dry socks as needed, also wore socks at night. The liner socks dried very quickly in the sun.  Rain/snow gear i.e. jacket, pants, down vest, toque, gloves, neck scarf, were all needed.  Arc’teryx Gortex Jacket performed very well, it was waterproof, and stood up to the thorns.  MEC rain pants were light enough, but the ability to completely unzip the pants into two pieces, was a poor design. It made it hard to keep the pants from falling down. The pants relied on a two piece elastic waist band, and a flimsy piece of velcro to join the two waist bands together. During poor weather having to pull the rain pants up higher was an issue.  Two pairs of pants were good for such a long journey, they did get dirty, and it was nice to put ones on that looked a bit cleaner when going to a restaurant.  Three pair of long sleeve shirts was adequate. The merino wool shirts did not dry well when wet. I found they dried faster by just putting then on wet.  Two long underwear bottoms were used...the thorns made me glad to have an extra layer of protection...the underwear definitely needed washing at the end...good thing I was hiking solo:)  Sun hat was needed, I left the bug head net at home, and it was not needed, but the sun hat used with the bug net would work well.  The toque was needed when in the sleeping bag, and as the temperature cooled at the end of November.  Fleece jacket was needed in the mornings and cool days.  Camp towel was good to have, especially after swimming.  Swim suit was available but not needed...if the areas were busier I would have used it. The swimsuit could be used as clean underwear.  The clothes portions of the pack seemed excessive at times, but was all used in the 22 days of hiking without needing a day to wash/dry clothes.  Items in pack not used: insect repellent, camp soap, ibuprofen, sunscreen, spare glasses (I still would take a pair along but not in a hard case) I didn't use any items in the repair kit (I still would take them along though), the idea of using bag clips for clothes pins did not work. Laying clothes on rocks or hanging them on branches was good enough.  First-aid kit items should be reconsidered as to what was really required, but blister care items are very important. A tension bandage and wound dressing should be added.  I packed way too much food to start the hike, good food was readily available along the way...it took a few days to get the weight of the pack down to a comfortable weight.  Packing the tarp/bug-net on the outside of the pack was a very good idea, many mornings the tarp and floor of the bug net were damp.  Backpack strap combination/layout was very good, I was very happy with how I could safely secure the camp shoes, tarp, bug net, hiking poles, fuel, water bottles, camp towel, sock mesh bag on the outside of the pack.  The roll top on the pack was nice to use, and made adjusting room in the pack easy, as I added and removed items during the day.  Backpack belt pockets storage worked well, in one I put in snacks, in the other I had the cutting board, the headlamp, and the pocket knife.  Pack cover was light and very compact when not in use, it did keep the majority of the rain out, I will look more into if a trash compactor bag inside the pack would be more efficient, than individual water proof bags for food, clothes, toiletry kit, and emergency/repair kit. The water proof bags I have now are very strong, but too heavy.  While in Fethiye I acquired a small scale, and will be creating a database of equipment weights.  Fifty water purification tablets was good to take along for this long trip, but would consider bringing 3 tablets a day on a shorter trip. At the start I was worried about having enough for the whole trek, but soon stopped treating water that appeared to be spring fed.  A smart phone may be something to research on I how could replace the GPS and, camera, and be able to store reference material, and send out emails, and even make a phone call ;) the GPS and camera together weighed 580 grams.  Maps and guidebooks weighed 595 grams. Hard copies of reference material are more reliable and easier to read. I would not want to reduce this weight by relying on an electronic copy, which all of a sudden is unavailable due to low batteries or a malfunction out of my control.  A small thermometer, would be good for a reference.  SPOT worked a lot better on this trip, of the 24 transmissions I sent only 2 failed to be received. One was in a very poor location, but the other was in a very good area with a large horizon.  As I think about the GPS/camera/smart phone issue, the SPOT seemed to work very well at letting people know my location, and if I was OK, or in need of help. The main concern I have with using a smart phone is the need to charge the batteries often. Equipment to allow me to charge on the trail would add additional weight to the smart phone. A GPS/camera unit would save quite a bit of weight by eliminating the weight of a camera, with about 16 hours of runtime on two AA batteries. Also the addition of a small temperature sensor would give me a thermometer.

Hope you enjoyed the trip report.