MOUNT KACKAR
Mount Kackar attracts large numbers of nature lovers every year from spring onwards. They flock to the high pastures, camping sites and the shores of glacier lakes. Some people take photographs, some go climbing, and some camp in the woods to enjoy the peace and beauty of the unspoilt scenery. Rushing streams add their music to the singing of birds and the rustling trees, and flowers pattern the green meadows. The summit of Kackar is as busy as the lower slopes. The ascent from the south is the easiest, and every year hundreds of climbers take this route. So long as there is no mist, the view from the summit over the Eastern Black Sea Mountains is unforgettable. The north route to the summit, suited to more experienced climbers, has the added advantage of passing by the yayla (mountain pasture) of Ayder, where the thermal spa is the perfect way to relax after the strenuous climb.
With the coming of autumn the mountain gradually becomes deserted. The hikers return to the cities, and the local people who spend summer on the mountain pastures return to their villages. The sound of music and laughter makes way for the bluster of chill winds. The first frost sprinkles the upper slopes of the mountain white, and then without warning the sky empties its first snow. Within a few days the ground is hidden beneath a thick white quilt. Now the streams flow unseen through tunnels they have bored beneath the deep snow which fills the valleys. The mountain huts in front of which children played just a few weeks before gradually disappear in the drifts.
Mountaineers attracted by the challenge of winter conditions now begin to make plans for climbing Kackar. The ascent to the summit which takes just a few hours in the summer months will take as many days in the snow. Although Kackar is one of the easiest mountains in Turkey to climb in summer, it is not nearly so hospitable in winter. In the gullies climbers sink up to their waists in snow several meters deep. Even reaching one of the villages at the foot of the mountain to begin the climb may not be easy when the roads are closed. Avalanches are a constant danger, particularly in the scores of glacier valleys. All the routes carry this risk, whether you approach from Sirakonaklar in the province of Erzurum, Yukari Kavrun Yaylasi in the province of Rize, or Yaylalar in the province of Artvin. The latter two routes to the north and south respectively are the best. Climbers who set out from Yukari Kavrun Yaylasi first set up camp at Okuz Cayiri meadow, from which they ascend to the summit via the large or small glaciers. Negotiating the large glacier requires ice climbing equipment, and both routes have steep gradients. The route from the village of Yaylalar, on the other hand, is less challenging, and most climbing expeditions take this way, which leads them past Deniz Golu, one of Turkey's highest glacier lakes. In winter, like the streams, the lakes are gradually covered by a blanket of snow.
Bu haber 20/05/2010 tarihinde eklenmiştir.
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