Mt Ararat Expedition
August 2001
August 2001
Well, the team is home safely , having finished their climb and enjoyed several days sightseeing in Turkey. Congratulations to Faye Lee, Steve Wong, Tai Yin Choo for summitting!
Ararat by any of the southern routes remains an attainable objective by the fit trekker with knowledge of basic glacier travel and crevasse rescue techniques. The sheer isolation of this volcano and the historic background make it a " must do" if in the region. Since its reopening in 2000, it has been popular with highly organised "national" expeditions under the auspices of various Turkish organisations. South Col Adventures' trip to Ararat is likely to be the first foreign guiding agency to do a trip to Ararat for a decade. South Col Adventures (http://www.mountain.com.sg ) will lead another climb to Ararat next year, building on the information gleaned from this trip. Without doubt, a special connection is required to clear the still numerous and hurdles and vague; sometimes inconsistent bureaucracy which governs the permit process.
The whole area around Ararat is heavily militarised owing to border and other sensitivities. As such, one cannot simply go and climb the mountain....unless an unpleasant run-in with the local military chief is welcomed.
POST-CLIMB:
Entertainment and sights included a visit to the war memorials in Gallipoli where a walk through the old ANZAC trenches and a brilliant runningcommentary by our guide, Ali Efes, brought to life tragic and heroic events of the 1915 campaign. A quick visit to the complex archaeological site of Troy was also refreshing in that a lot of imagination was required to visualise what it might have been like in ancient times. After 5000 years, there isn't a lot left standing..... Our Turkey adventure wrapped up with an evening in Istanbul complete with Turkish folk dance performances and a several excellent belly-dancing performances. With some luck and persuasion, Steve got on board his flight with 52kgs of climbing gear and four Turkish carpets!
DAVID
