BITMEYEN YOLCULUK / NEVER ENDING JOURNEY

San Francisco’da yaz okulunda verdigim ders, beraber bir arastirma projesi yaptigim Chicago'da yasayan profesor meslektasimla Agustos’a kadar yapacagimiz son Skype toplantilari, diger projelerimin programlandirilmasi (ders vermek benim isimin sadece bir parcasi, ne yazik ki bunu anlayamayan o kadar cok kisi var ki), evde ve okulda son dakika isleri derken kendimi Istabul ucagina nasil attim bilmiyorum. Neyseki THY direk ucuslara basladi da nispeten azaldi yolda gecen zaman. Istanbul’a varir varmaz da son hazırlıklar, yegenimin mezuniyeti icin Denizli’den Istanbul’a gelen ablalarimla gorusmeler, jetlag yuzunden uykusuz ve yorgun gecen 2 gunden sonra tam hersey bitti Bali ucagina biniyorum derken gelen haberle cokus… Bali yakinlarindaki bir volkanik dagin aktif hale gecmesi ve ruzgarla bunun Bali havaalanina kul tasimasi yuzunden havaalani kapandi haberini Amerika’dan bir arkadasim text mesaji atarak bana ulastirdi. Ben direk Emirates’i aradim ama onlarin daha olaydan haberi yoktu. Neyse 2 saat sonra uyandilar ve beni geri arayip biletin Bali acilana kadar aciga alinmasi konusunda yardimci oldular. Bir diger opsiyonum da Jakarta’ya ucmakti ama Jakarta’dan Bali’ye ulasim yine problem olacakti. Ama yine de en kotu ihtimal, riski ve extra sikintiyi goze alarak bu opsiyonu degerlendirecektim. Neyseki Bali havaalaninin acildigi haberi geldi bir gun sonra ve ben Dubai aktarmali ucagima bindim. Dubai’de gece 1’den sabah 8’e kadar bekleyecektim. Bir sekilde o sureci Dubai’nin buz gibi havalaninda atlattim (yanima ceket almamisim) ve tam Bali ucagina binecegim kapiya gitmistim ki Bali havaalaninin tekrar kapandigi ve ancak 12 saat sonra acilabilecegi, ama bunun da garanti olmadigi haberi geldi. Bizi (yolculari) yakin bir otele gonderdiler. Otele goturecek otobuse binmek icin disariya adim attigimda aninda buharlasip yok olacagimi sandim, resmen hucrelerim sanki tek tek kuruyup yokoluyordu. Yok boyle bir sicak… Neyse otelde birseyler ikram ettiler, 1-2 saat dinlendik sonra tekrar geri Dubai havaalanina donduk. Ucaga bindik ama ben inene kadar rahatlayamacagimi biliyordum. Ucak alkislar icin indi sorunsuz, fakat bu sefer de butun tirmanis malzemelerimin oldugu hurc cantamin Dubai’de kaldigini ogrendim. Bir sonraki ucakla gelir ve aksam otelinize ulastiririz dediler, ben de aksam nasil olsa gelecek diye 3 gundur icinde oldugum kiyafetlerle bir gun daha gecirmeyi goze aldim Bali’nin sicaginda. Ama disari cikip acil durumda birseyler alabilecegim birkac yeri tespit ettim once. Bali elbiseleri fena degilmis, baya begendim aslinda ama konsantrasyonumu bozacak hicbirsey yapmama modunda oldugumdan gormezlikten geldim :). Neyse, aksam oldu, bizim canta hala yok. Gece her saat basi otel gorevilerine gelip gelmedigini sorarak onlari cildirttim sanirim. Sabah oldu, havaalanindaki bagaj kismi acildi da telefonla son durumu ogrenebildim. Meger Dubai’den kalkacak 2. ucak da zamaninda kalkamamis, bu sabah inecekmis. Benim cantamin o ucakta oldugunun teyitini de adiktan sonra nispeten rahatladim ve nihayet rahat rahat bir bardak cay icebildim. Yine de kafamda binbir turlu cozum senaryolari ucusmaya devam etti - birgun icin de o kadar malzemeyi Bali’den satin alabilir miyim? bunun maliyet ne olur? Maliyetten ote, ihtiyacim olan malzemeleri burda bulabilir miyim? Bulamazsam ve de bagaj da zamaninda gelmezse, ekibin beni bekleme luksu yok (izinler belli tarihler icin cok zor alindi), ne yapip edip acaba onlari yakalayabilirim 1-2 gun sonra ormanda? Belki helikoter kiralayip bu is cozulebilir?gibi senaryolar kafamda dort donuyor. Helikopter fikri esyalari sifirdan toparlamaktan daha olasi bir fikir ve daha cok aklima yatti. Bu bolge gercekten erisimi ve kosullari (fiziksel, iklimsel, sosyal) olarak cok zor olan bir bolge, yani Nepal falan gibi yerler degil bu Bati Papua. O yuzden nolur nolmaz diye acil durum icin helikopter ayarlamasi yapmistim onceden, o hakkimi en basta kullanmaya karar verdim (karar verdim derken, daha boyle bir degisikligin yuzde yuz mumkun oldugundan bile emin degilim), eger olurda esyalarim bugun bana ulasmazsa. Bakalim neler olacak.

.................................................

I don’t know how I throw myself into the SFO-IST flight after a crazy period of getting ready. Ending my course in the summer school, last long meetings with my co-author about one of my projects (since we won’t be able to meet again till August), arranging my other projects (teaching is just one aspect of my job as an academic - there are so many who never gets this for some reason), packing for my climb, etc… And thankfully it was a direct flight which makes a big difference. As soon as I arrived in Istanbul, last minute preparations, trying to see my sisters who are in town for my niece’s graduation, last minute errands, intense jet lag, and I was so ready to get back on the plane after 2 days - this time to Bali. However my excitement got cut short after a text message from San Francisco telling me about Bali airport closure due to some nearby volcanic activity. Such a bummer. This meant that I had to wait another day in Istanbul. Finally the next day I was on the plane but I wasn’t going to relax until after I land in Bali. Granted, after the plane landed in Dubai, news came that there was going to be another 12 hr delay on top of my already 8 hr delay according to my original itinerary. They transferred us to a hotel nearby to get some rest - while walking to the shuttle bus from the super AC’ed Dubai airport, I thought I was going to evaporate - it was ridiculously and utterly hot. Back to airport again, finally the plane took off. Just I was about to relax after going through the customs, I found out that my duffle bag with all my climbing gear in it never made it. Not surprised… They told me it was going to arrive at night which it didn’t (of course). I think I drove the hotel personnel crazy asking about my luggage every hour all night. Finally when I reached the airport personnel in the morning, I found out that, that flight couldn’t take off on time either so was going to land this morning. After getting the confirmation that my luggage was on it, I was a little relived but not much. My head was spinning trying to find a solution in case I never see my gear again: Can I find and buy new gear and put together everything in Bali before tonight? (Our expedition is supposed to start tonight and team wouldn’t wait for me since the permits are set for specific dates and they are hard to get). Forget the extra cost, what if I can’t find the gear? Can I use my emergency helicopter option to fly in and catch my teammates somewhere in the forest? I hope my luggage arrives today and I don’t have to give up my emergency rescue heli option. But I am not sure if such a switch is possible at all. At this point, my mode is "whatever it takes”. We shall see.

MOUNT WHITNEY - Highest in CA & Lower 48 states in the US

Whitney dagi (14,505ft / 4421m), California eyaletinin en yuksek dagi. Ayni zamanda, Amerikanin diger eyaletlerinden cografi olarak ayri konumlanmis durumda olan Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico gibi bolgeleri haricindeki en yuksek zirvesi. Cok populer bir zirve ve izin almak icin cok onceden basvurmak gerekiyor. Ben de hep bu izin alma kismi yuzunden ertelemistim bu dagi ta ki 2014 Everest ekip arkadasim Magali beni arayip Mayis sonunda yapacaklari tirmanista bir kisilik yer oldugunu soyleyene kadar. 

Zirveye giden birkac degisik rota var, en kolayi normal patikayi takip etmek. Bir de “dagcilarin rotasi" diye gecen daha teknik ve zor bir rotasi var, biz bu rota icin yola ciktik.

7-8 saatlik araba yolculugundan sonra tirmanisin basladigi kasabaya geldik. Burada bir gece gecirdikten sonra, arabalari parkettigimiz yerden yuruyuse basladik. Yarim saat sonra esas patikadan ayrilip, cok az kullanildigi icin pek de patika gibi gorunmeyen, yer yer yolumuzu sasirtan diger yone dogru yurumeye basladik. Nehirlerden gectik, buyuk kaya duvarlari uzerinde zikzaklar cizerek yukseldigimiz yan gecisler yaptik, slab denen buyuk ve egimli kaya yuzeylerinden yuruyerek/tirmanarak kamp yapacagimiz “yukari izci golu” denen kampyerine vardik. Birseyler yedikten sonra sabaha karsi 3te kalkip 4te yola cikmak uzere cadirlarimiza cekildik. Toplamda 5 kisi idik. Zaten izin oyle calisiyor: o rota uzerinde bir gunde sadece 5 kisi olabiliyor.

Sabah tirmanacagimiz kulvarin dibine geldigimizde gunes artik coktan dogmustu. Kulvar, sezonun daha cok basi oldugu icin kar doluydu. Magali daha once bu rotayi yaz sonu bu kulvarda hic kar yokken ve sadece surekli yer degistiren ve dusen kayalar ve taslar varken tirmanmis. Hepimiz kar’i tercih ediyoruz cunku sabahin erken saatlerinde, hala sertken, kramponlari takip buz kazmalariyla tirmanmak nispeten daha seri ve kolay. Bu sekilde 2 saat tirmandiktan sonra kulvarin tepesinde bir kose donuyoruz ve onumuzde daha kisa ama daha dik, ve yarisi kaya/buz baska bir kulvarla karsilasiyoruz. Bu noktada ipimizi cikarip emniyet alarak ilerliyoruz. Zirveye vardigimizda ayaklarinda normal yuruyus botlari, rahat kiyafetler, ve kucuk sirt cantalari olan insanlar bize sanki uzaydan gelmisiz gibi bakiyor once. Bunlar en basta bahsettigim patikayi takip ederek zirveye cikan insanlar. 

.................................................

Mount Whitney (14,505ft / 4421m) is the highest mountain in California. It is also the highest mountain in the lower-48 and in the contiguous US. It is a popular peak and one has to reserve a permit well in advance. I haven’t been able to plan properly to get permits for the mountain - that’s why I never climbed it before till one day my Everest teammate Magali told me that they have space in their permit for the last weekend in May.

There are a few different routes leading to the summit. The easiest one is just to follow the trail that takes you to the top. Another one, technical and more challenging, is called “mountaineers’ route” and that’s the route we had the permits for.

After a 7-8 hour drive to the town where the climb starts and spending the night here, we started the hike to our campsite. After half an hour or so, we had to leave the main trail and get on the other one that is not maintained at all since only few people use it. We crossed rivers, traversed on cliffs, walked/climbed on slabs and got to our camp site at Upper Boy Scout Lake. After eating some food, we got some rest till 3 am the next morning to leave at 4am. We were 5 in total and that’s the limit on the permits for this route.

When we got to the bottom of the couloir, the sun was out already. The couloir was full of snow since it was still very early in the season. Magali climbed this route before towards the end of a summer a few years back and it was full of loose rocks then. We all prefer the snow since, early in the am, it is relatively easier to move up with crampons and ice axes. We climbed about 2 hours like that and when we got to the end, we made a turn and faced another couloir albeit very short, leading to the summit. At that point we had to rope up since there was also rock and ice and it was much steeper. When we got to the summit, we saw other people there in their normal hiking shoes, daypacks, and normal hiking clothes and they were looking at us as if we just landed from space or something since we had all kinds of gear hanging all around us and we were all really exhausted. Since the conditions were more challenging than we thought, by the time we got to the summit, everyone had almost drunk all their water. We saved a few sips of our remaining water for the way down. 

MACERA YARISLARI / ADVENTURE RACING

Macera yarislari diye gecen yarislar birbirinden farkli disiplinler iceren ve her sporcunun hem fiziksel hem de mental kapasitesini zorlayan yarislar. Dag bisikleti, kano - korfezde, golde, nehirde - yani nerede su varsa :) - kaya tirmanisi, inisi, gecisi ve bilumum versiyonlari, yuzme, nehir, gol, vs gecme - yuzerek degil bu sefer yuruyerek :) -, dag bisikleti, kosu gibi bir dolu disiplinin bir arada oldugu ne ararsaniz bulabileceginiz turden. Macera yarislarinda, ekipler, yaris baslangicinda yaris organizasyonunun sagladigi topografik haritalar uzerinde, kendilerine sadece tanimlamalari verilmis kontrol noktalarini bulup isaretlerler. Her ekipte genellikle bir ya da iki kisi sadece yon bulmadan sorumludur (navigator) cunku sadece harita ve pusula ile ekip butun bu kontrol noktalarini bulmak durumundadir. Baslangic dudugu ile birlikte ekipler haritalari okuyarak en hizli ve verimli bir sekilde bir kontrol noktasindan digerine ulasabilmek icin dagilirlar. Bu yarislari son zamanlarin populer “camur yarislari” ya da “engel yarislari” gibi yarislarla karistirmak ve karsilastirmak biraz ayip olur. Ayni sekilde super steril triatlon yarislariyla da pek alakasi yoktur (2012de yaptigim meshur Alcatraz triatlonu ile ilgili ayrica yazacagim).

Yaris sureleri 6 saatten 10 gune kadar olabiliyor (staged degil, durmadan yapilan yarislar. Her ekibin kendine gore dinlenme stratejisi oluyor tabi ve bu stratejiler sonuclari cok etkiliyor). Yaris boyunca yetecek yiyecek, giysi, ekipman, ilk yardim malzemesi vs’yi sirtinizda tasiyorsunuz ama uzun yarislarda gecis bolgesi denen alanlara bazi malzemeleriniz sizin icin tasinmis oluyor. Ben genellikle 12, 24, ve 36 saatlik yarislar yaptim simdiye kadar. 36 saatlik yarislardan birinde 4 kisilik bir ekiptik ve nehir kisminda kullanacagimiz iki tane minik sisme bot ve kureklerini de tasimistik bir gecis bolgesinden sonra. Uzun versiyonlariyla ilgili olarak, 7 gunluk ve dunyanin en meshur ekspedisyon yarislarindan biri olan Primal Quest’te medya ekibinde gorev almistim (2008 Montana), gece gunduz ekipleri takip edip fotograf ve video cekmistim. Super bir tecrubeydi.

Neyse, en son Subat ayinda 24 saatik bir yaris (BaarBrawl) ve Mayis ayinda 12 saatlik bir yaris (Dawn to Dusk Adventure Challenge) yaptim ekip arkadaslarimla. Dawn to Dusk’ta 3 kisiydik. Okyanus’a giris sirasinda ve daha sonra cikisa yarim saat kala buyuk dalgalarda ozel yapim carbon-fiber kanomuz devrilse ve buz gibi okyanus suyunda neredeyse hipotermik olsak da, sonucta kendi kategorimizde 2. olduk. Neyseki kano kismindan sonra dag bisikleti vardi ve bisikletlerimizin ustune gecer gecmez kendimizi daha iyi hissettik ve yarisi bitirdik!

.................................................

Adventure racing involves multiple disciplines that push your physical and mental limits. Mountain biking; kayaking (in a lake, river, bay, ocean), rock climbing (or ascending/descending, traversing, etc); crossing rivers, lakes, puddles; running; trekking etc. are the main components. Teams find and mark the checkpoints defined by race organizers on the topo maps and the aim is to get them all. These races are not to be confused and compared with the popular “mud races” or “obstacle races.” Similarly, they have not much to do with sterile triathlon races (I will write about the famous Alcatraz triathlon at another time. I did it in 2012).

The duration of these races can go anywhere from 6 hours to 10 days (These are generally not staged races. Teams decide on their own resting strategy which impacts the results significantly). Every team member carries the food, gear, etc that is necessary for the whole race. In longer races, teams may be able to gather some of their food and gear at certain transition areas. I generally do 12, 24, and 36hr races. In a 36-hr race we did in Oregon a few years back, we were a 4-person co-ed team (3 guys and me) and we finished at 3rd place. Just to give you a better idea, after one transition area, we carried our inflatable boats and paddles on our backs to be used in a river section. About longer races, in 2008, I worked as part of the media team of the one of most famous expedition races in the world, Primal Quest (Montana). My job was to follow the teams day and night and get photos, video footage etc. Good times.

Anyway, in February I did the 24hr BaarBrawl race (it is actually our traditional training event in the bay area with all adventure racing friends - this is one video edited by another team) known to be super brutal and in May, I did the 12hr Dawn to Dusk, another classic race in southern California.  Even though the custom made carbon fiber kayak we had flipped right at the entrance to the ocean and later on also half an hour from the exit and causing us to get almost hypothermic, we still managed to finish in 2nd place in 3-person co-ed teams category. After the kayak section, we instantaneously felt better after getting on our mountain bikes.