Herakleia, Latmos Mountain Mystery

In 2010, our aim was to return to mother nature and climb the Beşparmak cliffs by camping with our friends from Zirve Mountaineering Club for a weekend. The village of Kapikıri seemed to have merged into an ancient time, such that you could see something ancient around. Delicious grilled sea bream were the most beautiful details I remember from dinner. Because of our tour bus that arrived in the middle of the night, the tents we barely set up on a rocky ground next to Kapikiri village did not go out of my mind. Despite everything, I loved the lovely weather, the calm lake view, the warm village people. There should have been three routes through the summit of the Latmos cliffs. One of them was rising starting from Kapikiri village, in  previous discovery. I remember, we got lost a bit because of our guide navigation.

I decided to participate in the 3-day camp Latmos mountain trance and summit activity due to the 10 November memorial day in 2018 and to come to this mysterious but magical place 8 years later. We set up our camp with our friends in Selçuk Zirve mountaineering in Söke, where we arrived at midnight. Around the campfire we lit at night, a warm meeting was accompanied by warm wine, coffee and delicious Kokorec cooked on barbecue. The next day most of us chose to sleep early to rest, as a rough route awaited us to the cliffs. We said hello to the next morning, our tents were soaked because of the dew that caused a heavy rain to the tents all night. The up and down route ahead took nearly 20 km longer. We set up our second night camp where the sun lights disappeared, the dense trees near the summit dropped our view, and there were rock caves, caves and monastery ruins. In the mysterious geography of Latmos and Heracleia, there was a calm silence, a clear sky and of course a brilliant moon that we felt why the mythological moon goddess Selene fell in love with Endymion that night. On the last day, we were driving straight from the ridge line to the summit. When we came to a steep tunnel called a chimney, it was a bit challenging, but enjoyable, both for a short rock climbing and passing through the tunnel. The images of the perfectly formed rocks occasionally motivated them to take frames through the viewfinder. The summit was on the boulder 50 meters high and it was necessary to drop the bags and just touch it.