Erciyes Dagi

Tough day at the office, this one.  I found it more challenging than Ararat.

Looking up we could see an immediate problem in gaining the summit and that was the ‘gendarme’ blocking the ridge.  However, most decided to go up to have a look, in the hope that a solution to the problem would present itself.

with Richard – the summit behind

looking across at the ridge traverse

wind sculpted rock formations abound

the ridge with the path visible but blocked by the rock buttress

Recep, our guide found a way of avoiding the gendarme and we contoured across to the left from the redd-ish rock half way along the arete

Looking back at the traversed arete with the buttress in the mid-ground

Another look back – our guide Recep (in red) earned his fee today 

An easy bit

This is it – the summit

Now most people would accept this as having achieved the top, but if you’re an ‘Ultra’ bagger you must touch the highest ground, and that is at the top of this rather large pinnacle of loose and verticle rock.  Our guide judged it to be too dangerous to climb and so there were a number of disappointed people.  For me, this was good enough – but then I’m not a peakbagger….

NLN