From the Archives
Hiking the Lycian Trail – Day 1
Ovacik – Kozagaç – Kirme – Faralya
- 14KM, mostly mountain trails and a bit of dirt road
- 337m elevation gain ↗, 659m elevation loss ↘
- altitudes between 309 and 806 meters above sea level
Our Day on the Trail
We took a taxi to the trail head of the Lycian Way (near Hotel Garcia, Ölüdeniz) and, packs loaded and batons in hand, were enthusiastically underway by 11AM.
Not to brag or sound too cocky, but our first day on the Lycian Trail was a success. No one cried, no one fell, no one got blisters, and no one ran out of snacks.
The biggest tragedy of the day was that our sandwiches got squashed in our backpacks. But, as they say, that which doesn't kill us only makes stronger. We learned from the experience and will hang lunch on the outside of our packs in the future.
We made a rookie mistake by under-estimating the amount of time required for this leg of the hike, and ended up climbing down the mountain into Faralya after dark, using flashlights and headlamps. But we got there safely, and spent the night in a tiny pansyon overlooking Butterfly Valley.
After some Advil, a good night's sleep, and a hearty Turkish breakfast, we'll be hitting the trail in the morning for Day 2 of our Lycian Trail adventure.