Climbing Articles
Thousands of years ago the obsidian rocks which might be described as natural volcanic glass were extremely important materials, useful for much more than making decorative ornaments for the mantelpiece. In stone age before metals were discovered, the sharpest knives, arrow heads, and even mirrors were made of obsidian, and the highest quality, least flawed obsidian in Anatolia and the surrounding region was to be found at Hasandag. As early as 7000 BC this precious mineral is known to have been carried on people's backs to sell at places hundreds of kilometers away.
What
do three mountaineers talk about when crowded in a single tent inside
the crater of an extinct volcano? Actually the topics of conversation
are not much different from those of people in the cities. The real difference
lies in the speed of speech. Within this narrow space the speed of life
is regulated by the flame of the tiny butane stove. The snow slowly melts,
the tea simmers tranquilly, and the sausages brown ever so gradually.
You are not in a hurry to get anywhere and there is no urgent business
to be done. The pressure of time which pursues you furiously in the city
evaporates here overnight. This is a marvelous reward for the trouble
of climbing so high carrying a load of 22 kilos on your back.
At daybreak on the third day we set off eastwards. From this direction Hasandag does not preserve such a perfect conical shape. Several secondary summits can be seen, and beyond them another mass which almost deserves to be called a separate mountain. Descending rapidly we piled up our camping equipment between the two mountains. So as to enjoy the hard snow of the early hours to the full we took only our ice axes and crampons and set off to climb the second mountain, taking a snowy route which seemed to be the steepest. When we reached the summit and looked northwards all of Cappadocia was spread out below our feet. Perhaps we would never get the opportunity to see the hidden beauties of the region's narrow valleys from such a height ever again. We just stood and watched. Half an hour later our visit was over, and we set out downwards again. Hasandag had proved far more fascinating than even we had imagined.
