Early in the morning, we drove to the ultra-prominent Uludaz. After an easy drive, we turned our attention to Engizek Dağı. We detoured to Ahirdaği and Ahir Dağı—Peak 2345 along the way. By the time we reached the base of Engizek Dağı, it was already late afternoon. We hoped for a quick hike, but time was running out. In Boyalı village, we made a wrong turn and a local pointed us in the right direction. We tried another route but ended up at a dead end. After another attempt, we finally found the right path but with less daylight to spare.
As we climbed, the road deteriorated. We stopped to reassess our options. With just one or two kilometers left to drive and too far to hike from there, we decided it was too risky to continue. We turned back, assuming the mountain would still be there when we returned. A few kilometers later, we hit a rock hard. When I stepped out of the car, the tire was completely flat.
We tried using foam, but it was useless—I’ve never seen it work. I once hoped foam would fix a small hole in a tire, but it turns out foam has an expiration date. After struggling with it for a quarter of an hour, we gave up and headed to the nearest shepherd camp. Unfortunately, the shepherd couldn’t help, but with the aid of a translator app, we found out there might be a service workshop about 8 kilometers away at Baydemirli village.
We continued driving on the flat tire, knowing the wheel was beyond repair. Fortunately, we didn’t need to save the wheel, so driving on a flat was an option. As we neared the village, we asked locals for directions to the auto service. Instead, they escorted us to the local police department. Several officers arrived and spent an hour questioning us, inspecting our passports, climbing photos, and the trunk’s contents. Their repeated questions about our activities felt a bit odd, especially with their limited English and our complex recent logistics. To simplify, we stuck to just climbing Mount Ararat and Engizek Dağı.
After an hour, we got our passports back. The police arranged for a mobile auto service to bring us a new wheel. In the meantime, we were taken to the chief officer’s home for tea—a unique experience. Before 10 p.m., the service arrived with the new wheel, and we were soon on our way to the hotel in Elbistan. Unfortunately, it was too late for dinner.
Interestingly, a few days later, Rob alone returned to bag the peak. A bold decision for a peakbagger—congratulations!
