Explorer’s Journal: Conversing With The Caucasus From 3,500 Feet
Phrase from Field: For the first time in years, we are finally at the highest point on the horizon, where conversations are at once of mighty proportions, between the great peaks of the south and the towering crests of the north Caucasus, between the shores of the clouds and the hour-glass manipulations of the sun; they are also small, a spooked mountain chicken squawking behind a rock, the shocked and silent cries of flowers who grow this high to escape the treads of man-kind, only to fall beneath feet on a rare day of sun.
Memorable Meal: High in the yayla at our third mountain festival of the week, a friend scoops bread, cheese, and baklava from the make-shift table of the Artvin Governor, and lays the assortment in front of us as honored guests.
Location: Karcal Mountains
Altitude: 3,500 meters.
Date: August 25
*****About Explorer’s Journal: From April 2012 – December 2012 I am exploring the Caucasus through the lens of honey and bees as a National Geographic Young Explorer grantee. My mission is to use the living history and culture of small-scale beekeeping to help connect global travelers to local food traditions. The Explorer’s Journal is a daily snapshot from this adventure, giving you a small taste of the very complex life of the honey road. I am joined on parts of this adventure by story-teller Claire Bangser and navigator Suat Celik. To learn more, find me at my National Geographic Explorer page or read about the adventure here. Would you like to read a story in your local magazine? Do you have an idea for an article? We are producing extensive visual and creative material on the region’s food, culture, and history. Send us an email to brainstorm how you can bring our young perspectives into your publications: firstname.lastname@example.org.
Posted on October 7, 2012, in Culture, Environment, Explorer's Journal, Travel and tagged Caucasus, global travel, mountains, National Geographic Young Explorer, Turkey. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.