Pushing our feet forward along the Lycian Way

3 Day 2 night hiking stretch

Feeling refreshed and luxurious after our stay in Kas, we were ready to continue along the Lycian Way. It was time to ditch showers, toilets, and restaurants within a minute's walk away. After a morning spent packing our bags and getting cash, we were getting a late start of the day. Of course this didn’t stop us from taking a final opportunity to indulge in these luxuries by filling our hands with cups of coffee and warm freshly made crispy boreks as we began our walk out of the town.

Within our first hour walking out of Kas, I felt the adjustment weighing me down. Not only did my body feel physically weaker after this 3 day break, but I also needed to prepare myself mentally for hiking 8 hours a day again. Also, it’s now mid-May which means the heat along the coast can feel like you're in a convection oven.

The mental switch didn't take long. As the cobblestone streets of Kas turned into the dirt and rock roads that would be under my feet these next 12 miles, I settled into the familiarity of the Lycian way-the satisfaction that comes from moving our bodies, challenging ourselves physically, and a sense of drive that comes from not knowing where we'll be setting up camp for the night. The familiar turquoise water eventually came into view, and we found ourselves on rockier than usual paths passing by small islands and coves.

We loved seeing the most adorable cliff side goats that were just chilling and eating by the water- just like us. We also passed by a quiet little swimming cove that made us as refreshed as having an ice cold popsicle on a hot summer day. I think our backs were both fully drenched in sweat by this point, so seeing a spot to dip in freezing water felt like a miracle.

As we continued along the rocky path, our legs started to get more and more beat up by the prickly shrubbery. I started to feel the stinging in my legs with each step walked. I was feeling ready to find a guesthouse with some food and call it quits for the day at this point. As sunset approached, we realized this was the longest stretch of the hike without guesthouses. It had been hours since we saw the last one, and the next closest was 90 minutes away. We had a decision to make. We could either hike another 90 minutes to the guesthouse for dinner or camp where we were and skip dinner. We chose to set up the tent where we were.

I was feeling the stinging of my legs combined a mix of heat and dirt from the day. We ate some peanuts and granola on a rock, and were relieved to wash our faces and finally get into the tent. We were in early, maybe by 7:30, but because we were feeling so relieved to be done with the long hiking day, we gorged on some dopamine tv watching and binged The Good Place a little too hard, not sleeping until 10:30- whoops.

Our next day started way too late again - getting up at 9 and starting our hike at 10 was rough considering the morning sun was unforgiving. The start to our day involved an incline for 4 miles, which in the glaring hot sun, may as well have been 10 miles. I was really struggling here. My energy was low from skipping lunch and dinner the day before, and the only thing I could focus on was getting to the top of this hill and arriving at the guesthouse where we could enjoy a meal. Some eggs, bread, fruit perhaps? Jovan was so sweet and took my bag, hiking up the hill with both backpacks and dancing at several points to keep the energy high. His positivity and reassuring, calm nature makes any situation okay.

Jovan insisting to carry both backpacks :)

Boy did I need him here when we finally reached the town only to realize the one guesthouse here was closed. A tear may have been shed. The next guesthouse was 2.5 hours away which means we wouldn't be eating until 3:30pm. I started thinking back to the last substatial thing we ate outside of nuts and granola - it had been 27 hours since our borek.

This is where the day really turns around. We made it to the guesthouse restaurant- one of a few homes in a tiny fishing village. We had a feast home-cooked by a husband/wife duo and felt all the hard moments of the day become worth it for this moment. As we were eating, a group of Belgian women were talking about ferrying to a later part of the hike, and that piqued our interest. We decided to book a small boat and split the cost between the 5 of us, and it was worth every penny. The boat ride was serene. It gave us time to reflect, and our legs a chance to rest.

Shortly after getting off the boat, we found a waterfront campsite in the beautiful small fishing town of Kalekoy. We could not be happier to discover that there were a number of homemade ice-cream shops in town, selling dondurma (goat milk ice cream). We made a beeline for some yummy melon and chocolate ice cream. The rest of the evening was spent enjoying the nearly empty town where we got a water view at dinner all to ourselves.

Making our way back to the tent, we were on the hunt for water and stopped into a man’s home to ask for some. With so much enthusiasm, he showed us the icecream he was making fresh, gave us an incredibly generous portion of pomegranate icecream, and free water. Plus, gave us a shortcut path back to our campsite through the back of his shop! This small but meaningful interaction was the perfect way to round out a hard day.

Fixing our precious days’ mistakes, we woke up early on day 3 of this stretch. Even then, the morning sun was really strong early on, a theme nearly everyday now since it’s in the high 70s. We had 10 miles to walk today until we reached the city of Demre- our ending point for this stretch of the hike where we had an accommodation booked for the night. We were feeling the culmination of three days of brutal hiking (30k+ steps per day), feeling dirty and sweaty, and yet we were still having so much fun and seeing the most beautiful sights together.

These three days of hiking had been the most physically and mentally demanding thus far. Arriving to Demre, we celebrated with the best fresh squeezed orange juice of our lives. I don’t think the taste was all that special, moreso the feeling of rejuvenation because of how sugar and energy depleted we were.

Our accommodation was an apartment with a washer and full kitchen. We were so happy with it that we almost immediately extended for another night. I think this was the first time since Portugal that we made our own meals. There’s a way that not showering for 72 hours and hiking 40k steps can make common tasks like showering and cooking feel truly sacred.

The rest of the time in Demre was spent finalizing our plan for the last part of our Lycian way hike, resting, walking through the town, trying a new restaurant + bakery, and most excitingly- teaching Jovan how to ride a motorbike! The city is really calm, and a short 5 minute drive to the beach, and we figured it was the perfect place to rent a bike. The motorbike rental guy was dubious I knew how to ride, and he wanted me to do a lap in front of him to prove it. Scary moment for me after 4 years, but somehow I passed, and we drove off to a parking lot by the beach where smart Jovan picked it up so quickly. We were already making plans for riding around Albania and Montenegro. But first, we still have a last part of the Lycian way to finish before we plan what’s next.