Towards the Summit
Pat and Michael on the Summit
Ark Challenge 2009
7.30 am Friday Sep 11th. Two Mountaineers, Pat Murphy (south Kilkenny) and Michael Whelan (Waterford) took the final steps together onto the summit of Biblical Mt Ararat,5165m in the far eastern corner of Turkey, close to the Old Silk Road and the Iranian border. It was an emotional moment for Michael who first admired the stand alone mountain on an overland trip to India in 1981. When he read Marco Polo’s account that no man would ever stand on the summit, he decided that one day he would have a go. The mountain has been climbed many times since the first assent in 1829. But in 1982 it was closed for almost twenty years because of political unrest in the area. The entire Ararat region is a military zone and special climbing permits are required.
Michael was unsuccessful in obtaining a permit in 2006, however this year permits were issued through his adventure company MountainZone,
Camp 2. 4200m At 5pm on Sep 10th as they were preparing supper and planning a 1.30 am start for the summit, a cyclone moved in and 30cm of hailstones fell in one hour accompanied by the most amazing thunder and lightening display, Over the next few hours 1meter of snow fell and the tents were in real danger of collapsing. Moral was pretty low as the radio message from camp one was No Summit. By 1am the sky had cleared to a beautiful starry night and with frozen snow, conditions were perfect for the summit push. Out of 4 Just 2 made it to the summit. Michael looked doubtful 2 hours into the 6 hour climb when he went down like a rag doll. After throwing up he was well again to continue. The route from camp 2 is steep for the first 5 hours, then for the last hour it levels out. At this point Pat’s gaiter had let in snow and we were concerned he had the onset of frostbite. His left foot was white and hard. After a change of socks he was fine (thankfully) the views from Ararat are incredible .You can see the Old Silk Road clearly and even the 1892 meteor strike that punched a 100ft hole 200ft deep into solid rock. After a 2 day walk off the mountain and a day or two spent recovering on the shores of Lake Van, they took a 2 hour flight to Istanbul.
Accidental United Supporters. Tuesday 15th Sep Someone said Man U were playing in town tonight, so after booking into their hotel they took a Taxi to Besiktas Stadium There were as many armed police as football fans outside We must have really stood out said Michael because a Man U official called to us from inside the barrier and asked if we were over for the game. We were then corralled behind the barrier by the police. When we explained that we were looking for tickets .He produced 3 VIP tickets and said enjoy the game. The atmosphere was electric inside the stadium. The Besiktas fans really are something else. When Paul Scholes scored the late goal it was like somebody turned the sound off. Thankfully it wasn’t an early goal. The silence continued well after the game as we sat in the bay side restaurant watching a fleet of ferries float across the Golden Horn to take the disappointed Besiktas fans home. A perfect end to a perfect trip.
Watering the horses Children of Ararat Photos M Whelan MountainZone©
Marco Polo was born 1254 the son of a Venetian merchant. Marco joined his father on a journey to China in 1271. They spent the next twenty years travelling in the service of Kubilai Khan. Marco was a prisoner of war in Genoa in 1289 - 1290 and met Rustichello of Pisa. Together they wrote The Travels; a product of an observant merchant and a professional romancer. Marco Polo died in 1324 and left his inheritance to his three daughters.
Here is a quote from his book with regard to Noah's Ark:
"In the heart of Greater Armenia is a very high mountain , shaped like a cube (or cup), on which Noah's ark is said to have rested, whence it is called the Mountain of Noah's Ark. It [the mountain] is so broad and long that it takes more than two days to go around it. On the summit the snow lies so deep all the year round that no one can ever climb it; this snow never entirely melts, but new snow is for ever falling on the old, so that the level rises."