This Trail Was Literally on Fire! (bikepacking Sufi Trail)

This Trail Was Literally on Fire! (bikepacking Sufi Trail)

Good morning people, the bike is up already I lowered it to the floor to sleep but it’s up, it’s up like me, it’s about 7 30. Another beautiful day on the Sufi trail, another mosque approaching. It’s a beautiful day to die guys. This is Zobran and up here I reunite with the hiking trail, back on the hiking trail. Here it burned very recently. The most troubling scenery though is that thing there. What the fuck is that? Come on guys, make a few harpins when you make a road. I’m still hoping, there’s a little hope that I don’t have to go up there but I’m seriously seriously afraid to check the map. I just wish we go right here. I’m so happy. We go straight. I’m very very happy. It will be climbing but more gentle because we kind of go up around this hill. I never know if it’s dog or wolf, it’s probably dogs. I think wolves are a little bigger. As you can see here it’s more gentle you can pedal it all. The other one it’s impossible to go up. This one seems bigger, could it be a wolf? This is very very decent, still smoking. I can smell the burn. And these are the pipes of the firefighters. There’s so many. There, there. I don’t know if the trail was there, but it’s blocked by those trees that they fall. here destroyed Possibly here. Ah, the trail is here. See the marking. And I think here then we can ride again. Not a lot, but it’s a piece of work. I’m gonna try and go down here and see. If there is a way around those trees, because then this is much easier. Everything is burned, but it is easier. See? push here, it will be easier. But, still here, there might be a way to push the bike. I could push the bike up here, without removing the bag. My only problem is to get here. I need to somehow push through my bike here. All right, I removed the front panniers. Let’s give it a go. I’ll clean this up a little bit. It should be nice and easy to enter. I’m gonna be breathing ashes for a while. All right, I made it. Now I am inside. The bike is parked there. Now I go back for the panniers. And I will bring the panniers up separately because there are too many stones and they are an obstacle. And my herniated disc then start to hurt like a bitch. So I prefer spending a little bit more time and go up twice. Time wise it’s probably the same because I can push the bike much faster without the two panniers. The bike is officially done now. I’ll go back and take the panniers. It didn’t take long to be honest. It’s more the mental effort of having to remove the panniers, bring up the bike and go back to the panniers. The panniers are there. Right back on the trail up here, lost a bit of time but that’s it. I have no money but plenty of time. There was a spring on my map here, but it’s dry. It’s the second one this morning. Should have stopped at the mosque to get water. What a pity, all burned. A lot of sunflowers everywhere. Left, center, right, back. Beautiful views. That’s the city where I’m going, so I have another two large climbs I think. kuyubaşi I’m really enjoying going down after all that effort. This is really sweet. This is a very, very long descent. Now you start climbing up to Bilicek. So I try to go up there, but it’s a no-go. I need to go here, but here… It falls down on this side and the other side, so I have to be really careful. I know you think I’m stupid, but I’m terrified. I’m terrified… That is going to be sketchy, because… You slide one side, you slide the other side too. fucking hell, I don’t feel my legs, I almost fell over. It’s done though, it’s done. Even this is done. Let’s keep on climbing. There you are, officially in Bilecik. Now I’m heading to my host. Good morning, this is where I spend the night in Bilicek. My host in 2019 used to host in a sports center, but that facility is not available anymore. So he hosts me in basically the basement of the building where he lives. He lives with the mother. It’s not possible to go in his home, I think. And he washed my clothes anyway. We did a quick wash and that was good. There is a mosque just across the road, so to go to the bathroom I used to go there. For the shower, I had a Turkish bath at the municipality place. And so I did have the Turkish bath experience. The basic service is 300 lira, that is like 6 euro, something like that. This is Bilicek municipality. We are officially leaving Bilecik. Another day on the Sufi Trail. Today is a good day to die guys. Great water, very nice and cool. I’m a bit lost on where to go. I don’t know. There’s a river down there, which is this river here, and then I guess that I need to jump in that road, but man, I don’t see any trail. I’ll have to go back up and go down that dirt road. I climbed back up and now I’m on this side. This is the cemetery. I should be able to enter from here, I think Aha, look at this, Sufi Trail sign. I’m still wondering how you get from there to here. Like, I’ve seen no trail. Zero, absolutely zero. Alright, anyway, we are back on the Sufi Trail Let’s hope it’s nice and rideable, even the hiking way today. Yeah, this is a bit steep. I hope this is the right way. This must have been the earthquake. This is a bit of work as well. I already went up and down three times, Bilicek It’s a massive step here. OK, now. Look at my legs. I already have the shoes full of those pointy shit. 15 minutes later I finished to remove all the pointy stuff from my legs and shoes. All the turns. You. I think here we go under the railway. Wow, that’s a bit rough. It’s a river. Some engineer thought about this bit. Is that a swimming pool? We are above the bus station of Bilecik. What a beautiful valley. I love these pictures. It’s beautiful to travel in summer. Very, very nice. I will go up, I should be a couple of kilometers up. But this gravel is quite compact, very good grip, easy to ride slowly but surely I will get up even this climb. This must have been a beautiful home, a mix with stone, wood and mud. This is an old tractor, an old Ford. I stop here. I wanna wash a little bit this, look at this noise, it really bothers me. This water is so fresh. Oh man, 38 degrees, it’s hot, it’s 2pm, but let’s keep on riding. Sun, not a problem for me. Like not even one meter of mud. It got very muddy. Now I’m pushing up a little bit. While the mud dries on my tires. And here on the grass I’ll go back pedaling. They are flooding this field. And then basically the water ends up on the road somewhere. I love these landscapes. They’re very very nice. If only I would have left Istanbul a few weeks before. Look how many… Cherry trees. Cherry trees everywhere in Turkey. It would have been nice to camp here. With the breeze the whole night here at the top of the hill. Beautiful, just beautiful. Ah, the view here is incredible. I stop under the shade. Unfortunately, now back at climbing. Next 20-30 km it’s a piece of work. That’s it, another bottle of Ayran. That’s my break. Look at the climbing right of the village. Climbing into the village, climbing out of the village. Made it to the top This was a fucking hell steepness grade. Holy moly. Look at this, this asshole fenced the trail And digged a little bit so nobody can go there Look at this asshole I’m still gonna go. See if I care It’s ok, no surprise. I can go on my left. As Sufi Trail. Let’s see, one, two, three, push. What a view! I really hope there is water here. What can you do? I should have taken the water at the village but I saw that there was a water point here So yeah I’m gonna go up there, 600 meters climbing. Fairly positive. I believe, I would say 100% sure that there is water up there. It’s a mausoleum, it’s a tomb of a famous Islamic scholar, a very famous Imam. From the top, also water. There was a there was a hose there, I removed it and I filled it with water. The view on this side is somewhat more concerning and looks like wildfire spreading. Well hopefully it’s not gonna spread where I’m gonna camp tonight. a wll a fucking wall No shame in pushing guys, no shame in pushing. Still going up. So beautiful and peaceful. I was very slow to get up here, but now I think I will be more flattish. I think here they make tiles, no? Tiles of granite I suppose. I’m a bit confused about the trail here, but I think I need to go down to the factory. I don’t see any other alternative. This part is a bit confusing. I think this is where I have to do. Now it’s 7:40pm, in 5 kilometers I arrive to a small town. Either I camp before or I camp after. The sun will set soon. I could camp on the trail but there aren’t many opportunities, maybe here. Yeah I think I want to camp before the city Now here is a no-go, it’s full of goat’s head It’d take me forever to clean it up. Let’s keep going. If it was sandy you clean them up very easily but like this it’s a nightmare. Last thing I want is to puncture my sleeping pad. People having fun picnic in the stadium, right? With all the nature. Seems like a great choice. So many people around. I thought this park or the other park maybe there was a choice of wild camping but no. Nice tower. This is a nice little town. Very nice mosque, very very beautiful. The Sufi trail goes down to this mosque and then up. Another beautiful mosque, I think we need to go this way. Slowly but surely leaving town. Canal, I thought I was out of people but it must be a bar or a restaurant here. This is love, to fly towards a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment First, to let go of live. In the end, to take a step without feet; to regard this world as invisible, and to disregard what appears to be the self. Heart, I said, what a gift it has been to enter this circle of lovers, to see beyond seeing itself, to reach and feel within the breast.

Cycling the world – Asia: 005 episode
Day 6 on the Sufi Trail. I wake up outside Zobran, where I camped for the night, and start early. The trail quickly turns into chaos as I pass through a recently burned forest, dragging my bike and panniers over fallen trees. After endless climbs, I reach Bilecik, where I finally manage to do laundry and take a shower. The next day brings more steep climbs and remote villages, with Ayran becoming my main fuel. As darkness falls, I reach Söğüt—but a tough single track ahead forces me to camp once again.

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