Kackar ridge runners cross high granite passes in mist and rain during autumn trail ultra

Dense alpine cloud settled low over the pine woodlands of the Firtina valley on Saturday morning as nearly two hundred trail runners stepped onto wet stone paths for an endurance ultra across the Kackar range. The course traversed high summer pasture settlements, steep granite boulder fields, and narrow mountain saddles, climbing from damp cloud woodland into thin mountain air. Slippery granite slabs and sudden temperature drops turned the race into a test of alpine resilience.

Organized by regional mountaineering clubs and trail societies, the event aims to promote sustainable wilderness running while honoring traditional transhumance paths used for generations by highland pastoralists. Rather than running along graded logging roads, the course follows centuries-old mule tracks that link coastal river valleys to the high plateau pastures of Pokut, Samistal, and Kavrun.

Negotiating wet scree over the Naletleme saddle

The most formidable obstacle along the route came at the three-thousand-meter Naletleme Pass, a narrow notch in the jagged granite spine separating the Black Sea watershed from the dry plateau of Erzurum. Heavy clouds swept across the crest from the north, reducing visibility to twenty meters and coating the jagged rocks in slick moisture. Runners scrambled over boulder fields where route markers fluttered against cold, gusting winds.

Race marshals stationed at high mountain shelters monitored runner progress using low-frequency radio relays, checking each participant for mandatory thermal layers and survival gear before clearing them across the pass. The descent into the Kavrun glacial basin required steady footwork across wet alpine turf and loose moraine gravel. Despite the harsh conditions, runners maintained a steady cadence across the technical ridges.

The mist closed in completely at the crest, leaving nothing except the gray rocks and the next ribbon marker.

“The mist closed in completely at the crest, leaving nothing except the gray rocks and the next ribbon marker.”

Serkan Aydin, lead course marshal

Aid stations stocked with tea and highland pasture cheese

Along the lower loops through wooden summer hamlets, local residents welcomed competitors at rustic aid stations set up outside timber houses. Volunteers boiled copper kettles over open wood fires to serve sweet Black Sea tea, salted corn flatbread, and crumbly minci cheese from summer dairies. The local sustenance provided warm relief after hours of running through freezing rain on the upper slopes.

Environmental monitors tracked the event to ensure that the fragile alpine turf suffered no lasting disruption from the pack of runners. Race protocols strictly enforced wilderness preservation across all segments of the route:

zero-waste trail checkpoints with personal collapsible cups mandatory for all fluids

strictly bounded paths across sensitive high-elevation bogs and peat meadows

Finishing under the mossy timber canopies

The leading runners crossed the finish line in Camlihemsin late on Saturday afternoon, their legs splattered with black peat mud after descending through the sodden boxwood and chestnut groves of the lower valley. Warm woolen blankets and steaming cauldrons of bean stew greeted the finishers near the stone arch bridges of the Firtina river. Competitors sat along the riverbank, cooling tired feet in the icy glacial water.

Race organizers announced that seasonal trail repairs along the historic pasture paths would begin next week, funded through participant registration fees. By clearing rockfalls and restoring dry-stone path supports, the trail community helps maintain essential routes used by both mountain runners and traditional herders. As darkness fell over the misty peaks, the valley settled back into quiet autumn rain.