Climbers find 1972 Italian expedition notes in Kaçkar

TRABZON

Two mountaineers display small paper notes while sitting at a table. (AA Photo)

Turkish mountaineers scaling the Kaçkar Mountains in the northeastern province of Trabzon discovered a 1972 note left by an Italian expedition inside a medicine box.

Members of the CAMADAN Mountaineering and Winter Sports Specialization Club found their first note last year inside a tin can. The paper read: “20-8-72, Spedizione CAI Pordenone Italy, Quota 3510, Enzo Laconca, Giovanni Martin.”

Club head Metin Çolak received a letter of thanks and a 2006 historical book dedicated to branch founder Silvano Zucchiatti after reaching out to Italian Alpine Club officials. The book includes photos, notes and maps from Zucchiatti’s 1972 expedition.

The 1972 group completed 35 climbs, leaving notes on 19 peaks they ascended for the first time. Using the maps, the Turkish climbers reached their fourth peak, discovering an effervescent tablet box holding a wet document.

“We brought it with us because we could not open it there,” Çolak said. “When we opened it after drying it, we saw the note in Silvano’s handwriting. Our goal is to continue Turkish-Italian friendship.”

The paper identified the location as “Koşan Mountain 3,350 meters,” adding “Two main peaks... August 1972 CAI Pordenone Expedition ITALY.” The club also erected a bilingual sign at Dilek Mountain to commemorate Zucchiatti and Sisto Degan.

Çolak said coverage by state-run Anadolu Agency reached international mountaineers, drawing positive reactions from Indonesia, Spain and Serbia. Club member Hakan Demirci said they hope to find the locals in the 1972 photos for a comparative exhibition.

Demirci said the team will scale the remaining 15 peaks to recover the historical artifacts, confirming each item with Italian officials before adding them to their museum inventory.

The Kaçkar range forms the highest part of the Pontic Mountains along Türkiye’s Black Sea coast. The region draws international climbing expeditions due to its challenging alpine conditions.