Fifth Journey Day 131: The Lake Refused Reflection

"The Lake Refused Reflection" — A pause held by a mountain lake, where pines lean in and the sky stays quiet.

Date: September 16, 2025
Location: Şavşat, Turkey

In Şavşat, a highland town in Artvin Province of Turkey, pine forests fold into valleys and the air arrives clean from the mountains. Karagöl, within the nearby Karagöl–Sahara National Park, is a dark, reflective lake where shifting cloud and resin-scented breezes shape the day’s mood.

Valley of Quiet Boundaries

This morning I arrived in Şavşat. The town is nestled in the valley, with wooded hillsides acting as natural boundaries. The air here is clearer than in Rize or Artvin. It is cool and crisp, and it feels like the air is clearing my body from the inside out. My first steps felt lighter, but I noticed how quickly the silence here settles around you.

Walking Through Pines to Karagöl

I spent the afternoon walking to Karagöl. The path went through a lot of pine trees. The light was changing and the clouds were moving as I walked. Sometimes, the air smelled like moss and wet soil. Other times, it smelled like dry leaves touched by the sun. When the lake appeared, it was sudden. It was dark water, perfectly still, with trees on the edge that seemed to lean close as though to see itself. The reflection of the sky was barely visible, with a light breeze moving across it. I sat at the shore and let the silence fill me. The noise of the world seemed to quiet down there, almost as if the lake took it in.

Greens, Held in Silence

I noticed how green had many shades—deep pine, mossy softness, and pale yellow hints in leaves beginning to turn. The water was darker than I expected, but it was not heavy. It felt like it was holding everything quietly, without effort. My body didn't react as much as it usually did, as if the quiet had affected me.

Water as a Pause

On the walk back, I thought about how water can feel different in different places. It can be a rushing river in Artvin, a restless sea in Trabzon, or mist on tea fields in Rize. Here, the water was like a pause. Tonight, I will carry that pause with me. It feels more like a feeling you want to remember than an image you want to remember.

Choosing Stillness Over Sketching

The lake refused reflection, and I let it. I made fewer marks than usual, letting the quiet arrange the composition: dark water, leaning trees, and the small movements of wind that do not ask to be captured.

Travel Notes

• Weather: Partly cloudy, cool 14°C; shifting sunlight on the valley; a light mountain breeze carrying pine resin and damp earth.
• Scents: Pine needles, moss and wet soil along the shaded trail, then the dry-leaf sweetness where sun reached the path.
• Sounds: Soft wind through needles, occasional birdcall, and at the shore a wide, absorbing hush.
• Reflection: The lake felt like a pause rather than a mirror—an invitation to hold feeling over image.

Continue the Journey

You may also enjoy lingering with another quiet moment from Turkey in “Fourth Journey Day 157: Market Fragments”, where city rhythms gather like soft echoes.