Hiking Mount Olympus in Greece!

My last hiking trip in Greece

Back in the summer of 2015 I decided to move from my home country of Greece and go to the US. 

Before I left I wanted to go visit one of my favorite places on earth, Mount Olympus. (for my 3rd time.) 

One morning 2 good friends and I decided to just pack up the car and go on an adventure, we drove 5 hours from Athens to the foothills of Mount Olympus that day. Because of a limited budget we spent our first night camping in a public park of the village of Litochoro (which is actually illegal...shhh) and wake up early in the morning to start our assent up the mountain.

Beginning our assent

Next morning we drove to the beginning of the trail head, organized our gear and head up the mountain. The first 4 hours of the hike is quite steep, the trail snakes up the mountain through a lush forest. Usually we would hike that part of the trail much faster so we can reach the high plateau below the peak in a day, acclimatize to the altitude during the night and hike the peak next morning.  But this time we decided to take our time and enjoy the hike. We stopped at the first refuge called Petrostruga to enjoy the afternoon and spend the night. 

Petrostruga

The refuge of Petrostuga is located on the eastern part of the mountain at 2000m altitude at the end of the tree line, it's a lovely place to spend the night, great food, great Tsipouro (Greek Moonshine) and great people running the place. We spend the afternoon resting from the hike and meeting interesting fellow hikers. We had a great time hanging out at the refuge, exchanging stories with other hikers... and got quite drunk on Tsipouro. 

The night came at the view was amazing. The night sky was full of stars and we could see the city of Thessaloniki in the distance. 

Above the clouds

Above 2000m altitude the trees stop growing and you can see how high up you are, the landscape below stretches as far as the eye can see. You get a dizzying feeling at first, especially when the trail is close to high cliffs, but the views are worth it. The hike is quite mellow at that point, but after that the trail riches a shear cliff and it starts becoming very steep. The next hour is like going up big steps, sooner or latter your thighs start burning. But again, its worth it, because after that part you finally get to the high plateau of the Muses.

Plateau of the Muses

The plateau of the Muses is at about 2600m altitude and there are two refuges. (I suggest to everybody to stay at the small one, Kakalos.) Again, great food, great Tsipouro and great people running the place. Mike, the manager of Kakalos refuge is a very interesting person and arguably one of the most experienced mountaineers in Greece. The atmosphere is quite relaxed up there, you truly have a feeling that you have left the world behind, that your problems are below you and you can enjoy a moment of peace and tranquility up there. Also no phone reception! 

Best spot to watch the sunset

That afternoon we hiked to a peak close by that is called Mikri Toumba. It overlooks the north face of the mountain and probably one of the best spots I've been so far to enjoy the sunset. The peak is on a shear cliff and the drop below is awe inspiring. 

We were lucky that afternoon and a herd of mountain goats decided to pay us a visit. 

The clearest night sky I have ever seen

Our luck continued and when the night came we were awe stuck with the clearest night sky I've ever seen. Conditions where perfect, it was a new moon, the atmosphere was very dry and we were at high altitude. Our Milky Way galaxy filled up the sky and we could see more stars that ever before. After some time of our eyes adjusting to the darkness and we could see the landscape illuminated by starlight alone. It was a magical night that I will probably never forget.  

An other failed attempt

Next morning, my friend Dodos and I (yes that is real name) woke up with a mission, to hike to the highest peak of Mount Olympus, Mitikas. I've been up the mountain twice before but never made it to the peak, first time I was too afraid to even try and the second time I injured my knee and could not hardly walk. This time I wanted to make it. At this point I would have to say that I'm actually terrified of heights, I love hiking up mountains but I'm afraid most of the time (I know its a paradox). 

So we started climbing to the top, at that point there is no trail and you have to crawl up the cliff by stumbling from one rock to the other. There are some spots on the way that a mistake would be fatal and the monuments dedicated to the one that died on the way up, does not help. So, to be honest, at one point I froze and was to scared to continue, I decided to play it safe and quit my assent. My friend continued and reached the peak. I don't regret it, I think I made the right decision of stoping, because in those situation crippling fear is what will get you killed. Next time (and there will be a next time) I will be more prepared and will make it to the top, finally. 

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

I would also like to share a short video I made of the trip, with Dodos as the protagonist.

Enjoy!

Music By: 'Spanish Stroll' by Mink DeVille - Ta Hanoumakia by Marios Papadeas.

PS. Questions to my fellow steemians: What is the deal with copyrights on steemit? I made this video with unlicensed music. I don't really feel bad about it because I put the music in the credit and I don't make any money from it. But with steemit, I potentially could make a bit of money. So whats the deal? Does anybody know? Also I do wish that one day, blockchain technology will be able to solve this problem, I would love to be able to make videos with any music I liked and be able to monetize it and the creator of the music get a percentage of the earnings. I think it would be a win win for everybody. Hope to hear your thoughts on the issue.

Thanks! @namazu