Mountain of the Gods – Ascending Mount Olympus
After a long day travelling from the UK to Thessaloniki and then to Litochoro and finally Prionia, Rhys and I were ready to start our ascent of Mount Olympus. At 2918 m Mount Olympus, part of the Olympus massif, is the highest mountain in Greece. It sits within the Olympus National Park which encompasses an area of 92 square miles (238 sq km).
There are 52 different peaks spread out across the mountain. Mytikas is the one that hits the highest point at 2918 m and would be our target. It is also one of the higher peaks throughout Europe.
Legend and traditional culture sees Mount Olympus as the home of the Twelve Gods of antiquity including the most famous god, Zeus.
Prionia to Spilios Agapitos Refuge
It was getting on for 3pm when we set off up the mountain. We were starting at an elevation of just over 1000 m and would be climbing constantly to the Spilios Agapitos Refuge at 2100 m. It was only a short walk of about 4 miles but with plenty of climbing and the heat of the Greek sun, Akis our guide set a slow pace.
Rhys and I fell into line as we made our way along the rocky, twisty trail. Fortunately, we were in the shade of the forest much of the way which sheltered us from the blazing sun. At this elevation the trees are mainly black pine and fir trees. We crossed a number of dry river beds that would presumably have been raging torrent of snow melt earlier in the year. Today there was no sign of water anywhere. We stopped now and then to let those at the back catch up and to have a drink and a little rest, it was also an opportunity to take some photos.
At one stop, as we climbed ever higher we had a nice view towards the ridge of the southern Massif and the peaks of ‘Monk’ and ‘Ice’. Apparently it’s difficult terrain up there with long days of hiking and no available water sources.
We continued ever higher and soon got our first glimpse of the mountain refuge that would be our home for the night. It was still quite a climb so we continued on through the forests, admiring the views when they opened out before us. Eventually we arrived at the refuge where there was people everywhere and we were greeted by two huge dogs. We were shown around, told the rules and settled in for the evening.
From the refuge there were nice views down the valley and out to the Aegean sea. As the sun set the sheer rocky cliffs of the mountain were lit up.
By now one of the dogs had crashed out in the main foyer of the refuge and wouldn’t move for anyone! He (yep, its definitely a ‘he’) must have had a busy day on the mountain! We had a nice dinner of spaghetti bolognese and then settled into bed in the dormitory with 15 other people.
I’d discovered the night before that Rhys (who apparently doesn’t snore), is in fact a champion snorer. Now, in a dormitory with lots of other people, he wasn’t the only one. I hadn’t managed to get a wink of sleep the night before, but after that and a busy day today I did finally manage to get to sleep for about an hour and a half.
I was soon back out of bed see the sun rise and have some breakfast. It was all quiet and peaceful at the refuge to start with but soon pack horses arrived with the morning delivery and it wasn’t long before the place was alive with activity.
There was a limited supply of water though and supplies were low so showers (even cold ones) were out of the question. With bodies and electronics batteries replenished we were ready to head off for the summit.
To the Summit
Everyone was ready on time so we set off at 8am and continued our climb. Once again we followed Akis in single file along the trails and soon emerged out above the treeline where there were panoramic views in all directions.
The landscape became more and more barren as bare rock and patches of snow dominated the views. We soon started up towards the ridge line with tantalising glimpses through gaps to the other side of the mountain. Chamois ran across the ridge and seemed to disappear over it, their mountain abilities allowing them to scale and descend almost vertical cliffs. Occasional stops allowed us to take it all in.
By now we were all getting to know each other and getting on well. With a GP and a paramedic in our ranks, we were well prepared! After a while we arrived at a little summit and finally had proper views of the highest point of Mytikas.
It’s hard to judge the scale of it from the photos, but if you look very closely you can just about make out the tiny dots of people on the summit. This was our target for the day and from here the walk turned into a grade three scramble so it was time to don helmets and harnesses and rope up in short-rope formation.
Rhys and I do quite a bit of scrambling so are used to it and half expected this to be a little tame. However, we were pleasantly surprised by it. None of it was difficult or particularly exposed, but there was plenty of it and some parts were quite steep. We descended, traversed across a rocky slope, climbed up to a little pinnacle, rounded the pinnacle, descended again and then tackled the main slope of Mytikas.
We emerged onto the summit of Mount Olympus at 2918 m where a cooling breeze greeted us along with 360º views. We took plenty of obligatory summit photos, had some lunch and chilled for a while.
We couldn’t stop for too long though as there was still a long way to go. So, we we soon back in our groups, roped up and starring the descent. It turned out to be a long scrambly descent as well as we made our way down through a gulley to more horizontal ground.
With most of the excitement over, I’ll try to keep the rest of the days activities brief. At the bottom of the descent we took off our helmets and harnesses, rounded a little ridgeline and then traversed around a large bowl-shaped valley with the towering cliffs of the ‘Seat of Zeus’ to our left. We took a short detour for some views and then headed to a refuge for a 90 minute lunch stop. Here we lazed on the rocks, watched choughs squabbling and took in the views. Small alpine flowers adorned the rocky ground and Chamois could be seen as little dots on the mountain slopes.
We then walked down a steep rocky track all the way back to the refuge.
We had dinner, chilled and once again settled in for the night. The snoring had elevated to a new level tonight and I didn’t get any sleep. I gave up trying at around 2am and did some work answering emails and trying to sort out a few issues instead.
Sunrise was welcomed in the morning and everyone wanted to catch it.
We were therefore once again all ready on time and soon heading back down the mountain the way we came. This time in the coolness of the morning. That, and the fact we were descending not climbing meant we made good time and were soon back at Prionia for a final group photo and to say our goodbyes.
It was then a taxi ride back to Litochoro. Our original plan had been to hang around there for a bit and then catch three buses back to the airport. Isabelle (Isi), one of our group had however hired a car and was also heading that way. She’d been feeling quite ill for the past 24 hours, I’d given her some of my anti-sickness tablets and rehydration salts but she was still suffering. She did however offer to take us to the airport. I think in her compromised state she was glad of the company and back-up on the drive. As far as we were concerned 90 minutes in an air-conditioned car was preferable to however many hours on various buses! It did mean we arrived at the airport very early – even by my standards!!
We killed time as best we could but sitting around for 8 hours wasn’t ideal! There’s only so many times you can wander around the duty free shops looking at things you don’t need, have never needed and will never need! Eventually, we boarded our flight as the sun set and then made it safely back to the UK where we collected the car and checked into our hotel room in Great Hallingbury Manor for a short sleep.
It was then back on the road for the 5 hour journey home. It was a lot of travelling for a relatively short walk up a hill but that’s what mini-adventures are all about. The walking and climbing itself was amazing and I guess taking it slowly is what I’m supposed to be trying to do. I still think we could have gone up and down in a day, but I guess it’s not a race!
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Yet another adventure successfully completed! some lovely photos too.