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Where's Mike? Section 17: Central and Northern Greece
Click here to see Section 16: The Greek Peloponnese 2006
Click here to see Section 14: To Crete via the Peloponnese
Korinthos, Greece: Met Christophe and the gang for another great flight this morning...although I almost missed it on account of Christophe bumping the meeting time up by 30 min.
We needed to rush to this site in order to beat the goat herder to launch. Christophe mentioned someone once scared the flock so now the rancher only allows flying when he is not there. It's his property, so that is fair enough.
The site is spectacular! About a 2k foot ridge overlooking the sea, the beach landing area, the village of Epidavros, and some ancient sites to boot!
Andy was off first in the high wind, then it was my
turn. Brought the wing up with a small snag so dumped it this time
around...getting back into it. The next time the glider came up smoothly
and, if I do
Laura and the Swiss were playing it on the conservative side and wound up sinking out after a few passes leaving me alone with the ridge, as Andy had left for a SAT over the water. I explored both north and south, got well over the ridge when working it, and got well below when reaching for new territory. Finally wound up choosing to fly out toward my camping spot in town, but saw the old theater and a submerged ruins, complete with several people snorkeling, that drew my attention instead. Flying a paraglider over these sites seems almost surreal...pretty much the best of both worlds on a trip like I am doing.
After landing, the group was going to take a lunch break and then head back to the rough-cut launch above town. Great views there, and surely some good potential once it is cleaned up, but nothing I was interested in flying at this point. Instead, I headed off to Corinth.
The Corinth canal is fascinating to me, and surely to any civil engineer who sees it. For thousands of years rulers had been trying to cut a pathway across the isthmus...the first serious proponent was the Tyrant Periander who, in 602 B.C. needed to give up his dream or face the wrath of the Gods, so warned priestess Pythia.
A few hundred years later, Poliorketes was the first to actually begin digging, but thankfully gave up his suicidal plan when an Egyptian engineer, a descendent of the lead technical consultant on the pyramids, pointed out the fact that, if successful, the higher water level of the Corinth Sea would flood the Aegean Islands, and, of course, the resulting death and destruction would be considerable!
Julias Ceasar toyed with the idea, but Nero actually put a bunch of Jewish slaves to work on it in 66 A.D. and managed to dig out over 3km of 40m deep ditch before having to head back to Rome to quash an uprising and be hung for treason. He should have stayed on...
Others followed, but it was not until April 23rd, 1882 when another effort began in earnest. A French company had taken on the challenge, but soon assigned it to a Hungarian General, and the canal was completed in 1893 to great fanfare.
The canal, closely following Nero's original plans, cuts the 6,346 meter wide, solid rock, Isthmus of Corinth in a 24.6meter swath 8 meters deep. It has some very interesting looking geology associated with it. There are two sea level bridges, one at each end, which submerge to allow boats past...I think they are used as a canal control mechanism as much as for wheeled traffic flow. Additionally, the canal has three other bridges, 80-90 meters above sea level, for trains and automobiles.
It also has some signage that is more of a suggestion, than a hard and fast rule. I was able to walk unchallenged to the very edge of the bridge deck while it down, or in the process, and ships were passing, and I never saw one bike rider dismount while crossing.
Ships over a specific tonnage, carrying hazardous cargo, or on a night passage, must be under tow.
The best parking/camping area was on the NW point of the canal and afforded an excellent view of everything coming and going. I camped with a French couple and we would all rush to the waters edge and give the thumbs up (universal language) when a boat passed. Two thumbs up for ships.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 0 Supplies: 0 Misc: 40e PG guide/transport for the past three days. Odometer: 105271
Saturday May 20th
Arachova, Greece: Up early to watch the ships, again, and then drove to the high bridge to catch a ship doing the passage. I waited an hour and half before a sail boat came through and, since it was getting HOT in the late morning, I decided to forgo waiting for a ship.
Needing to get propane, and hearing there is an abundance of stations near the Athens's airport, I started the long, hot, muggy, drive to smoggy Athens. From several years ago, I remember Athens being a shit hole, but now that I've had a chance to drive into it along the coastline, verses simply flying and going directly to the city, I realize it is actually a shit hole on a gulf lined with numerous oil refineries, chemical plants, and leaky ships, anchored just off shore, which you can almost see through the thick, tear provoking, haze.
I found my gas stations with LPG, but none had adaptors to fit a German tank. It was about 100 clicks RT out of my way, but it was great to remember why I never want to visit Athens again.
Since I had no idea how much propane I have (I could make millions if I manufactured a tank with a gauge) I considered just heading back to Pateros and catching the next ferry to Italy, but hedged my bets and headed west on the north side of the canal so I could pass Thiva and Delphi along the way.
It was HOT. Damn hot, and by the time I got to Thiva I was in no mood to scramble around ruins with a bunch of tourists almost as cranky as I, so I buzzed past it and on toward Delphi, higher in the mountains, and hopefully cooler.
I made it to Arachova, a great little ski resort just outside Ancient Delphi, and found a spectacular, shaded, parking area overlooking the valley...3-400meters below. A short walk up the steps to town once it cooled off was rewarded with some pretty slick ski resort style cafes and bars with some fun, English speaking, party goers.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 37e for 39l at 105326/358km Tolls: 8e Food/Drink: 15e Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: ??? (a LONG drive day)
Kala Nera, Greece: Lots of tourists and lots of mercury at Ancient Delphi...I did a very quick stop and then took a relatively scenic drive north between the Giona and Parnassos mountains. Not as spectacular as Crete or the Peloponnese and, once again HOT! Five liters of water/day for the past three days.
Mines and refineries keep the still air thick with the stench of industry as I burn my diesel escaping.
I located GPL, and how could I not with all the refineries, so am just blasting north, away from large populations, toward Olympus. Kala Nera offered cool sea breezes, fresh air, and a quiet harbor for diner out.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 50e for 53.25l at 105827/500km Tolls: 2 Food/Drink: 14.5e Supplies: 0 Misc: 23e, for 39l of GPL...Again 27l in empty tank. Overfilled? Odometer: 105832
Monday May 22nd
Polydendri, Greece: Kala Nera is a great place to spend the night and also is a good place to depart from for more explorations of the Pelion Peninsula. The southern and western portions are uninspiring with their stunted plant growth and generally rocky and dusty terrain, but once up to Vyzitsa, a quaint village near the mountains crest, things improve dramatically.
The eastern portion, with it's moderate slope to the sea in the southern section, is nice, but the extreme angles of the north, where magnificent forests, essentially untouched by man on account of them hanging on shelves dropping to the sea, is incredibly alluring. The windy roads generally hug the ridge top and periodically send a spur down a steep valley to the shore below.
After the Pelion, I continued north through mostly ugly scrub brush, dust bowls, and industrial parks, which eventually turned into a wide valley consisting of farming fields where I headed east up, over, and down the steep mountain range, and, after three days, and 750 kilometers, of hellishly hot driving, stopped at the first beach I saw and took a well deserved swim. My moho brakes smoking from the descent.
Met up with a French couple and an Italian couple who said overnight camping here is fine, regardless of what the sign says, and that this is the best beach in a long string of them progressing north.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 49e Supplies: 8e Misc: 0 Odometer: 106020
Tuesday May 23rd
Polydendri, Greece: It remained cool enough under the shade of my trees until late morning. By then dip, after dip, into the Thermaikos Gulf kept me cool. The beach is not very photogenic, but I am still drawn to it's beauty I cant describe...must be heat stroke from the past three days.
The French and Italians leave while a few Germans, including Barbara, a solo traveler, and Austrians arrive.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 0 Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 106020
Wednesday May 24th
Polydendri, Greece: Swim, eat, swim, nap, swim, repeat. The beach is pretty much deserted until the late afternoon, when the local Greeks get off work and come down for a dip.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 0 Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 106020
Thursday May 25th
Polydendri, Greece: After swimming, reading, and vegging all day, I was rewarded with a terrific light show this evening. It started before sunset in our southwest quadrant then quickly engulfed 180 degrees, and, as the sun lowered, surrounded our beach with ground-air bolts, cloud-cloud sheet lighting, and the associated onslaught of rain.
It was pretty darn cool and never went completely dark with all the electrical activity. An eerie yellowish-orange glow from the set sun shimmering in the west offered a nice palate for the vertical, short, thick, reddish-orange, bolts hitting over the gulf, the bluish-white glow from the diffused cloud to cloud sheets, and the brilliant blue crooked flashes--sometimes solid and sometimes dotted--angling across the sky.
A most excellent evening which Barbara, the two new Germans, and I enjoyed, until the new Germs completed setting up their satellite dish so they could watch TV. Personally, I enjoyed natures show, with a bowl of fresh popcorn, better than any sitcom.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 0 Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 106020
Friday May 26th
Litochoro, Greece: After four nights on a spectacularly non-photogenic beach, I move on, following the coast to Litochoro...the best base for climbing Olympus. The mountains are cloud-covered, and do not look inviting for a climb, but I don't mind the coolness they offer on the approach drive. Once in town, I did some checking on-line for both Olympus details and paragliding in the area, in addition to getting some stuff to clean the quills of a sea anemone out of my foot. The best treatment, as stated by a professionally trained pharmacist, is a dab of olive oil on it every night before bed. The cure-all.
The night life here is very comfortable. Lots of climber types just out to be mellow. My clothes finally fit in! :-)
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 38.66l for 40.31l at 106128/301.5km Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 5.2l Supplies: 0 Misc: 30e first aid/med kit, 4e internet. Odometer: 106135
Saturday May 27th
Litochoro, Greece: Great, cloud-free, view from my parking/camping area this morning, but the clouds moved in to obscure the tops by midday. Still holding out for a Monday or Tuesday climb. Checked again for info such as...do I need technical gear for the climb? Is there space in the refuge? Do I need a towel/bedding if I stay in the refuge? Is there food available at the refuge, and at what cost? I heard back from Maria, but never got an actual answer to any of these questions...even by late night when I checked email after dinner out. The EOS office in town continues to be unoccupied and of no help.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 11e Supplies: 0 Misc: 2e internet, 3e card and postage Odometer: 106135
Sunday May 28th
Mt Olympus Refuge A, Greece: Regardless of the lack of information, I decided to head to Olympus this morning. Stopping in a local crap shop to pick up a map, I took a chance that this guy may know something of the climb and/or refuge, and asked a few questions. He picked up the phone and called Maria at the Refuge.
Yes there is room for me in the refuge, yes food is served all day, no you don't need an ice axe for the main peak, but a guide is advisable, and he then flirtatiously chatted on in Greek for a while. Can't wait to meet Maria.
Once off the phone I asked about my needing bedding, towel, or anything else, and he laughed and told me the refuge is a hotel and not some old rock shelter. This is surprising to me, but perfect as well!
On the drive up I saw the French couple from the beach last week and he reminded me that I need to visit him in Bordeaux for a personal tour of several wineries. He is a wine maker and knows several of the smaller, off-the-beaten-track, places to go. I never forgot, and still plan on it!
I felt like crap at the start of the hike both from staying out late last night and from the heat of the mid-day. Once I got my second wind, and better views began presenting themselves, I started moving faster.
As I passed the group, another interesting member started chatting and matched pace with me...I think she was looking for a reason to pick up the speed a bit. She is done with college and is currently in training as a fencer! She's a tough one! I chose not to pitch her any shit as we finished our hike to Refuge A.
Her coach, the crawlers father, was also on the
hike, and was happy to kick off his boots, and
to the refuge and began lazing in the afternoon sun.
In reality she is probably stronger than any of us, but simply lacked the desire to take a hot, sweaty, hike to visit the Gods.
And speaking of sweat, as I confirmed my reservation, I was
informed by Maria that the showers are cold. Ice
cold...as in fresh snow melt piped in from not too far above. It sounded
good at the time,
We all enjoyed lunch and relaxed for the afternoon, and, when they finally headed down the trail, Dean, who is Greek, but has a slight East Coast accent in his English on
account of living in NY, gave me his email address so we can stay in touch about paragliding. He seems pretty darn keen on it and was contemplating a trip to the Alps later this summer for a couple weeks of lessons.
Long before it got dark, I grabbed an early dinner which was absolutely divine! That is to say is was divine until I was no longer half starved and realized the pasta was overcooked, the sauce was sort of a sugary-gelatinized mass with a red tinge, and the two burned and crusty meatballs were cold on the inside. At that stage, the main was still good, just not great, to the very last slurp. However, the Greek salad accompanying my meal was truly killer good!
I crashed in a large dorm with 30 bunks but only about eight occupied.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 13.5 Supplies: 6.5e for map Misc: 10e for staying at the refuge. Odometer: 106154
Monday May 29th
Litochoro, Greece: After an amazing nights sleep, breathing cold mountain air, in a NON snoring bunk room, I was up with the sun and preparing to climb.
Still not having any really good information, I checked with Maria one last time as I was heading out the door. Specifically, I wanted to re-confirm that technical gear was not needed and I wanted to find out about the best route up Stefani Peak, the second highest point on Olympus. Mirikas and Skolio, the first and third highest, seemed fairly straight forward from the map I had obtained in town yesterday, and studied last night. I intend to go peak-baggin' and nail all three above 2900 meters.
Unfortunately, Maria said it is currently not possible to do Stefani due to the snow and ice conditions. It could only be done in a roped situation with an ice axe, although to her knowledge it has not yet been done this year. Damn! This is what I had been trying to find out for the past week! I could have bought an axe, but now I will just have to go take a peek myself after climbing Skolio and Mitikas. I've heard; prior planning prevents poor performance...but I still haven't learned that valuable lesson.
I had thought I was the first one out of the hut, but, after snapping a bright sunrise shot of where I was headed, and 20 minutes of hiking, I passed a couple of Germans who had, mistakenly, thought they were going to be the first to bag Olympus today.
A well marked trail, crossing only a few small, and
shallow, snow fields quickly led to the tree line and increasingly
dramatic views. In addition to the snow covered
First things first, though, and that was to nail
2904 meter Skolio peak
After a breather on Skolio, I descended the Skala, the ridge between Skolio and the southern false summit of the main peak, back toward Mitikas. I again crossed paths with the Germans and, at this point, they had decided to just do Skolio on account of hardened snow and the class 4 scramble which needed to be negotiated for Mitikas.
The steep sided, jagged, summit ridge is quite attractive, as is the wide snow filled valley below to the northwest, but any fall would put you in the hospital...if you were lucky. There are many holds, but the ones on the most traveled, and solid, route are greasy from the flock of tourists, while the less traveled paths can have some fairly loose garbage on them. The route is well marked both by red paint (why!?!) and by a line of bolts and associated bomb-proof belay stations. I could see where an inexperience climber may want to be tied off here, and why Maria recommended people go with an experienced guide, but I enjoyed the free solo and lack of other climbers.
As I gained the 2918 meter Mitikas, the summit of Olympus, 53 minutes after the first, I was able to look back on Skolio and see the pair of German climbers starting to descend just as two other climbers were gaining that summit. Of course there was time for me to take the obligatory summit shot, complete with Greek flag and Skolio, in the background.
After my visit with the Gods, I had to down-climb ~90% of the summit ridge in order to drop off the east face and go for the 2911 meter Stefani.
I decided against that level of rock climbing.
Kicking steps was possible, but I was tired from the two other peaks and from all that scrambling at altitude. Truth be told, it would have been tricky stopping even WITH an ice axe while fresh! Also, I was considering the fact that I not only had to cross this snow field, but then climb the peak, descend the peak, re-cross this field, retrace my low class five path, climb back up to the normal route, and then descend to Refuge A.
I decided against kicking steps.
After
over two hours of attempting Stefani I was back on the main route but
quickly off again enjoying a long standing glissade of 300 meters...and about 50 meters of
sitting. Oops. It was perfect! all the really
There were a lot of climbers still on the mountain, but many were back at the refuge, preparing for the hike out, as well. Met up with that same German couple who was eager to hear how I got along with Gwen...and I was sorry to disappoint. Me, more than them.
In a racing mood, I began to flash the Refuge A/trailhead section. Immediately after leaving the refuge there is a
relatively shallow, and slightly broken up, 200 meter glissade/skate that got me well on my way.
Portions of it parallel the trail and I could hear more than one
exclamation, although I couldn't understand them, as I skied past those sloggin' the trail. Out of snow, I
joined the ranks and began passing those I could. There
seemed to be a
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 2 for cold beer after the climb. Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 106172
Tuesday May 30th
N. Pandeleimonas, Greece: Made contact with Asterios of Olympic Wings and found out he is only about ten clicks south so I headed that way and found a nice beach for swimming and camping, which is difficult to do on this very commercialized beach, chocker blocked with normal campgrounds and hotels.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 18.2 Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 106192
Wednesday May 31st
Neos Panteleimonas, Greece: Met up with Asterios of Olympic Wings, but the WX is looking a bit windy, and it is supposed to storm tomorrow as well. Not wanting to give up on flying just yet, I hit the beach again to hang for another day and give flying a shot on Thursday if possible.
In the evening I came back into town so I could park close to our morning meeting location and a couple of kids started hanging around and, so I thought, pitching me shit. The nice thing about a camper is that you can just get up and move, but I was not happy about the thought. Instead I tried to talk to the ring leader, and, after much caution, they introduced themselves, as did I.
A couple others, including one little girl with her younger brother, then fell out of the woodwork. One of them had a beat up old handball and we started batting it around until a soccer ball was produce and then 4-6 of us played keep-away (mostly from me!) on the sloping road, over piles of bricks, through the weeds, around the cars, at times driving, and had a blast till it got dark and mothers started calling. Playing a friendly game of football was really a great time with a bunch of great kids!
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 8e Supplies: 1.5 beach mat Misc: 0 Odometer: 106210
Thursday June 1st
N. Pandeleimonas, Greece: I blew out a nerve in my wrist as I was descending Olympus and it was still swollen and sore. It wasn't from a fall, and it has happened before...just sort of a nerve popping out from twisting my wrist back holding the sticks. The running, jumping, and moon-steps (which all add a lot of pressure) did not help the situation.
Long story, short, I didn't feel like flying so I offered to drive for Astelios today. He had a couple tandems to do and I wanted to see the local site. Win-win situation.
When we got to launch there was already a German tour group launching. Looked almost like a school situation, with how bad some of the launches looked. But then again, I can't talk after how my warm-up looked last week!
He did his first tandem and told me to just head down to his office and the girl there will call him and confirm where I should pick him up. Fair enough, but he was not answering the phone when we called, so she just sent me to the beach.
Astelios was nowhere to be found so we headed back to the office and that's where we found him. He had landed a right near his shop.
On the next flight he flew down with the keys! Drat! Just like the clusters back home...I had to smile.
Later that evening I went out to meet his new group
of arrivals who are in town for a hiking & biking tour.
Astelios, in
addition to running paragliding tours,
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 8e Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 106229
Friday June 2nd
Thessaloniki, Greece: Whew! Woke to major wind. No flying for me, or anyone else, today. I chose to make the relatively uninteresting drive to Thessaloniki to see what may be happening there. Found a nice park/camping spot on the southern edge of town right on the water. Nice! A couple of Dutch were there as well and told me there is some flying down on the Kassandra Peninsula in the Halkidiki region SE of Thessaloniki. Something to consider. The only other person of interest I met today was some old fisherman who always popped his head in my open window to say hi (I speculate) and see what I was up to at the moment.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 4.3e Food/Drink: 20e Supplies: 30e Misc: 0 Odometer: 106364
Thessaloniki, Greece: A nicely done boardwalk, although it's concrete, leads 5-6 clicks into the heart of town and the harbor. Along the way you pass shaded parks, various art work, and a whole lot of fishermen.
The White Tower is the main symbol of town and now houses a museum, but during Turkish rule, it was a prison
and good place to execute people, so was then called the Bloody Tower.
Thessaloniki deserves more than the short amount of time I gave it.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 15e Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 106364
Sunday June 4th
East coast of Sithonia Peninsula, Greece: Being blown out again today, I chose to skip much more touristy Kassandra Peninsula and go straight for the more natural Sithonia Peninsula instead. For some reason I was feeling like a campground so found a nice one on the East coast with a fairly good beach. As I was walking back from a shower, Joost offered me a glass of wine and that turned into dinner as well! Joost, his wife Sandra, and their daughter Pien are on a summer-long camping trip. I have not checked it yet, but they are keeping a blog of their adventure.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 4.3e Supplies: 0 Misc: 1.5e internet Odometer: 106577
East coast of Sithonia Peninsula, Greece: I always do massive chores when I stay at a campground, and today was no different...other than the little five year old lurking about in the trees, patiently waiting for me to notice her. I was happy I did, since I was presented with a beautiful Dutch Tulip, hand made by Pien, and now gracing my refrigerator door. The next day I got a drawing of things that fly...a bee and me. The bachelor pad needed a bit of redecorating, and this has certainly gotten it well on the way.
Pien is a great kid, and I don't think her parents are doing her any harm by "breaking the law" and taking her out of school for a couple weeks early for their road trip around Europe.
So, after a few chores, the sea beckoned.
Lacara
Camping has a great little beach, complete with lounge
chairs, sunbrellas, and beach bar, which encompasses the width of the
valley, and is exclusive to the campground. Still, I decided to explore
a bit and found another, smaller, beach about a click south
After a few hours of swimming and reading, I headed
back toward camp to be greeted by
Pien running down the beach to greet
The Dutch came over for dinner, and Pien was initially shocked by the small amount of pasta served, however disappointment turned to excitement when she got the second course of a DIFFERENT shape! No sauce, butter, oil, spice, or ANYTHING on it, just how she likes it. It made me cringe! :-)
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 10.5e Supplies: 2e Misc: 4e laundry Odometer: 106577
Tuesday June 6th
Thessaloniki, Greece: Having no idea I would be this far north, I never considered visiting the Athos Peninsula before today. This semiautonomous area is filled with a bunch of monks, a bunch of monasteries, and NO women. Even boats with women aboard have to stay at least a half a click off shore! Unfortunately, in order to visit the area, where men can stay up to six nights only, a letter of recommendation from your embassy is required. No way I was going to drive all the way back to Thessaloniki to beg for that, especially when only ten foreign men get access per day. I bet Rasputin never needed one when he walked from Siberia to Athos in the late 19th century.
Instead, after saying goodbye to
Joost, Pien, and Saundra, along with
their very cool '78 Flower-Power Van, complete with hardwood floors and
shower nozzle that mounts outside for showers a' natural, both of which
I want in my next moho, I took the scenic (all the
scenic roads are marked on my
The same old fisherman was there, and this time he needed to borrow my tool box (hammer) to fix some of his gear. Nice guy, and he chats on, and on, with no understandable response from me.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 21 Fuel: 20e for 20.2l at 106675km Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 49e Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 106774
Wednesday June 7th
Litochoro, Greece: Back to the Olympus region though a bunch of thunderstorms. Not looking good weather-wise, and that is confirmed by Astelios of Olympic Wings Paragliding. I will make one last check in the morning before heading toward the ferry to Venice and beyond.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 4.3e Food/Drink: 29e Supplies: 0 Misc: 2e internet Odometer: 106876
Thursday June 8th
Near Meteora, Greece: Headed west from Litochoro (Mt Olympus base village) as the thunderheads were building, toward Meteora.
Meteora is an interesting geological area with its
towering rock pinnacles closely bunched in one
Also interesting are all the monasteries on top of most pinnacles. Built by Monks in the 14th century as they moved to more and more secure locations.
I quickly browsed
Camping by the river in the valley.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 66e for 68l at 106900km Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 7.7e Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 107080
Friday June 9th
Near Meteora, Greece: I liked my camp so much I stayed again and caught some scattered rays between showers. Great place to chill out for a bit!
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 0 Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 107080
Saturday June 10th
Metsovo, Greece: Despite the continuing thunder showers, I had a good time checking out Meteora again today. I choose to go into only one, Moni Megalou, the highest.
The central cathedral has a fairly spectacular 12-sided dome and great views of all the other monasteries, and the valley, below.
By the time I was done wandering around the inside of Megalou, many of the peaks were obscured by cloud, and it was raining in earnest. I did manage a pretty good view of of Moni Triada, the monastery used in For Your Eyes Only, as I headed down the road to Metsova.
Lake Aoou, near Metsova, is spectacularly beautiful and brought a rushing memory blend of Cooper Lake, Fish/Tucwilla Lake, and Baragem do da Povoa, but I forgot to take even one photo.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 14e Supplies: 0 Misc: 2e monastery Odometer: 107220
Sunday June 11th
Ioannina, Greece: Last nights camp at ~1300 meters was cold, but the morning sun, along with the cloud-free sky, warmed things up quickly. I stayed just above Metsova and had some great views of this ski village and the mountains beyond. I then headed back around Lake Aoou for one last look before heading farther west toward Ioannina.
Just outside of Ioannina is the Perama Cave
and was the first cave in Greece to be developed for tourism. It
has some very nice features, large caverns,
Perama also has a few species of insects and a bunch of bats.
After the cave I jumped on the net for a while (a cafe had free WiFi and an antipasto platter with any drink order, and that was lunch.) and then hit a local campground just before an amazing thunder and lightning storm hit.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 5e Supplies: 0 Misc: 8e cave Odometer: 107323
Monday June 12th
Ioannina, Greece: Rain off and on all day long so I took advantage of the camp power and water and did chores. Another big cell came through in the afternoon and everyone's awnings started blowing away as people tried to batten down the hatches.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 0 Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 107323
Tuesday June 13th
Oxya, Greece: Mixed weather reports but I still headed up to the Vikos. Camping near the drive-to view point of Oxya, beyond the start point of Monodendri, in a beautiful meadow punctuated by towering pancake rocks. The view into the canyon is pretty impressive, and the Vikos is said to be Europe's deepest canyon at 900 meters (1,100 wide), but I am kicking around the idea of an alpine hike verses the gorge.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 26e Fuel: 50e for 50.6l at 107335/435km Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 44e Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 107376
Wednesday June 14th Papigo, Greece: My German neighbors from last night dug out a great map of the area and told me of their hike through the gorge of yesterday. Took them about five hours to do the shorter route (~10 clicks) to the Village of Vikos, instead of up to Papigo. That time sounds more reasonable than the seven to ten hours others have told me about. They did it one-way and it was a 40e cab ride back, when complete. I had planned on a round trip hike to make it back to my rig, and for 40e there is no question.
They then pointed out some nice alpine hikes, including a four hour hike to Dhrarolimni lake, above the Astraka Refuge, they plan on for tomorrow. As an increasing number of people suggest it, I am considering alpine verses gorge more and more.
Taking a morning walk out to the view point, I ran into Ray from Australia. He had bussed up from Ioannina to do the hike, got lost, and wound up here. Yea, I know, it's hard to get lost in a canyon, but as the day progressed, he displayed a clear propensity for doing so. After BS'ing for a couple hours, I mentioned that I will be driving to Vikos today so he could hitch a ride and then still be able to do the hike back to Monodendri and the last bus home.
The monastery has a great view of the gorge, but other than that it is nothing special. The meter wide trail leading beyond the monastery is something to see, however. Sheer rock walls hundreds of feet in either direction add a bit of drama to the hike to some caves. We both posed, but it was tough getting Ray very close to the edge.
After locating my map, and taking a parting shot of stone-built Monodendri, Ray and I jumped in my rig for the drive to Vikos and got lost SEVERAL times along the way. I was driving, Ray was navigating, but we were both bullshitting about travels, life, wine, women, and song so kept missing turns.
I've never been so lost as today...when I picked up a navigator. It took two hours for a 45 min drive, but it was a good two hours. Dropped him off and he started hiking...he needs to hurry since the last bus from Monodendri leaves at 20:00, he has about five hours of hiking, and I dropped him at almost 15:00!!!
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 0 Supplies: 0 Misc: 7.5e map Odometer: 107457
Thursday June 15th
Zitsa, Greece: After pouring over the map last night, I decided to do a climb today instead of either a hike through the Vikos Gorge, or a hike up to Lake Dhrakolimini, and this morning was on the approach trail to Astraka by 08:00 with the clear skies promised by everyone who was in the know. Looking up from Papigo, Astraka's northern faces are made up of steep cliff bands in a semi circle formation of about ~6 kilometers in length. Although it looks great for some serious rock climbing, there are also periodic breaks, hopefully able to be scrambled, which I am planning on picking my way through.
About half way up to the base of the cliff bands, I was joined by a dog, who managed to make the entire climb, that turned out to be mostly simple class 3. He was basically a pup, and better cared for than most I've seen in Greece.
As we got into the faces/gullies, it began clouding up and getting really cold. So much for the WX reports. By the time we were on top of the ridge/cliff bands, it was blowing WAY strong! It never blew me over, but it blew both me and the dog
sideways on several occasions. Getting over the ridge to the south, and behind a rock, gave some protection from the bitingly cold wind and offered a quick rest prior to re-grabbing the ridge-line and summiting at 2,432 meters and 4.5 hours.
The southern slopes of Astraka are shallow and covered in flowered meadows and tarns...beautiful
Good views down to the lakes, as well. The refuge, and east to Gamila, the highest peak in the Zagori Park, yet less interesting for climbing, at 2,497 meters, all in view. However, with the cold, strong, wind, summit time was short-lived.
For the descent I decided to loop the Astraka range instead of taking the same route down. It was an easy, shallow, walk in grassy meadows, and over the occasional snow field, for several hundred meters to the south before it was possible for the route to easily cut back for the valley between Astraka and Gamila. After that, a fairly straight forward trip down to Xerolimni Lake, 150 meters below the refuge, a climb to same, and another couple hours back to town for 8.5 total.
For some reason, I wound up driving toward my next destination, a bit, before finding a quiet place for a shower, dinner, and the inevitable collapse.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 0 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 0 Supplies: 0 Misc: 0 Odometer: 107527
Friday June 16th
On the Ferry to Italy: Through, yet another, scenic pass marked on my map, I finished the drive to Igoumenitsa and found no camping-deck space on the Venice ferry for a week! Instead I decided to leave tonight for Ancona. Picked up some food for the trip and then enjoyed an afternoon of, what will be my last, for a while, swimming in Greek waters.
Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0 Fuel: 31e for 30l at 107622/286.5 Tolls: 0 Food/Drink: 41e Supplies: Misc: 2e internet, 191e ferry trip to Ancona Odometer: 107652
Click here to see Section 18: Back to the Alps
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Friday
May 19th
say
so myself, perfectly in control. Andy and I flew around together above
launch for quite a while before the wind calmed enough for Laura and the
two new Swiss arrivals to get airborne.
Sunday
May 21st
After
a few days of heat, this one included, the fresh flowers, thick fog bank
below, and the cascading and cool water, were all welcomed.
By
late evening, most of the clouds have burned off and you can squint into
the sun to see the mountain. Barbara, the German from the beach, also shows up.
As
I neared the refuge, I caught a group having
some problems with their youngest member. She was actually crawling on
her hands and knees!!!
relax
in the shade, once his daughter, encouraged on by Sunglasses Dean,
completed the trek
so
I borrowed a towel (I was supposed to bring my own, along with sheets,
and flip flops for walking around inside refuge and for use in the
WC...Turkish toilets tend to make a splashing mess when flushed) and
took the fastest shower of my life. The fencer-girl, using the WC in the
next stall over (these are multi-gender, open-top, facilities...but pure luxury
for the mountains!), laughed aloud, as I gasped under the crushing blow
of the icy spray.
terrain
of the southern portions of the Olympus
Range, the east face snow fields and steep cliff bands of Olympus
proper, Maria warned me about earlier in the morning, became more and
more obvious. To obtain all three 2900 meter peaks, I would have get my unprotected self through that quagmire,
but it looked fairly easy from
here.
after
two hours and two minutes of climbing. Basically a walk in the park, and
easy enough for anyone of barely reasonable conditioning to accomplish.
Once off the main route I dropped
about 200 meters on steep, loose, rock and dirt, at times class 4, and
down a
couple small snow fields as well, in order to skirt some cliffs and
arrive just
above those wide/short snow fields I spotted from below. From there I
slowly worked my way north, up and over a few low class 5 pinnacles, and then
on to some rotten volcanic rock, soon to be scree, where any slip would have had very ugly consequences. I continued
this traverse north until I cliffed out and
either needed to cross a 20 meter section of shaded, and VERY steep,
snow OR do 3-4, 5.8-5.10, unprotected moves, with a pack, at altitude,
with no others probing this far off route for several days, if not weeks.
steep sections were short enough
and had nice runouts and it rarely got shallow enough to require
skating, or pushing with the poles. My size twelves
slid me to the col
you cross back to the east side of the range. From there it is then just
a dusty
walk to the refuge where a cold beer, and colder
yet, shower waited.
tour
of some type...several hikers all in blue shirts, then a
bunch in yellow, and of course a bunch more in your typical mixture of
tee's...but all speaking some eastern
European language. Czech? Russian? Who knew? At some point in my
passing, I said excuse me to the right person (teal top) and she said hello
in English. The
group, consisting of students from several colleges (some of whom wore
their school's colors) is from Hungary on
a tour of Greece after winning some sort of competition...if it were a
straight mathematics deal, or something more like Jeopardy, with many
topics, I was never able to discern, but they all enjoyed the trip to
Refuge A and the trip as a whole, as well.
also
books several area hotels with hiking/biking tours. Oh, he also has a
car rental agency. Busy guy, but less stressed, doing all of that, than
most PG only instructors I've ever known. Myself, of a year ago,
included. 
Saturday June 3rd
Monday
June 5th
with
no one on it but me. This beach had nice
views of Mt Athos as well, which the camp beach was lacking.
me
on my return. I don't speak Dutch, and she doesn't speak English, but we
got by.
map) coastal road north to Stratoni
and then cut over the mountains back to
Thessaloniki for the night.
area,
with no sign of similar outcroppings anywhere else. It must be the
result of a volcanic intrusions, with the surrounding terrain eroded away over.
the
monasteries from the ring road that goes up the back-way, but hope to visit
them in the next day or two.
and
several separate chambers. I still don't think it holds a candle
to Cave of the Lakes near Klitoria, though. At least photos were
allowed in Perama, although without a flash, the yellow of their
lighting taints them.
Jos
and Ann, who are car/tent camping next to me, stopped by my awning for
a glass of wine and to get out of the rain. They are Belgians living in
Germany
and
working for DSM. DSM had always been
synonymous with Dyneema for me, and I have been using their product in
climbing ropes and paraglider lines for
forever, but their main line of production right now is making the
protection for cockpits. I guess the airlines
find Dyneema lighter and stronger than Kevlar. Anyway, they gave me some
ideas on hiking the Vikos Gorge, which I plan on doing as soon as the WX
breaks, and they also mentioned that the whole area has some nice Alpine
hikes and climbs, as well. They too are considering a round the world
camping trip, so it was fun to exchange ideas on vehicle choice, power
options, routes, etc. on that as well.
After
walking a click back to my moho and chatting with the local goat herder,
we headed out. I had two stops to make in Monodendri to do before the
drive. One was to get a copy of that great map the Germans had and the
other was to check out the steep cliff trail just past the Moni Agias
Paraskevis.
