My achievement today was reaching the top of Mytikas, the highest peak on Mount Olympus, then a long descent to the village of Kokkinopelos. 22 kilometres walked with a 1200 metre total ascent, and a bigger descent.
Breakfast was available from 6:00 am, which was when I joined the end of the queue. I was not the only one planning an early start. Some of the men looked pretty tough, with haircuts to match and blue, mirror sunglasses. It made me wonder if I was up to the task of climbing Mytikas, which requires some skill on rocks and a head for heights. In fact I soon overtook the tougher looking guys, it was a thin, wiry couple that overtook me later on, as they moved, effortlessly from rock to rock like gazelles.
Mount Olympus looked particularly beautiful as the sky brightened and the rising sun coloured the rocky peaks ahead of me, pink against a blue sky with sharp black shadows marking ravines. I climbed out the trees admiring the grandeur of the place, onto a more slippery gravelly track.
Reaching the first peak of Skala which some dogs from the refuge had reached ahead of me, I had to decide whether to tackle the much more difficult climb up to Mytikas, the highest peak at 2918 metres, home of the God Zeus. The God of thunder among other things he was being kind today, the weather was perfect with no wind and empty blue skies. The rocks were dry and seemed to have plenty of hand and footholds. I had been on a scrambling course at Plas-y-Brenin before the trip and had spent another week in Snowdonia practicing, as the climb up Mytikas was classed as a Grade 1 scramble I should be up to the task. Everything suggested I could give it a go, so following the red spots helpfully painted on the rocks I climbed down from the top of Skala (part of the route to Mytikas). Going down is always more difficult than going up as I carefully looked for each foot and hand hold before making a move. I reached the saddle between Skala and Mytikas and started to climb the steps of rock. The difficult bit is going down and around a pinnacle that stands to the west of the Mytikas summit. There is a bit of wire attached to the rock to help. The final bit going down is awkward (unless you are brave enough to stand up), but then it's a simple climb to the small summit of Mytikas where the two gazelles who passed me earlier, were now enjoying the view, one standing on the pillar on the small summit oblivious to any fear of heights. At 2918 metres it is the highest peak on my trip so far, narrowly beating Mount Vihren in Bulgaria by a mere 4 metres.
Heading back was not so bad although there were now an increasing number of people on the mountain. As I climbed back up to the Skala summit there was a large group on a rope to get around, a guide at each end, and others were preparing to follow them. I was glad I started early to avoid all these people. How they would all fit on Mytikas summit I don't know.
I sat on Skala and enjoyed a few biscuits working out what all the mountains I could see were. To the north there were the Pieria and Vermio mountains I had crossed as well as the large windfarm. Looking west I tried to see the next stages of my trip. In the far distance a range of mountains marked the horizon, I took these to be the Pindos mountains that I will walk along next year. Lots of people on the now crowded summit of Skala were taking pictures and I worried that someone would step back too far in framing the perfect selfie with Mytikas in the background and fall off the near vertical north-west face of the mountain.
Having achieved two summits, and rested after spending a day in Litochoro, I decided to climb Skolio as well. A less popular summit it gives great views back to Mytikas and the big drop on its north-west side (which I had carefully avoided looking at when I was climbing it).
It was time to head towards Kokkinopelos. The trail down to Refuge C took me past three Balkan Chamois with their curious bent back horns (I knew what they were as I had seen pictures of them in the National Park Visitor Centre in Litochoro). Having been very careful on Mytikas I now slipped and landed on my bottom on the easy but gravelly path down! Fortunately nothing damaged but my pride.
I passed a few walkers coming up, but from the number of cars parked at Refuge C it seems they were taking an easy route to the summit as Refuge C is a 2450 metres, whereas most people climb from Priona at 1100 metres or from Litochoro at around 300 metres.
After the unmanned Refuge C, I followed the vehicle track as it lost and gained height until the E4 moved away from it at a cattle pen. From this point the E4 follows a footpath down a narrow wooded valley, and looses height rapidly. Signs indicated that the path was also used for the Olympus marathon, although I would not want to run on the rocky surface. In places the path looked about to dissappear but after some ruins it followed a good mule track that climbed out of the valley and around the hillside to Kokkinopelos, giving some great views across the farmland and mountains to the west.
I am now at the Hotel Dias. It has seen better days and I am the only person who appears to be staying here, but is half the price of places in Litochoro and as the owner has just cooked me diner, I am happy. All the tourist activity appears to be focused on the east side of Mount Olympus which means Kokkinopelos is quiet.
Breakfast was available from 6:00 am, which was when I joined the end of the queue. I was not the only one planning an early start. Some of the men looked pretty tough, with haircuts to match and blue, mirror sunglasses. It made me wonder if I was up to the task of climbing Mytikas, which requires some skill on rocks and a head for heights. In fact I soon overtook the tougher looking guys, it was a thin, wiry couple that overtook me later on, as they moved, effortlessly from rock to rock like gazelles.
Mount Olympus looked particularly beautiful as the sky brightened and the rising sun coloured the rocky peaks ahead of me, pink against a blue sky with sharp black shadows marking ravines. I climbed out the trees admiring the grandeur of the place, onto a more slippery gravelly track.
Reaching the first peak of Skala which some dogs from the refuge had reached ahead of me, I had to decide whether to tackle the much more difficult climb up to Mytikas, the highest peak at 2918 metres, home of the God Zeus. The God of thunder among other things he was being kind today, the weather was perfect with no wind and empty blue skies. The rocks were dry and seemed to have plenty of hand and footholds. I had been on a scrambling course at Plas-y-Brenin before the trip and had spent another week in Snowdonia practicing, as the climb up Mytikas was classed as a Grade 1 scramble I should be up to the task. Everything suggested I could give it a go, so following the red spots helpfully painted on the rocks I climbed down from the top of Skala (part of the route to Mytikas). Going down is always more difficult than going up as I carefully looked for each foot and hand hold before making a move. I reached the saddle between Skala and Mytikas and started to climb the steps of rock. The difficult bit is going down and around a pinnacle that stands to the west of the Mytikas summit. There is a bit of wire attached to the rock to help. The final bit going down is awkward (unless you are brave enough to stand up), but then it's a simple climb to the small summit of Mytikas where the two gazelles who passed me earlier, were now enjoying the view, one standing on the pillar on the small summit oblivious to any fear of heights. At 2918 metres it is the highest peak on my trip so far, narrowly beating Mount Vihren in Bulgaria by a mere 4 metres.
Heading back was not so bad although there were now an increasing number of people on the mountain. As I climbed back up to the Skala summit there was a large group on a rope to get around, a guide at each end, and others were preparing to follow them. I was glad I started early to avoid all these people. How they would all fit on Mytikas summit I don't know.
I sat on Skala and enjoyed a few biscuits working out what all the mountains I could see were. To the north there were the Pieria and Vermio mountains I had crossed as well as the large windfarm. Looking west I tried to see the next stages of my trip. In the far distance a range of mountains marked the horizon, I took these to be the Pindos mountains that I will walk along next year. Lots of people on the now crowded summit of Skala were taking pictures and I worried that someone would step back too far in framing the perfect selfie with Mytikas in the background and fall off the near vertical north-west face of the mountain.
Having achieved two summits, and rested after spending a day in Litochoro, I decided to climb Skolio as well. A less popular summit it gives great views back to Mytikas and the big drop on its north-west side (which I had carefully avoided looking at when I was climbing it).
It was time to head towards Kokkinopelos. The trail down to Refuge C took me past three Balkan Chamois with their curious bent back horns (I knew what they were as I had seen pictures of them in the National Park Visitor Centre in Litochoro). Having been very careful on Mytikas I now slipped and landed on my bottom on the easy but gravelly path down! Fortunately nothing damaged but my pride.
I passed a few walkers coming up, but from the number of cars parked at Refuge C it seems they were taking an easy route to the summit as Refuge C is a 2450 metres, whereas most people climb from Priona at 1100 metres or from Litochoro at around 300 metres.
After the unmanned Refuge C, I followed the vehicle track as it lost and gained height until the E4 moved away from it at a cattle pen. From this point the E4 follows a footpath down a narrow wooded valley, and looses height rapidly. Signs indicated that the path was also used for the Olympus marathon, although I would not want to run on the rocky surface. In places the path looked about to dissappear but after some ruins it followed a good mule track that climbed out of the valley and around the hillside to Kokkinopelos, giving some great views across the farmland and mountains to the west.
I am now at the Hotel Dias. It has seen better days and I am the only person who appears to be staying here, but is half the price of places in Litochoro and as the owner has just cooked me diner, I am happy. All the tourist activity appears to be focused on the east side of Mount Olympus which means Kokkinopelos is quiet.
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| Path up to Skala summit from Refuge A in the morning light |
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| A group coming down from Skala summit towards Mytikas clipped to a rope |
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| Balkan chamois |
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| Looking back at Skolio summit from the south-west |
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| Path to Kokkinopelos, empty of people after the crowds on the top of Mount Olympus |
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