Mt. Olympus is the tallest mountain in Greece and the second tallest in the Balkan mountain range. It has 52 total peaks, the highest being Mytikas, which means “nose” in Greek. Mytikas is 9,570 feet tall. It’s fame is due to its prominent place in Greek mythology. In these stories, Mt. Olympus was the home of the Twelve Olympian Gods of ancient Greece: Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Aphrodite, Ares, Hephaestus, and of course, Zeus. Mythology told of a Mt. Olympus that formed after the Gods defeated the Titans in the Titan War. The myths describe the Gods living in their individual palaces located deep inside the many gorges, with Zeus having his own throne atop Stefani, a peak situated next to Mytikas.
Mt. Olympus sits in Greece’s Olympus National Park, founded in 1938. It was the first region in Greece to receive specific protective rules aiming to preserve the national environment of the region and provide for environmental education for the public. About 10,000 people attempt to climb Mt. Olympus each year, including Andy and I.
We had signed up to climb Mt. Olympus with a tour group called
Trekking Hellas. They offered “Mt. Olympus Express,” which got you up and down the mountain in two days for a total walking time of about 8-9 hours each day; “Mt. Olympus Classic,” which got you up and down the mountain in three days for a total walking time of about 6-7 hours each day; and “Mt. Olympus Discovery,” which got you up and down the mountain in four days for a total walking time of about 5-6 hours each day. Andy and I elected to do the Mt. Olympus Discovery, so we could spend more leisure time hiking and get a chance to explore more. The longer package also allowed us to do some side hikes during the shorter walking days. Andy and I ended up being really pleased with this company – they were prompt with communication, reasonably priced, and our guide, Thomas, was knowledgeable about Greece and Mt. Olympus. We would highly recommend them.
Trekking Hellas had sent Andy an email prior to our departure outlining the gear we would need. The list included rain gear, hiking boots, sleeping attire, and warmer clothes for the day at the highest point, which could get pretty cold. We each filled a large inner-frame backpack with our gear.
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| Ready to go! |
We woke up early that morning, packed our things, and checked out of the hotel. We were supposed to meet our guide, Thomas, at the center of Litochoro at noon. We made our way into Litochoro, bought some food and snacks for the trip, and explored a bit until we had to meet Thomas.
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| Town center. I’m standing at the fountain. |
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| Statue of Zeus outside one of the shops |
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| Some friends we met along the way |
Around noon, we noticed a young man walking around the main part of town with a large backpack. We figured this was Thomas. Andy approached him and said hello; he immediately introduced himself as Thomas, and we met our other hiking members, a woman name Ksenya and her son, from Israel.
Once we all met and got to know each other a bit, we caught a cab to take us the start of the hike. We all crammed into a small taxicab and made our way up a winding road to the beginning of the trailhead. Climbing Mt. Olympus is non-technical the entire way until you reach the top (more on that later…but for reference it is a YDS (Yosemite Decimal System) Class 3 rock scramble). That being said, obviously the majority of the hike is up with a steady increase in grade as you go. This first day was beautiful – we had great weather and were sheltered by the large oak, bay, and cedar trees in the area, as well as evergreen broadleaf trees and maple trees. The trail was wide and clear, with the occasional donkey gifts sitting in the middle of the trail (we learned later on that donkeys carry food and other necessary items from Litochoro to the different refuges up and down the mountain).
We were all incredibly lucky to have Thomas as a guide – he was fun, intelligent, interesting to talk to, and patient. He was very knowledgeable about Greece, Greek culture, and the environment surrounding Mt. Olympus. He was young and energetic, from a village near Mt. Olympus and had a degree in physical education/human physiology with an emphasis in extreme sports (more specifically, mountain climbing). His summer job was leading groups of people up Mt. Olympus and he seemed to truly enjoy it. He worked as a personal trainer on the off season and spoke occasionally about opening up his own gym one day. He was a great hiking guide and Andy and I are enjoying staying in touch with him. If you ever climb Mt. Olympus one day and hire Trekking Hellas, request Thomas!
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| It’s Thomas! |
We hiked for about 3.5 hours that day – up into the beech and fir trees and well above the clouds. That was my favorite part – looking down on the clouds and the small villages below.
At the end of each evening we would end the hike at what the Greeks called a “refuge,” although Andy and I kept referring to them as “hostels.” They were multi-story stone buildings with bathrooms, a large kitchen, a dining area, and bunk beds upstairs. Each one had a different name, look, feel, and meaning. We met incredibly fun and interesting people at each one.
The first night, we hiked up to Petrostruga, the first refuge up the mountain. It sat perched on the edge of a grassy area with trees, large rocks, and beautiful views of the surrounding small villages at the base of Mt. Olympus.
Each refuge required you to remove you shoes and wear flip flops they provided. At first I felt it was weird to wear someone else’s shoes but you could immediately tell that it kept the entire refuge much cleaner. There was less dirt and mud tracked through the rooms, and it gave our hiking boots a bit of a break to air out.
We found our room and put ours things away. The sleeping room was a large living-room size area with multiple bunk beds, each with a large comfy blanket and a pillow. We picked two beds on the lower bunk. Andy and I brought our own sheets, which we recommend, since it was hard to tell when the mattresses had been cleaned.
We ventured outside and found Don hanging out with Thomas on the back deck.
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| A daredevil, if ever I saw one |
After retrieving Don from almost certain death, we explored the outside of the refuge a bit – there was a large swing in the front area of the refuge; Andy and I sat on it and Ksenya was kind enough to take our picture.
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| Tired. |
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| Frizzy hair. |
Meandering around the area were sheep, grazing about and enjoying their afternoon. There were a few dogs around ensuring the sheep stayed together.
We spent some more time outside exploring the area and chatting with Thomas. Around 5 or so we made our way into the large dining area to get some dinner. The dining area had a small fireplace in the center, big windows, and multiple picnic bench-style tables for people to sit. As donkeys carried all of the food and necessities to the refuges, the menu items were limited, but everything was pretty good. You could order different soups, chicken/beef/pork with rice, spaghetti bolognaise, Greek salad, and a variety of sodas, wines, and beers. Each meal came with bread and Greek honey. That first night, Andy and I both got spaghetti bolognaise.
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| The kitchen |
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| Andy ordering food |
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| Hair got frizzier |
We spent the rest of the evening sharing some tsipouro with Thomas and Ksenya and saying goodbye to the internet. Petrostruga was the only refuge that had reliable internet, so we used it while we could. By that point in the evening, the refuge was filled up almost entirely, with travelers from Canada, the United States, Germany, and England. Some arrived in pre-arranged guide groups like ours while others had mapped out the route themselves.
Eventually we retired to bed. We were so tired, we fell asleep immediately. Until about 3am, that is. Around this time, someone (we were never able to identify the culprit), started to snore sound like a dying whale. It was crazy. I knew it wasn’t Andy (“I did NOT marry that!”), but the room was dark and there was so many people sleeping in the bunk beds I couldn’t figure out who it was. I waited and listened, and finally determined it was the person ABOVE me. Con? What the hell, this person is above me. Pro? There are slats in the bottom of his bed. What exactly was I going to do? Poke the snorer (reminds me of this).
I lifted my leg up and poked my foot through the slat in the bottom of the snorer dying whale’s bed.
It worked! Sort of. I fell back asleep for twenty minutes and the whale returned. I gave up and went downstairs. The best option available was a long bench in the corner of the kitchen area. I laid a couple blankets down on that and tried to sleep. A few minutes later, I opened my eyes and there was a dog laying next to me on the floor. At one point I’m pretty sure there was a chicken running around somewhere too. The whole situation was weird. But, that’s what makes traveling fun. Where else was I going to have a sleepover with a dog and a chicken?
I could tell at this point that the adventures up Mt. Olympus would be like no other.
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