Mountain of the gods

It was late August, and I was in Athens for the Olympic games. The air was humid and thick with smog as Carl Lewis passed me on his way to the Acropolis, Olympic torch in hand. There is an acropolis, or high point, in every Greek city, and as Carl lit the Olympic flame to open the games, my mind drifted to another high point, the highest point in the land, the home of the Gods: Mount Olympus.

Photo by Troy Spiropoulos The exposed summit crest of Skolio, one of the six main peaks of Mount Olympus. To the left of the ridge is a 1000-foot drop-off known as 'the cauldron.'

I had been fascinated with the famed mountain since I was five years old, having read every fable regarding the ancient Greek gods and heroes. It was an Everest in my mind, and I wanted to climb it precisely because it was there. Finally, after 20 years, I did.

Disco sleep

I left the polluted capital city on the 16th by train. Eight hours later I was in the small town of Katarini, 15 minutes from the closest town to Olympus, Litochoro. After stocking up on candy bars and water bottles at the local market, I took a cab to Litochoro and checked in to a hotel. Sleeping would have to wait however-besides a case of nervous excitement, the hotel was across the street from an all-night disco. The music shut off at about 3am, and I slept for three hours.

The cabbie from the previous night picked me up at 6:15am. The route I had chosen for the climb began in Prionia, and as the cab wound through the woods, I imagined it as a quaint alpine hamlet. It turned out to be little more than a parking lot and a large wooden shack. No matter, the air was cold and the scenery did not disappoint-lush forest with boulders and a running stream.

The climb from Prionia starts at 1,100 meters and winds up a well-maintained trail through a pine and spruce forest. I started hiking at 7am. Mock cherry trees dangled their fruit from either side over the first section of the trail. I planned to eat some on the way back down. I noticed very little in the way of animal tracks. I came to learn later that all mammals had been killed off for food during the first half of the 20th century.

Smoking hikers

One thing I did notice was an abundance of cigarette butts. In a place as beautiful as Olympus National Park, how could people litter? Besides that, how could one smoke during a strenuous hike? I decided that on the descent I would pick up every single butt as well as all the other pieces of litter that I saw.

On my way to the first real rest stop on the trail, Refuge A, I paused at an alpine meadow full of pink lupine. In the distance I could see the six main peaks of Mount Olympus-Toumba (2785 meters), Llias (2787 meters), Skala (2866 meters), Skolio (2904 meters), Stefani (2909 meters), and Mytikas (2919 meters). All the peaks with the exception of Mytikas are easily accessible. The climb of Mytikas, the needle, is a Class 3 with extreme exposure. I knew that if the incoming clouds permitted I would climb Mytikas, but very carefully.

I continued hiking and made my way into Refuge A (2100 meters) just in time for lunch. Refuge A was a very nicely maintained hut in the tradition of the huts in the French Alps. I spent a half hour there talking with other hikers and looking around.

It took me another two hours to reach the summit ridge. The Mount Olympus massif is within 14 miles of the Aegean Sea, and as I ascended the ridge the clouds and mist from the water started rolling in thick. I was happy to be carrying a fleece pullover because it got cold very fast. I reached the fourth highest summit on Olympus, Skala (2866 meters), at about 2:30pm. I was curious about the trail to Mytikas, and I searched around the edge of the cliff until I saw it.

Know your limits

The trail led straight down the side of the cliff and disappeared into the swirling clouds. There was zero visibility. I glanced at the beginning of the trail and noticed a bolt anchor imbedded in the rock. I imagined an emergency rescue team rappelling off the anchor to recover the bodies of fallen hikers from 'the cauldron' over 1,000 vertical feet below. An ascent of Mytikas would have to wait for a clear day during my next visit to Greece. I opted out of continuing on to any of the other higher peaks along the summit ridge, and I turned around and headed down.

On the three-and-a-half-hour descent I picked up cigarette butt after cigarette butt, and by the time I reached the mock cherry trees I had hundreds. I ate some mock cherries and strolled into the parking lot. I found a ride back into Katarini and took the 6:30 train out of town.

Photo by Troy Spiropoulos The author pauses in an alpine meadow, summit ridge in the background.

I had climbed Olympus in a day. I didn't see any ancient gods, but I had tested my stamina against the mountain, made some new acquaintances, been prudent in acknowledging my limits, cleaned up the trail, and spent a day in the clean air of one of the world's most beautiful national parks.