Second in rank to the PITA, but perhaps even more annoying, is the MHS (mountain hut snorer). There's a reason that our night in a mountain hut is scheduled near the end of the trip. The MHS would be lynched early on otherwise. Granted I am a light sleeper, but the noises emanating from Mrs. TMI, eminently worthy of the MHS crown on this trip, were otherworldly. Someone else in the room, unidentifiable, was supplying the harmony. Put me in a room with bunks sleeping 17 climbers, and I am pretty much guaranteed a sleepless night. What's astounding to me is that some in our group were able to sleep through. Four heavy wool blankets managed to keep me warm in that unheated room at 7200', but there was no easy solution for the snorer. Poor Lee had to leave her cozy bed to visit the cold, damp WC in the basement in the middle of the night. When she returned, I suggested that she slug the snorer. She did just that, but we enjoyed only a brief reprieve. I am used to starting a summit attempt with weary eyes.
Tom at the trailhead
Guess I didn't pay too much attention to the location of Mt. Olympus beforehand because I was surprised to find it located so close to the Aegean coast. The drive to the trailhead at Prionia from Litochoro reminded me of the drive up to Paradise on Rainier--a twisty mountain road rising through forests of pine. The trail itself was rock, stone, and scree, often covered with pine needles and interspersed with steps not designed with medium-height women in mind. Hiking poles were a necessity. We climbed very slowly with Kostas in the lead and arrived at the mountain hut around 1:00. Acres of snapped pine trees showed evidence of last winter's avalanches; we traversed many such gullies that would be treacherous at another time of year. Beautiful wildflowers, even wild strawberries, abounded.
Rest stop (Kostas in black shirt, Tom and Linda behind, Gary foreground)
After enjoying a lunch of very welcome hot soup and salad, we evaluated the weather for a summit attempt that afternoon. Word was that there was too much wind up above, so we decided we'd spend the night there and set out the next morning instead. Endless hours were spent on the rotisserie in front of the one fireplace. Warm your frontside, warm your backside. Repeat as necessary. We had discussed bringing a deck of cards along, but Greek superstition disallowed any card-playing in the hut.
posted on the wall in the hut
The next morning dawned a tad bit warmer and sunny with some scattered clouds blowing in and out from the valley below. Three in the group decided to stay at the hut rather than venturing above. Scree, scree, and more scree, accompanied by beautiful views of the surrounding snow-covered peaks. We wound our way up the mountain and around to the backside for a long climb up the ridge to the five peaks of Mt. Olympus. Our plans included climbs of Skala and Skolio. No such luck. Kostas had left the group to visit his severely ill mother, so Nikos was left to guide the 8 of us. When we reached the point where the snow-covered trail became decidedly steeper, Nikos had to make a decision. He made the decision that was right for the group; we were turning around because the descent on the snow would be too dangerous. Tom and I, had we been alone, would have continued on. But such is the nature of group climbs. Disappointing.
We retreated from about 8600' back to the mountain hut and then all the way down to the trailhead at 3600'. Lots of tired knees last night and copious amounts of food consumed at our farewell dinner. Kostas, who had rejoined our group at the trailhead after our descent, informed us that we had sampled 84 different Greek dishes during the meals on our 10-day trip--another benefit of travel with a native and not something we could have easily accomplished on our own.
Looking back upwards from the trail on the descent
Nikos drove us to the airport in Thessaloniki this morning, and now Tom and I await our flight to Santorini via Athens. Another Greek strike is occuring today; luckily the airlines are not included. It was a bit humorous to arrive at a tollbooth and see a sign announcing the strike--no tolls being collected. Hmmm. Nikos said Greece is acting like a Third World country and could stand to lose about 1.5 billion Euros in business from tourism this summer due to the footage of the strikes and riots in Athens. Unfortunate. Traveling in the countryside the mountains, and the islands, we have been unaffected.
Another wonderful Wilderness Travel trip, but I'm now looking forward to some peaceful sleep and unscheduled days.
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