I just got back from our two-day hike of Mt. Olympus! It was really fun and incredibly exhausting. My legs are so rock-hard right now; I’ve stretched them out as much as I can, so they’re not too bad, but one of my knees is bothering me a little from the descent. It was so worth it though, to be able so say that I’ve climbed the mountain of the gods!
The mountain had definite stages; they told us to bring warm clothes but pack light, since we had to carry everything up ourselves to the lodge. I wore my yoga pants and was really hot during the first stage. It actually reminded me a lot of Weston—it wasn’t too steep and was just really nice wooded paths and boulders, etc, and except for the occasional patches of donkey poop I might have been in Weston. It wasn’t too steep there and we were going painfully slow to keep the group together—I thought if it was going to be like that the whole way up I would go crazy.
(I know I wasn’t super prepared just because I don’t really have mountaineering equipment, but some people had no idea what they were getting into. Some girls dressed like they were going on a little walk, trying to look cute, without tennis shoes or high socks. Before we even got out of stage one they were complaining about blisters, and it was a little annoying—we’re hiking up a mountain. If you’re not prepared for what that entails you shouldn’t have come!)
Luckily, after a little bit we were able to splinter into smaller groups since we had enough guides so those who wanted to go faster could go and those that wanted to take their time could slow down. I, of course, was in the former group. I know I pushed myself a little hard, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I couldn’t, personality-wise. I was literally the third one to the lodge, and our guide said we were one of the fastest groups he’s ever taken up.
Gradually the terrain got a little steeper, the trees changed to pine and scrub. It was definitely a challenge. It also got colder the higher we climbed—whenever we took a break we put on our sweatshirts to keep from getting sick but climbed in tank tops and t-shirts. It was disgusting; the back of mine was completely soaked through with sweat to the point it was a different color than the front.
The most surreal part was when we got to the point where there was snow on the ground—I was in a tank top, sweating intensely, throwing snowballs in Greece in the middle of May. What?
It was colder up at the lodge; there was snow all around. We couldn’t really shower since there was no hot water, we could just change into less-sweaty clothes. I was disgusting all weekend, but so was everyone else, so it was fine. The food was overpriced, but what else are you going to do, go somewhere else? There really wasn’t much to do at the actual lodge but warm up, drink some hot chocolate or crappy wine, talk with friends. Sleeping arrangements were two huge rooms with rows of bunk beds pushed together. There was no heating, only what seemed to be an unlimited supply of horse blankets and cuddling with friends..needless to say it wasn’t very restful sleep after an exhausting day. Lights went out at 10:00 and don’t come on under any circumstances until morning, so my mid-night bathroom break was a challenge. If I hadn’t gone with someone who saw it during the day, I would never have found it, considering you had to go outside. It was not fun trying to feel around for the toilet bowl in the pitch black…
We got up early the next morning to hike up higher. Those who were too tired stayed at the lodge and the rest of up climbed. It was probably the most difficult climbing, because we were literally scaling rocks and snow. We couldn’t go up as far as in past years (when they’ve gotten all the way to the top) because it’s been especially cold and snowy this year and without real mountain boots and poles you could get seriously hurt. We still went pretty far. The view was breathtaking, when you could stop a moment and look around, otherwise, you just concentrated on where you were putting your feet. Going down was even worse—very slippery and nearly impossible for those without real shoes on. It was good being in the front though; we got to see a wild mountain goat before everyone scared it away!
We got back to the lodge and by 1130 were making out way back down the mountain. Once we got out of the snowy area it wasn’t difficult at all, just hard on the knees and ankles. We played all sorts of trail games and bonded. I pretty much flew down that mountain, especially at the end. Once we got the Westony-bit everyone was pretty much going at their own pace and I was by myself. I think that was my favorite part, because it was easy and gorgeous, so I could enjoy it. It either sloped down very little so didn’t hurt my knee or was flat/slightly uphill, but that’s my favorite kind of terrain to hike; and the trees were so green and it was quiet, I could hear birds and the wind…it was really nice!
We had lunch (again overpriced) at a taverna at the foot of the mountain, then the bus picked us up and I conked out for the ride. I’m home, did laundry, ate food. I’m actually feeling really great about myself—my legs and butt are going to look ridiculously good after this weekend! Plus, I just had so much fun with all the people that went; it was a really great group. The gain is completely worth the pain of the trek!
I have a bunch of pictures again, so I’ve uploaded them to Flickr. The last six photo credits go to my friend Boosa—he was constantly scrambling up the mountain ahead of everyone in order to take pictures, and they’re all amazing! I had to share a couple with you, even if I had to pull them off facebook so the quality isn’t that great. Check out the pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelgoesgreek/sets/72157626728000644/
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