Mount Olympus - so close to the gods (18th stop)

Finally the time has come - the biggest hike of our trip is about to begin. However, since we don't have proper hiking backpacks with us, we ask in the village if we can borrow some. At 55 Peaks, we can rent a 45-liter backpack. By the way, you can rent all kinds of mountain equipment here. The owner Monika also explains all the beautiful hiking routes from our refuge, after making sure that we are familiar with hiking in the mountains. Monika encourages us to make the most of the short time because 'it's sooo beautiful up there'. This increases our anticipation even more, and we decide to definitely follow her advice. After a quick nourishing dinner, we return to our beautiful Airbnb room to pack. We are both super excited with anticipation, so we sleep restless at night. Our alarm clock rings at 7 o'clock so that we can arrive at Refuge A before the heat of the day. We have some porridge for breakfast and make a quick birthday call to Marianne. Then we really want to get going! The taxis are already waiting at the main square in Litochoro to take us to the starting point in Prionia (1100m altitude). The drive costs 25€ and takes us up the winding mountain road. And finally, we can start!

Although it is only 9:20 am, the sun is already shining quite hot. That's why we are glad that the path leads through the forest first. Our shared backpack is really heavy (wow, what did we pack in there?!). We take our first drinking break at the only water station on the way. We are already quite sweaty and the steepest part is still ahead of us. Luckily, we only have to carry the backpack up to Refuge A Spilios Agapitos at 2100m altitude XD. While we are still in the forest, a lone mule comes running towards us. Just to be safe, we jump to the side because it's running at quite a speed. Maybe it brought our food to the hut? The path gets steeper, but remains well-built and passable all the time. By the way, we are on the E4 hiking trail. The closer we get to the hut, the more frequently we catch a breathtaking view of the peaks of Olympus and the sea across. After 5.6 km and 920 meters of altitude gain, we arrive at our refuge for the night. We take a break and have a snack at the hut. In Spilios Agapitos, there is a water shortage as only meltwater is available. That's why the mules also bring up water bottles, as many people don't want to drink the meltwater. The hut is very large and under normal circumstances offers 110 sleeping places. There is a quiet time between 10 pm and 6 am and the lights are turned off. You can even pay with a card here and there is WiFi. Quite a modern hut!
We ask Maria, the German tenant of the hut, about the route that was recommended to us at 55 Peaks. She also asks us about our experience and describes the way to the Plateau of the Muses as follows: the trail is very narrow and not as well maintained as the E4; at some places you have to be careful because it is very steep; once you have to use your hands for about 5 meters. We decide to definitely give it a try - it should be doable for us. We empty our backpack to only carry the necessary things - much more pleasant.
After the break, it takes us a while to get back into the rhythm. We follow the E4 trail for another 5 minutes, then turn right onto the 'shortcut' to Refuge C. The path becomes narrower, but still has good footholds. At first, we don't meet anyone until more and more people come towards us. Some of them stumble quite a bit - we see what good footwear can do and are glad we have our hiking shoes. We really like the path. Below Mytikas, it becomes even more exciting. Step by step, we climb along the impressive rock face - up on the left, down on the right. The 5-meter 'climbs' are particularly fun. After a small notch, we reach the Plateau of the Muses. There are two more huts here, Posos Apostolidis and Christos Kakkalos. We have another snack on a rocky outcrop in front of Christos Kakkalos and enjoy the great view into the steep valley. Wow, the path was definitely worth it! Skala, Mytikas, and Stefani rise proudly behind us. But now we have to start making our way back in order to return at a reasonable time. We take the longer path below the peaks back to our refuge. For that, we have to climb another 100 meters and then we can walk along a ridge. The alpine terrain here is partly loose. We pass by Mytikas and suddenly come across a chamois. Even as we get closer, it is not distracted from its meal. This allows us to take some great pictures. Our enthusiasm does not diminish. Monika was so right, we made perfect use of the day! Our afternoon hike added another 7.3 km and almost 700 meters of altitude gain. As a result, we are quite hungry when we return to the hut. We treat ourselves to a large portion of spaghetti with tomato sauce and a self-mixed shandy. We deserve it! During dinner, we have a very nice conversation with a Scottish couple who plan to climb Mytikas the next day. In our bunk bed dormitory, we also meet two students from Innsbruck whom we get along with very well. Because we want to see the sunrise over the sea, we set the alarm for 5:45 am. Another guest in our dormitory apologizes for having to get up at 6 am tomorrow - that's nice, but doesn't everyone do that?! XD.

We are right on time for the sunrise and stand on the terrace, looking down into the valley. It's a bit hazy, but the sunrise is still beautiful. Although we are the first ones to get up, we only start after at least half of the people have already left. But we still had to drink some Olympus tea and eat a piece of Tsoureki. Alina and Stefan from Innsbruck offer to drive us back to the valley by car from Prionia. However, they start much earlier than we do - hm, that probably won't work anymore... or will it? We are completely surprised when we meet them again after 220 meters of altitude gain. They are taking a break at a stone bench located at the fork in the path between Skala-Skolio-Mytikas and Refuge C-Seo. From there, you have a beautiful view of the valley and the sea. The E4 mountain trail leads us back through alpine terrain and partly loose ground to the first peak, Skala (2866m). The view of Mytikas is more than impressive. We see some people hanging on the wall and struggling (which unfortunately doesn't come across in the pictures). Some people are already returning, including the Scottish couple. Some seem to have underestimated the trail and a helmet would certainly be advantageous. We feel sorry for the disappointed returnees. We had already agreed to go to the peaks Skala and Skolio. So we descend a few meters again to climb to the second highest peak, Skolio (2911m). From here, you have a great view of the peak chain Stefani-Mytikas-Skala. The surrounding mountain landscape is very extensive and covered in a velvety green. We are the first ones to sign the summit register today. After us, two Belgians arrive, whom we have encountered several times on the way up. They like the idea of the summit register and write their entry right below ours.
The Skolio peak is gradually getting crowded as well, and we start the way back. We also want to drive down with Alina and Stefan. We are not sure how much of a head start they have, so we stop by the Skala peak again. It is quite crowded by now. For us, it's back down the slippery pebbles. It's getting quite hot up here as well. We are amazed at how many people start so late. Again, we encounter several chamois on the way, who are not bothered much by the many people. Shortly before the hut, we catch up with Alina and Stefan again - perfect, now we can have a snack together! There is a delicious bean soup and our remaining bread. Oh, that feels good! We have a great conversation with both of them, but at some point it's time to start the way back - we can continue chatting on the way down. We remember that we don't need to apply sunscreen anymore because we walk through the forest for the most part. Hm, wrong thought - the sun shines directly on us for at least half of the way. On the way back, we again encounter many people going up. Some of them are on guided tours. We start getting confused with all the greetings: we hear everything from Kalimera to Hello to Grias eich. So, occasionally, we accidentally say Servus. Seeing the sweaty and exhausted faces, we are glad that we are going down. However, the way seems longer than we remember. The most important information we gather from our conversations is that the coffee in Greece is supposed to be good - that sounds promising. So, from now on, Veronika will have more coffee.
We are very happy about the uncomplicated (and cheap) ride back to the valley. When saying goodbye, we arrange to meet at the next autumn festival in Rosenheim and promise to visit Innsbruck as well. We could leave our travel backpacks at the Airbnb and ask if there is still a free room for the night. We are lucky! Relieved, we take a shower and rest for a bit. Luckily, we get hungry. We completely forgot that we still have to return the backpack. Monika also wants to know how it went and tells us enthusiastically with stars in her eyes. But first, we want to treat ourselves in the taverna. We have grilled mushrooms (Manitaria Plevrotous), tomato-cucumber salad, stuffed peppers with rice and herbs (Gemista), and grilled eggplant with tomatoes, onions, and herbs (sorry, forgot the name). Wow, it all tastes incredibly delicious! Full and satisfied, we return to our Airbnb.

The two days on Mount Olympus are definitely among the highlights of our trip. The mountain landscape was beautiful and partly different from what we know. The combination of nature and physical activity really helped us relax. It was also nice to interact with so many friendly people.
Words can't describe it well anyway, so now let the pictures speak for themselves.