Iliyaas wuu ka faa’iiday

17.05.23

The self-proclaimed Spartan reached the base camp, below the summit, Profitis Ilias. He had luck in misfortune.

The night in Sparta could hardly have been more Spartan. In the middle of the city, on the uncovered ground behind a church. What a fitting irony.

However, Philippos had no time for tiredness and comfort. In the early morning hours, he set off to take a bus out of the city to the small mountain village of Anavryti. The old Mercedes was driven by Sam, who skillfully maneuvered the vehicle through the serpentine roads. I will remember Sam as an honorable, loving, and charming bus driver. Myself and I were the only passengers on this promising, sunny day. Barely had I taken the seat behind the driver's seat, we started a relaxed conversation. The young man loves his job, likes to talk about his life, and is interested in mine. When I tell him about my life as a Spartan mountain nomad, he leaves me no choice but to take a whole pack of cookies and chocolate bars from his travel bag as a gift for strength.

Before the roads led us into the mountains, we stopped in a curve where an older, mustached man in a purple sports suit was already waiting. Sam had introduced him as a wise and experienced man who had even lived in New York. He looked a bit like Albert Einstein. He also took a seat up front. The conversation was exciting, funny, and full of wisdom. Sam and Albert love their homeland and are happy when people like me travel from distant countries to "vacation" in their country. Sam even stops along the way so I can get off and take photos. What a ride, what great people.

Upon arriving in Anavryti, we said our goodbyes and I was once again really happy because of this encounter.

Continuously positive and detached, my path led through the pretty little mountain village, where up to 200 people used to live, into the forest. Today, there are only 30 left, as Einstein had previously mentioned. He even went to school in the village back then. The building has been empty for a couple of years now. Albert also showed me which houses are for sale and invited me to exchange Germany for one of the houses and lots of sunshine.

After just a few hundred meters, in the enchanting pine forest, I was once again overwhelmed by the complete beauty of nature. And although the past few days had been intense, I felt new strength and energy both physically and especially mentally. With the goal of climbing the summit and completing the trail in the following three stages, I felt truly inspired. And as I pushed myself up the mountain, everything was right in the world. On the entire path, there was no one around except me. The feeling of confidence, freedom, and connection accompanied me on the wonderful path through the dense pine forest, which gradually opened up to offer a fantastic view.

By noon, I reached the mountain hut at 1650 meters. From here, the plan was to decide spontaneously whether to climb the summit the same day or the next morning.

I was about to take a break in the sun and get rid of my wet clothes when it suddenly started hailing out of nowhere. The hail turned into rain, and it lasted until the evening. Luckily, I hadn't started the ascent to the summit yet and arrived at the hut in time. But unfortunately, the ascent of Profitis Ilias had to be postponed to the next day, and I set up my basecamp to spend a night there.

In the covered area of the hut, from where I could observe the wild activity, the rain, wind, and clouds from my sleeping bag, it was cozy and peaceful.

The tranquility was only interrupted by two rangers who were looking for someone and left me some snacks as provisions.

To my surprise, I did not spend the night up there alone because when it was already dark, a couple arrived in their van and also spent the night there. At that time, I couldn't have imagined that I would get to know them later...

...Because my alarm was set to leave at sunrise.