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Mountains of Northern Greece (Page
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I last updated this page March 5, 2010. Photographs Copyright 2001 by
Tom
Dempsey.
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Image on Right: Tom and Carol Dempsey on a knob above Dragon Lake on the Timfi Massif, in the Pindos Mountains. Gamila Peak (8190 feet) is far left, and on far right is Ploskos Peak (7872 feet).
Below is the Kalogeriko triple-arch stone bridge, at least 300
years
old, near Kipi, Zagoria:


The small region of Zagoria lies in Northern Greece, north
of
Ioannina (near the border with the country of Albania), and is
comprised
of 44 villages which are collectively known as Zagorahoria.
Historically
the inaccessibility of this mountainous region has helped the local
culture
and economy flourish. Great varieties of wildflowers cover the
spectacular
mountains. Huge expanses of purple crocus flowers on the Timfi Massif
exhilarated
me in May 2001. People of every skill level can walk the wild trails,
scramble
or climb rocks in the rugged Northern Pindos Mountains. Limestone rock
towers rise impressively thousands of feet above the traditional slate
houses of Vikos and Micro Papingo. I loved the spectacular Vikos
Gorge
in Zagoria (the world's deepest canyon in proportion to its width),
which
was much more enjoyable than the over-crowded Samaria
Gorge on Crete. (In May 2001, we only encountered two hiking
parties
in the Vikos Gorge, but hundreds in Crete's Samaria Gorge.)
Tourism is fairly new and visitors few enough
here that the towns feel special and less-commercial than the more
well-known
destinations in Greece. The Greek Orthodox Church orders society here,
and crime is low. Few locals speak English here, and I recommend
learning
the Greek alphabet and some basic phrases. Public buses and tours
easily
reach the area from the local capital of Ioannina.
Seasons & Climate: Best to visit
in May-June
and September-October. May was a great time to go, with
beautiful flowers in the mountains. May-June are temperate, with
sporadic
thunderstorms.
July-August are scorching hot. September is temperate. October is
damp.
November-April are snow-covered.
See further below for our sample 10-day Zagoria itinerary
(with 5-day extension to see Meteora &
climb Mount Olympus).
If you like my web site, please support my photography: Buy my images here; or buy books or consumer products from Amazon.com using
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I recommend carrying the excellent Lonely Planet guidebooks on the trip: 1) Greece by Paul Hellander, 2) Greek Islands, 3) Greek language phrasebook. If you will be hiking on the mainland, try The Mountains of Greece: A Walker's Guide (Cicerone Guide)
by Tim Salmon. The DK Eyewitness and similar Insight Guide series
are both excellent for dreaming, planning and leaving at home as glossy
souvenirs. I enjoyed the historical fiction and romance Voice of
the Goddess, by Judith Hand, 2001, which enlivens the Minoan era (or "Keftian" era, since the
Egyptians
of 1500 BCE called Crete "Keftiu") based upon archeological evidence and the author's imagination. (She also wrote The Amazon and the Warrior, a novel of Troy.)
Right: Vikos Gorge is the world's deepest canyon in proportion to its
width (see further details in box below).
In this photo we hiked the ancient cobbled track (or kalderimi) out of
the Vikos Gorge beneath the orange and gray limestone tower of Timfi
Massif
near Vikos village, Vikos-Aoos National Park, Zagoria, Greece. Image
published
in Wilderness Travel 2005 Catalog of
Adventures. |
Below: The Vikos Gorge defines the southwest edge of the Timfi Massif and
offers spectacular hiking on Greek National Trail #03 on ledges through
deciduous forest (maple, beech, fig, oak) beneath cliffs rising more
than
3000 feet above the river. Vikos-Aoos National Park, Zagoria.


Above: We ascend an old arched stone bridge near Kipi, Zagoria, in northern Greece.

Above: Vikos Gorge seen from slate-roofed Agias Paraskevis Monastery, Greece
Left: Mount Astraka, seen through a grape arbor, rises impressively
above Micro Papingo village. The influx of tourists can have a big
impact
on small villages. If you visit here, please respect the privacy of
local
residents and homes, and do not enter any private yards without
permission.
Below: A plane tree traditionally grows in the town squares
of Zagoria, such as this one in Micro Papingo.

Left: Watercolor artist Cecile paints a plane tree in the town square
of Micro Papingo.
Below: We walk up a country road beneath the impressive Timfi Massif, below
Micro Papingo village, in the Northern Pindos Mountains.


Above: We stayed overnight in this pension in Vikos village (or Vitsiko),
beneath the Timfi Massif.

Left: On the forest floor of Vikos Gorge we encountered these
interesting yellow-green flowering plants with disk-shaped leaves. In
May,
Greece offers a spectacular variety of wildflowers. Vikos-Aoos National
Park, Zagoria.
Below: Slate slot canyon
stream, Micro Papingo, Zagoria.



Above: Hiking alpine meadows towards Mount Astraka
(7990 feet) a few kilometers from Astraka Refuge on the col to the
right, on the Timfi Massif.


Our mountain guide Mike Vasileiou was born in Ioannina from
a mother who was a Vlach, a shepherd ethnic group, traditionally
semi-nomadic, grazing flocks in summer mountains and returning to
valleys in autumn. Working with Robinson
Expeditions, of Ioannina, Greece, Mike likes to shepherd hikers
like us to the high mountains of Greece and Italy. When our group would
pester him for details of the next
day's hiking
plan, Mike would knowingly say, "After
dinner,
all will be revealed!" (Years later I still quote this phrase from
Mike!)
We soon learned that if the next day was going to be long and hard,
Mike
would enthusiastically say, "We are going to have another glorious
day!"
Then, at every dinner his sincere toast would always be, "Here's to
the next day!" After we had safely traversed the rigorous Tsouka
Rossa
Pass, and also Mount Smolikas (second highest mountain in Greece), he
assured us that "Mount Smolikas is the cake, and Olympus
is
the cherry." We had successfully hiked our hardest.
Traversing Mount Smolikas is an adventurous scramble in one of the
wildest remaining parts of Europe, but Mount
Olympus
(further below) is a more accessible and easier ascent done by
thousands
of rock scramblers every year. However, Mike warned that these
mountains
can seriously challenge anyone when the weather gets bad. He has
personally
saved the lives of several hikers on Mount Olympus and other peaks.





Below: In May 2001, we hiked in spectacular fields of crocus
flowers on the Timfi
Massif,
Zagoria.
Left: May crocus flowers on the Timfi
Massif,
Zagoria.
Below right: Narcissus (also called daffodil or jonquil)
wildflowers, on the Timfi
Massif,
Vikos-Aoos National Park, Zagoria.

Below: Our little group of alpine hikers admire vast fields of
crocus
wildflowers on the Timfi Massif in May, the most wild crocus flowers I
have ever seen at once!

Right: The Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni boettgeri) is commonly seen in the Northern Pindos Mountains.
Itinerary for Zagoria, Meteora & Mount Olympus:
Right image: Vast
fields of crocus wildflowers on the Timfi Massif in May.


Mt. Olympus (9,568 feet, or 2918 meters elevation), the highest
and most awe-inspiring mountain in Greece (since ancient times), viewed
from the town of Litohoro. The ancient Greeks considered Mount Olympus
to be the home of the god Zeus.
Mount Olympus was declared the first national park of Greece in 1937, located 100 kilometres south west of Thessaloniki. Mount Olympus
consists of eight peaks including the "Throne of Zeus" (2909 metres)
and Mytikas (2919 metres, the highest summit). Hiking season runs June through October.
The hut will be most crowded in July and August, when advance
reservations are most necessary. May through mid-June have the best
climate, not overly hot. Visit the EOS (Greek Alpine Club) office in Litohoro for
details of
trails, mountain refuge reservations and advice about weather
conditions.
Left: We hiked in fog near the summit of Mount Olympus. In May 2001, Carol and I
attempted
to reach one of two summits (Mytikas, or the easier Skolio) with our
excellent
climbing
guide Michalis (Mike) Vasileiou from
Robinson
Expeditions (this link goes to their page),
but
he wisely stopped our group due to slippery fresh snowfall and fog 300
feet short of the top. We returned to our hotel in Litohoro.
Unfortunately,
we missed the following day's perfect weather. Zeus had played a little
trick on us! Mytikas, the
highest
of several summits on Mount Olympus, was never climbed until 1913 by a
native of Litohoro and two Swiss climbers.
Left: Roman Bath mosaic built 200 AD at Ancient Dion, located at
the foot of Mount Olympus.
Below: Steam under these floor supports heated the Roman Baths
at Ancient Dion, a sacred city of Macedonians and Alexander the Great.

Below: Ancient Dion was the sacred city of the Macedonians, who
worshipped the Olympian gods. A tremendous chorus of croaking frogs
greets
you here at the Sanctuary to Egyptian goddess Isis, who was also
worshipped.
Starting with a sacrifice to the gods at Dion in 334 BCE, Alexander the
Great from Macedon launched his conquest of the Persians and the entire
Middle East from Greece to India, spreading Greek culture far and wide.

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Copyright 2001 by Tom
Dempsey. Photographs or text may not be copied without permission.
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