It was late May when I got a phone call from my favourite mountaineering club. There was a nice long weekend trip in Central Greece, and they were looking for a volunteer to help with the travel organisation. Was I available? Sure. And that’s how I ended up walking the longest continuous stretch of kilometres I had ever done in my homeland, and meeting one of the best mountaineers in Greece.
Our headquarters and base of operations was Hotel Kroupi. The owner, Nikos Kroupis, is a wonderful person, an engineer with a knack for high altitude adventure on unexplored Himalayan peaks. He speaks with such reserve and modesty that you might easily overlook him. But when you see him hike, oh God, he is flying, especially when he is running down broken, steep slopes. The plan for the weekend was simple: walk steady, walk long.
A large percentage of the population around Trikala comes from the mountain ranges to the west, in the southern part of the Pindus mountain range. Our base was the village of Elati, a popular winter destination for skiing and a summer hideout from the dry heat of the valley. The fertile valley of Larissa and Co. consistently ranks among the hottest places in Greece.
Neraida Traverse, Pertouli to Polythea
26.89km, 1,761m elevation gain, ~10h moving time.
On day one, we aimed for a traverse of the Neraida mountain range, Neraida meaning Fairy. Mount Neraida, or Boudoura, is located in the southern Pindus, on the border between Thessaly and Epirus, near Tzoumerka and Pertouli. The route starts from the Pertouli meadows and crosses the university fir forest, climbing up to around 1,600m before moving onto the green alpine slopes and ridges of Neraida. The continuous movement along the ridge gives you views of Triggia, Loupata, Marosa and Avgo, while in front of you the Athamanika Mountains, Tzoumerka, Kakarditsa and Lakmos, rise magnificently across the horizon.
In total, we crossed four main peaks: Neraida (2,074m), Batis (1,959m), Tsouma (2,055m) and eventually Bricsiasa, also known as Bricina or Chalikovouno (2,134m), with another smaller summit along the way. From above, you can admire the foothills of Triggia, where villages such as Palaiochori, Drosochori and Neraidochori are scattered among the forests. We continued along the ridge towards Bricsiasa, with the village of Desi to our left, then gradually descended towards Myrmigki (1,822m), eventually ending our hike between thorny bushes near Polythea Aspropotamos, at around 1,100m.
27km and almost 10 hours of walking. And while walking, it felt like the up and down would never end. We crossed ridges, rocks and streams, passed endemic flowers and encountered wild horses. We saw the snow still covering Kakarditsa and a storm raging above Agrafa. We thought the storm would reach us, but the god of the sun was standing guard. When you see the clouds moving fast with the wind, fear not. When you see the sky turn gloomy and sunny like a girl with PMS, rain is going to come knocking on your door.
Gardiki to Kakarditsa
8.43km, 957m elevation gain, 4h30m moving time.
On the next day, we aimed for the highest summit in the neighbourhood: Kakarditsa, at 2,429m. Apparently, there is absolutely no linguistic relationship between the peak of Kakarditsa and the nearby city of Karditsa, just an extra Ka. There is also a debate as to whether it is a standalone mountain or part of the nearby Athamanian and Tzoumerka ranges.
We started the trail at picturesque Gardiki, where we were greeted by a pair of cheerful grandpas out for their morning stroll. They assumed we were there for the Athamanian Gorge, but spent a few more minutes with us when they realised we were armed with hiking boots, pickaxes and large backpacks.
“Where are you heading to, fellas?”
When we replied with the name of the peak, they burst out laughing. I guess we looked a bit unwell in the head to them.
The first few kilometres followed a dirt road. Long and quite uneventful, until a cart appeared, picked us up and helped us cheat a little. The trail eventually started on the right and gradually approached the summit after turning left. It was late May, but midway up the steep slope there was still deep snow, so we had to put on our crampons. Then the snow cleared and we had to scramble up a short section until we reached the ridge, where the snowy summit finally appeared.
The view from up there was magnificent. All the mountains of Central Greece were visible. It is the only time so far, on any peak in Greece, that I have felt so far away from the sea. I could not see any sign of water apart from Lake Ioannina. It felt so remote, almost like a different country. The Himalayas of the poor, perhaps.
On our way down, we met our dear cart drivers again, as they had just finished their day’s work. They had been repairing the roads after the winter storms. We rewarded ourselves with a glorious meal at the humble trout farm in the village of Athamania, at the foot of the mountain.
Elati to Mpei Cave to Pialia
11.77km, 450m elevation gain, ~4h moving time.
The last day was a nice stroll downhill through the “Forest of Silence”. It is a very remote forest that used to be contested between the villages of Pialia and Elati. Of course, we are Elati hooligans. The villagers apparently even took up arms over it.
Mpei Cave is located on a small plateau of Koziakas, at an altitude of 1,220m. The cave is a complex system of branches with underground streams. The beauty of the landscape is complemented by a pond located in front of the cave entrance, formed in 2014 by the subsidence of the soil and the accumulation of running water from the surrounding area. Near the cave there is a spring with drinking water and a kiosk with a fireplace for hikers. After a long downhill walk, one can eventually grab a late lunch in Pialia, a fittingly lazy end to a weekend that had involved a frankly unreasonable amount of walking.
You can follow the exact routes I took on AllTrails: Gardiki–Kakarditsa, the Neraida Traverse from Pertouli to Polythea, and the Elati–Mpei Cave–Pialeia walk. And don’t forget to try the fish in Athamania.
belleelene 