We set forth from the pension in Litochoro. Our first stop was 55 Peaks an outfitter just off the town’s center roundabout. I had questions about Olympus and wanted a difficulty gauge from a local who had some experience on the mountain. I spoke with the proprietor who gave me more information and time than I was expecting. After a route review, timeline review, and comprehensive weather report I felt much more comfortable and confident with the entire endeavor. After declining an invitation for a cup of coffee at the shoo, and having my offer declined to buy a map of Olympus due to the ease of the route. I bid farewell to 55 peaks. Strutting out of the shop, riding the fresh wave of confidence, I climbed into the waiting car with my friends and we set off. I finally was able to crack a smile. I finally felt as though the group would be successful in completing the climb.

We drove about 45 minutes up the base of Olympus to the trail head at Prionia. The trailhead was a nice base to start the hike from. There were public restrooms, a cold spring to fill the water bottles, and a pub. It was the last point to enjoy some of the comforts of civilization. One huge benefit of Prionia is it’s located 1100 M above sea level so it is a nice head start up the mountain.

The group launched off up the mountain looking like professional mountaineers in white tee shirts, tennis shoes, and gym shorts. The time was 10:24 AM. We reached the first little shelter in the trail at 11:08 AM. Looking at the group I made the executive decision to stop. I studied the large”you are here” map to orient myself and get an idea of the trail ahead when Rick sholdered me aside and started explaining to the group what the map was.
“You see. We are here.” Rick pronounced as he confidently tapped the “you are here” symbol.
“And we are headed…” Rick began tracing the route of the trail with his finger. I disengaged from the unsolicited orienteering masters class happy that everyone was having fun. I turned to the much more important task off eating a banana.

When we left the hut the determination had been made by professor Rick and the scholars that we were halfway done. By their calculations we only had another 30 minutes until we reached refugee A and the end of the first days hike. I didn’t have the heart to tell them how wrong they were. I simply stated that as the crow flies we were half way. But the trail was going to get steeper and have lots of switchbacks.

Not too long after the break we started getting some of our first good views of the mountain peaks above and the valley stretching away from us. We took many opportunities to snap photos and just generally enjoy the view. Eventually we ran into a mule caravan making its way down the mountain. A man was leading one and two others and a dog were following at various distances. We must be close I thought as everybody scattered away from the oncoming beasts. Not 20 minutes later we found ourselves walking into the refuge. The hostess, Maria, checked us in and helped us get settled. The time was 1:46 PM.

After squaring away everything we sat down at a table overlooking the climb we just made and started contemplating dinner, discussing the trip so far, and making elaborate plans for our group trip next year. We continued along with our banter for a while longer. Suddenly a Greek guy appeared with a platter of drinks, handed each of us one and invited us over to the table he and his friends were at. It turns out at some point in the day Chris had taken a photo of them and the drinks were a way to say thanks. Their names were Constantinos, Sherpa, and Rocket Man. Rocket Man and Constantinos were cousins. Rocket Man ran marathons up mountains hence the name. Constantinos was likened to the character Zorba by the other two due to some past roguery and Sherpa was a friend of both. Sherpa was in the software writing game and also spent time freelancing for Constantinos. Constantinos was currently pursuing some travel agency gig.
“You must come to Mikonos!” Constantinos told us. “Check the website it’s www.mykonos.agency“
“You don’t need the www dot.” Sherpa mumbled, head in his hands. It seemed this was a regular conversation they had.
“Right but I wanted them to know that… It’s online right?!” Constantinos riposted.
“They know.” Sherpa quipped shaking his head with Rocket Man off to one side quietly chuckling.
It turned out they were also on their annual friends trip. We sat with them and talked for a while. We though that the liquor was a traditional Greek liquor called Ouzo. They corrected us telling us it was Ouzo but better, nectar of the gods! They were also climbing to the peak of Olympus in the morning but they were going up the opposite side we were. This side was much more challenging. Eventually we wished one another a good evening and good luck on the mountain in the morning.