The refuges of Mt Olympus

Giosos Apostolidis refuge
via Gortsia

Text and photos by Triantafyllos Adamakopoulos

The ascent to Giosos Apostolidis refuge from Gortsia follows one of the most popular paths of Mt Olympus.

The starting point is Gortsia, or simply Diastavrosi ("diastavrosi" stands for the crossroad, 1100 m. elev.), an old muleteers resting place. In front of the mule pen there is a small open-air parking lot. Gortsia is 13.5 km or half an hour drive far away from Litochoro.

The path starts from the parking lot of Gortsia, following a wide path along the coniferous forest, plotted by beech stands. In general, the path has a quite gentle slope, the flow of walking is interrupted, however, by the many "steps" left behind by the erosion, but also the wear from the heavily loaded mules.

The waymarking consists mainly of red signs on trees and rocks and various other markings, often old. The signage is fairly dense up to the Petrostrouga refuge and quite consistent up to the top of Skourta.

The first resting place is Barba, a nice plateau with a large gazebo (signposts). Continue on a clear path shadowed by tall beeches up to Koka. With a few more maneuvers reach Strangos, a place where shepherds used to keep water in a concrete water tank for the animals. There is no water available in situ now.

Fifteen minutes after Strangos we reach the edge of the large karst plateau of Petrostrouga, where the Petrostrouga refuge stands out (1930 m. elev., 2h-2h30 from Gortsia).

The path to Skourta comes out of the forest and ascends steadily, with open maneuvers on bare slopes. At 1h-1h30 from Petrostrouga we reach the top of Skourta (2476 m.). From Skourta, we descend to the Lemos saddle (the Neck) along a sharp ridge. Often, there we meet the level of the fog, rising from Kokkala cliffs and the ravine of Enipeas. From the end of Lemos saddle, take a few maneuvers and reach the Step of Giossos and enters the Muses Plateau. Once a dangerous traverse, the Step has been widened year after year and can be passed safely. During the winter, however, the snow completely closes the passage and the mountaineers prefer to climb the rocky face to the left of the Step, with the help of a fixed rope. Immediately after entering the Muses Plateau, we meet the fork of the two paths, heading to the Kakalos and Apostolidis refuges. Following the right path, reach the refuge in about 20 minutes.

The Apostolidis refuge is built on the saddle between the outcrops of Profitis Ilias and Toumba, with a nice view to the Muses Plateau, the eastern face of Stefani and the Kalogeros massif.

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