Crossing the valley of Stymphalia in the dawn light, everything seems to be from another era. A narrow, coloured valley with vineyards and fields, small villages perched at the foot of the mountains, a lake, an umbilical cord of mythological imagination with today’s reality and in the distance the majestic Oligyrtos reflected in its waters.

Heroic mythology describes that: “As a sixth feat, the king of Tiryns, Eurystheus, ordered Hercules to destroy the Stymphalid Vultures, the carnivorous and man-eating birds that had multiplied in the forested borders of the lake near the city of Stymphalos“.

The mountainous lake of the Peloponnese is revealed as the sun begins to trace its winter path on the firmament. The beauty of the landscape feeds myth and imagination. On the opposite southern banks, on the forested ledges described in mythology, rises Oligyrtos (and specifically the western end of the mountain, the fir-clad Apellauron Mountain), which at times literally touches the waters of Stymphalia. It was here that the goddess Athena met Heracles, giving him the rattles to “lift” the horrible stymphalids and destroy them with his arrows. The relief of Oligyrtos is mirrored in the waters, creating the ideal setting for the demigod’s battle with the winged monsters to take place and for the divine interests to clash once again…

Oligyrtos and Stymphalia are not only connected mythologically…

They are two important habitats, two monuments of nature that have always been interdependent… The complex of mountain and lake (to whose sources it owes a large part of its water balance), together with the ruins of the ancient city on its banks, could well be described as a natural and archaeological park.

The ascent to Oligyrtos would start in the afternoon since we had decided to spend the night at the top. This would allow plenty of time for sightseeing. sightings, and archaeological searches. From the settlement of Kionia and the ruins of the Catholic monastery of Zaraka (13^th century), a dirt road of 800 meters leads to the northern shores of the lake and the ruins of the ancient city of Stymphalos.

Waterfowl nest in and around the lake, while others have the Oligyrtos and the surrounding mountains as their home. A courageous decision to abolish hunting has quickly contributed to the transformation of the lake into a rich habitat. A habitat that is home to 143 species of birds, both migratory and resident, some of which, in populations so large that you get the impression that you can touch them with a boat in the lake!

The lake is located in a karstic basin at an altitude of 620 metres. Part of its waters are lost underground and gush into the Argolida region, feeding the Erasino river and the Lerne, Kroi and Kefalari springs. It is in fact a very shallow lake surrounded by dense reed beds and its level and area fluctuate greatly (from 3,500 acres in summer to 7,500 acres in spring) due to the natural water balance of the valley and the pumping and transport of water for irrigation and other purposes. The lake, like Oligyrtos, is part of the protected areas of the Natura 2000 network.

On the northern shores of the lake, a chord of sounds of birds and frogs musically coats the idyllic images of the reeds, the snowy peaks of Oligyrtos and the ruins of the ancient city.

The Arcadian Stymphalos that reached its peak in the 4^th century BC came to light for the first time in 1930 with the excavations of the archaeologist Anastasios Orlandos.  Many years later, and under the supervision of the Canadian Institute, the archaeological excavation got back to work and in 1993 brought to light new finds, including roads, houses, defensive infrastructure, a theatre, a palace and other remains of the Late Classic and Hellenistic city.

Of particular interest is the sanctuary of Athena (or Artemis?) in the acropolis, while to the south there is the fountain Velatsouri that has never stopped gushing for 2500 years. The life of the city came to a halt in 146 BC with the onslaught of the Roman army. About 150 years later a small Roman settlement was founded on the ruins near the lake. East of the city are the foundations of the Adrian Aqueduct built by the Roman emperor in 137 BC to carry the waters of Stymphalia to the then flourishing city of Corinth, while remains of the city’s defensive wall reach as far as the hill of Agia Triada near the village of Lavka.

This village, literally nestled in the foothills of Oligyrtos, is one of the most picturesque of mountainous Corinthia and the classic starting point for climbing the mountain. Some old stone houses and the church of Agios Athanasios are preserved here; built at the beginning of the 20^th century. The snow-capped peak of Oligyrtos towers almost vertically above the village made famous by the filming of the epic Astrapogiannou in the 1970s.

The mountain range of Oligyrtos occupies a geographically central position between the plateaus of Stymphalia, Feneos and Kandila, which are the most important watersheds of the Northern Peloponnese. It is a mountain of relatively high altitudes (Skipiza 1935m, Gribini 1831m, Skiathis 1777m, Mavrovouni 1694m) and significant forests (86,000 hectares of fir forest cover the mountain).

The compact forests of the Kefalonian fir prefer the northern part of the mountain and altitudes from 900 to 1600 meters, while the southern part towards Kandila seems overgrown with scattered oaks and remnants of long vegetation and older forests.

The highest zone of the mountain includes rocky slopes, steep slopes and pastures with alpine flowers, thorny bushes, toadstools, hardwood forests and stones of the Balkan peninsula.

From the rich flora of the mountain we should mention the endemic Viola oligyrtea and the endemic species of the neighbouring Kyllini Adonis cyllenea (Adonis of Kyllini), which was considered extinct but was found in Parnias of Oligyrtos a few years ago.

The fauna of Oligyrtos (not including birds) numbers 24 species (four amphibians, fourteen reptiles and six mammals), while from the avifauna of the mountain it is worth noting the existence of different species of woodpeckers and the indications that the golden eagle still lives here.

The hiking route from the square of Lavka (700 meters) to the peak of Skipiza (1935m) takes about 4 hours. The well-written environmental education trail, sometimes touching the forest road, climbs gently uphill through the forest of Kefalonian fir. Clusters of pine trees, cypresses, prina, trichoukia and cedars enrich the ecosystem. The gully of Agia Sotiras receives the waters of two mountain springs and is one of the main feeders to Lake Stymphalia. Important springs also occur along the southern boundary of Oligyrtos towards Kandila and Skotini.

Within an hour we gain 500m of altitude difference and approach Agia Sotira (altitude 1200m), a mountain plateau with a picturesque chapel (the whole village comes up here for the 6^th  August), towering fir trees, a spring with wonderful water quality and a panoramic view of the peaks that have approached and seem to invite you to conquer them. This is also the best place for resting, recuperating and filling up your ice packs as this is the last accessible spring up to the summit.

Following the forest road for a while, we find the path on our right, which has a southern direction and slightly problematic signage.

climbs meanderingly at the beginning in an old fir forest, to be later identified with the furrow that separates the mountain, the massif of Skipiza on the left and Gribbinio on the right. The landscape slowly becomes subalpine, our footsteps sink more and more into the snow, the fir trees become thinner and shorter, while the silence of the mountain is broken only by the partridges nesting in the cedars and fluttering restlessly from the human presence. A simple cross commemorates the two slain climbers who paid with their lives for their love of mountaineering by sliding down the icy north face of Skipiza in March 1991.

After about an hour of intense climbing the path enters a flat crater (Goupato for the locals) at 1500 meters.  Here, isolated and surrounded by high snow-covered peaks, you realize as nowhere else the insignificance of human existence in front of the volume and the silent majesty of the mountain. In spring, the crater with its impressive echo (it can repeat your voice 4-5 times) is filled with wild flowers of the alpine zone (purple and yellow lilies dominate), while from May, herds of goats and sheep graze the thick grass and often spend the night on the mountain.

A few minutes of rest, strengthening the body with caloric food, crossing the wupato to the south (the top is on our left) to find the path that climbs up to the

Diaselo (1600 metres) between the peaks of Skippiza (1935 metres) and Chionotrypa (1794 metres). From here and up to the top, the view to the south, the Arcadian plateaus, the mountain range of Menalon and even the distant Taygetos will be revealed.

Anyone with an appetite for adventure (signage is almost non-existent) can seek the Snow Hole, (not the top) a dangerous cone-shaped slope that leads like a funnel to a flawless hole that retains snow until mid-summer. The snow turns into water and a winding underground network leads to a spring at Agia Sotira, 500 metres below. It is said that the Pasha of Tripoli used to send his vassals here to obtain water and ice.

With an easterly direction and a strenuous walk for 50 minutes, having an increasingly impressive view of the snow-covered mountains of the central and southern Peloponnese, we approach the summit of Skipiza (the eagle’s nest) at the border of the prefectures of Corinth, Argolida and Arcadia. The view from here high up at 1935 metres is unobstructed in every direction. In the foreground the Ziria, the Oryxis, the Helmos, the Trachy and the Lyrkeion, and in the second the  ?Dirfi of Euboea (with its characteristic Fuggiamma-like peak), Erymanthus and the majestic Taïgetes that defines the heartland of continental Europe to the south.

The ridge of Oligyrtos is soft and extensive. A large alpine meadow with imperceptible differences in altitude, close to 800 metres long and ranging from 10 to 100 metres wide, it resembles a giant saddle. Gusts of wind have carved snow frames and other frozen sculptures. And yet around the triangular pillar the wind of the previous days blew away the snow creating the most suitable conditions for overnight stays. The moon has risen and illuminates the waters of Stymphalia and the snow-covered mountains, creating a dreamy and unprecedented scene.

Although we are in the middle of winter, the night is particularly soft and the temperature at the top is only -4C. With soft underlays and sleeping bags suitable for -15C the experience of sleeping at 1935m under the moonlight will be truly unforgettable.

Dawn arrived and all the Peloponnesian mountains were painted in the colours of the east. The pyramid of Taygetos dominated the south, the giant shadow of Oligyrtos covered the west, Stymphalia was enveloped in a thick veil of clouds and mystery…

With a little imagination I can see, apart from the monstrous vultures, the lion of Nemea, the Erymanthian boar, the Centaurs of Folia, the cave of Hermes, the tomb of Aepytus, the deer of Kyrenia, the waters of Styx…

And yet this mythical place with its ancient lake and mountains of uninterrupted horizon is in danger. A “protected area” that could be called a model ecological and archaeological park is being tested by the occasional drought  and the uncontrolled opening of roads that enables people with an anti-ecological conscience to easily find their way into sensitive habitats, dramatically disturbing the ecosystem.

And the future of the lake is pessimistic (the lake was completely dried up in 1990 and 1993) as new water pumping and transport projects have started without full environmental impact studies with a visible risk of turning Stymphalia into a swamp as it was in the time of Hercules…

And so the region will only hope for the “mechanical intervention” of the patroness Athena…

CLIMB TO OLIGYRTOS

Starting altitude:  700 meters

Altitude of finish: Skipiza peak 1,935 meters

Altitude difference: 1,235 metres

Duration:  4 hours (including two 10-minute stops)

Course: Lavka – Agia Sotira (southwest) / Agia Sotira – Goupato – Diaselo Chionotrypa (south) / Diaselo Chionotrypa – Skippiza (east)

Trail: Marked to the top (red marks)

Sightseeing: Periscopic views of all the Peloponnesian mountains from the top

Difficulty: 3/5