I’ve always looked up to Smolikas with awe. The steep slope of his pyramid seemed to my eyes like an endless calvary. Which, each time, forced me to invent various pretexts and constantly postpone a confrontation with him.

So that’s how things were with Smolikas, until the days of Panagia, when we found ourselves in Armata. Although its peak was invisible from the village, we felt that we were in the magnetic field, in the sphere of influence of the great mountain. And our conversations with the locals were not few, revolving around Smolikas, Drakolimni, its paths, the merciless ascent of its peak. All these conversations aroused Athena’s interest and her desire to climb up to Drakolimni and see again – after Drakolimni of Tymfi – its amphibious inhabitants, the cute little tritons. Since the right climate had been created, the last reservations were put aside and we decided, on the second day of Panagia, to take the ascents to the towering mountain.

But what do we know about Smolikas? According to Nikos Nezis (1), Smolikas is a large mountain complex in the northern part of the prefecture of Ioannina and on the western side of the prefectures of Kastoria and Grevena. It is part of the northern Pindos mountain range. It is included in the Natura 2000 network of protected areas and has been designated as an important area for birds. Its rocks are mainly ophiolite and flint.

Below, Nezis, with his well-known attention to detail and accuracy, lists in alphabetical order all the main peaks of the complex, with their old local and newer names. Surprisingly, we find that above 2,000 meters, 14 peaks are listed, while at altitudes from 1,000 to 2,000 meters, a total of 48 peaks are recorded! For the highest peak of Smolikas, it also mentions the old names: Smoligas or Smolingas , as well as the old mountaineering name of Geros. The altitude of the peak is lowered by 6 meters, since the previously known altitude of 2,637 meters has been calculated with the new measurements at 2,631 meters. In addition to the well-known ‘Drakolimni Lake of Smolikas’, located at 2,160 metres to the west of the highest peak, there is another lake at an altitude of 2,170 metres. It is the lake of Mosia, east of the homonymous peak, which at an altitude of 2,600 metres is the second highest on the mountain.

Of great interest are the various accesses, the many different routes to the top. Looking at the detailed mountaineering map of the Anavasi (2), we can point out at least 7 marked paths to the main and the neighbouring high peaks. For mountain hiking enthusiasts, the Smolikas complex seems to be one of the most ideal fields of long trails in the alpine highlands of the Greek mountains.

ON THE WAY TO DRAKOLIMNI

Early in the morning of August 16 we start from Armata towards Pades. At the western exit of Pades we find the markings and the starting point of the forest road heading north towards the Smolikas highlands (3). The dominant species in the forest is the black pine (Pinus nigra), with its characteristic straight trunks. Some trees stand out among the others with their impressive height, the complexity of the branches and the colossal dimensions of the trunks.

However, the black pine is not the undisputed leader of this forest route. Its rival is another very special tree. It is the white-skinned pine, the famous “Robolo” (Pinus heldreichii). It is the tree that, from the high altitudes of its habitat, gazes with arrogance at every other tree that grows on a Greek mountain.(4)

It is not long before we notice the presence of the robins as soon as the altitude exceeds 1,400 metres. The dominance of black beetles is gradually reduced until they disappear completely. It is a nice route, with well-maintained roads that do not cause any particular problems.

Eight and a half kilometres after our departure from Pades, and while we are at an altitude of 1700 metres, the dirt road becomes rutted. Very quickly we discover the reason. It is two pipes, one iron and one rubber, which protrude from the wooded slope and channel a rich flow of water onto the road. An ethereal, icy water that fills us with pleasure. This is the “Fountain of Economou”, a valuable companion to the mountain traveller. We think how privileged we are in Greece, to encounter in our beautiful nature, even in summer, waters of such purity and purity.

But it is not only the Fountain of Economou. Next to it flows a stream, among stones and greenery, free and independent, outside the pipes of men. It is the natural spring with which Smolikas quenches the traveler’s thirst. Already, however, the forest road is nearing its end. Ten kilometres after Pades, it ends in front of a stable. Before the stable there is a marker on the trunk of a young rhododendron. A sign informs us about the times required: 1 hour to Drakolimni and 2.15 to the top.

–Are we maybe a bit optimistic with the time?, observes Anna

-I don’t know, we’ll find out later.

08:40 We start in a W-NW direction from an altitude of 1,900 meters

-Starting from such a high altitude, our course will be a piece of cake, I tell Athena.

The path is very friendly and well-formed. After the initial uphill, it gets easy, always between robola, large and small. Now and then, in the openings of the trees, the grim Pyramid of Smolikas is revealed. Just to remind us that not all of the route is so simple.

09:05′: 25 minutes after our departure we reach the “Mougourida” neck, at an altitude of 2,050 meters. It is a nodal point of the route, since it meets the trail, which on the left (S-SW) comes from the Smolikas Shelter (5), while on the right (N) it continues towards Drakolimni. On the fully exposed neck the weather has changed dramatically: the sun is not shining as before, it comes in and out between ashy, heavy clouds. The breeze, which used to cool us pleasantly in the sheltered forest, has evolved into a chilling NE wind, coming down in cold gusts from the top.

Our uphill route, however, which is made even more difficult by the north wind, offers us some images of rare excitement. These are the most magnificent, the most spectacular rhomboids of the route so far, at an altitude of almost 2,100 metres. They’re huge trees, at least a thousand years old. Some have a trunk girth of more than 5 metres.

09:25′ Robbola and uphill finish. A new landscape, completely unexpected and unseen -until now- is spreading out in front of us. It is an alpine meadowland, very large, sweet, smooth and almost flat. The ground is covered with colourful wild flowers and thick fresh grass. For sheep there could not be a more ideal pasture. In confirmation of our thought, distant, sweet-sounding bells can be heard. In a few minutes we are facing a large flock of sheep with the shepherd, ascending the plateau from the depths of the ravine. The narrow grassy and smooth trail gives us the most relaxing, idyllic part of our route today. We could walk like this for hours.

09:40′ In exactly one hour we are a few tens of metres above the wrinkled – due to the wind – surface of the lake. Which, as soon as the gusts of wind die down, quickly calms down.

The Drakolimni of Smolikas is very beautiful and clearly smaller than that of Tymfi (6). Its banks are a few tens of centimetres high and overgrown with dense, healthy grass. We sit in the soft grass, two metres from the water. It is impossible to wish for a sweeter spot of relaxation before the ascent to the great summit. Gazing at it rising in the east, amidst menacing clouds dark, inaccessible, hostile.

As last month in the Drakolimni of Tymfi, so now here in the Drakolimni of Smolikas, Alpine Tritons abound. In the shallow, clear waters of the acrolimnia many dozens remain motionless in the monsoon waters or move swiftly with the maneuvers of their lithe bodies and long tail tails. This time we are able to make a more detailed and realistic photograph of them. Anna even claims that these have a longer tail than their Tymfian counterparts.

ON THE SECOND HIGHEST GREEK PEAK

10:10′ We could sit on the bank and daydream hours. The pyramid, however, is always in front of us, a real challenge to our physical and mental endurance. We gaze for the last time at the imperceptible trace of the trail, climbing up the slope with a wild slope. We abandon the nirvana of the lake and emerge onto the trail. As we face the pond in plan view, its peculiar heart-like shape is outlined from a particular angle. We descend for a while and in 10 minutes we reach a small ridge at the base of the hill, at an altitude of 2,130 metres. Here we are greeted by a lonely old rosebush, dried up by years. With its iconic shape it is the ultimate photographic model, while its peeled trunk is solid and harder than stone.

Unconsciously we turn our eyes to the heights of the peak. I notice Athena’s gaze, full of awe, almost terror.

-Do we have to go up there?

I shake my head affirmatively

-It is not as terrible as it seems. It’s just that, at this point, we feel the pyramid coming towards us.

-After all, Anna adds, we only have 500 metres of altitude difference left. Together we have made many, much longer climbs.

10:25′ Deep breaths and the uphill starts. Slope very steep, path narrow, bumpy and rocky. In many places, due to soil erosion, it is strewn with treacherous pebbles. Which are bound to be much more slippery on the descent.

11:00 After 35 minutes of continuous climbing of the most difficult -probably- part of the route, we reach the last alpine meadow before the summit. With relatively gentle slopes, this plateau is ideal for a few minutes’ stop at an altitude of 2,400 metres. At these windswept heights, a few dozen hardy rododendra, the boldest and most resilient of the mountain, manage to survive – as they do on Mount Olympus.

Up here, however, we are not alone. Our hearing is delighted by the sweet sounds of many little bells. They come from a large herd of giant sheep, scattered over the slopes, gentle for the sheep, steep for the goats. But the sounds they make are not all peaceful and friendly. Interspersed among them are the grunting of dogs. They are the traditional and necessary guardians of the flock. In fact, as there is no shepherd anywhere to be seen, the guarding of the flock and the overall management of the area has been left exclusively to the dogs. It is true that this is not a desirable situation. And of course, none of us feel particularly happy.

–And now, what are we going to do, dad?, asks Athena. The herd and the dogs are coming towards us.

-We’ll do the same thing, we’ll go after them. But slowly and calmly, as if we were taking a walk. We avoid sudden movements, we don’t look the dogs in the eyes and, of course, we hold our metal batons tightly in our hands.

-What if they rush in?

-They won’t rush, there are three of us. If it were only one of us – and without composure – there’s no telling how the dogs would react. That’s why – and for many other reasons – no one should go out alone in the mountains.

The moment of crisis, however, is approaching. 200 metres to our left, in the main body of the flock, three or four dogs are barking. Ahead of us, closer still, where the trail passes, a large black and white dog watches over the smaller part of the flock. His initial barks become thinner as we get closer, becoming calmer and less loud. I have a feeling that the other dogs’ barks have also changed their initial aggressive characteristics. Or am I – out of over-optimism – wrong?

For a while there is total silence. Neither we speak nor the dogs bark. I walk first, with a slow but steady pace. The distance shortens, I can now see the dog’s features clearly. He doesn’t seem to be one of those obnoxious, ill-faced dogs that can attack sneakily and unpredictably. Instead, his movements are calm and focused mainly on removing the last of the giant sheep from our path, the path that is the only access to the top. We breathe a sigh of relief.

After the sloping pasture with the herd we start the last part that will take us to the top. Uneven, rocky and uneven trail, wind strong. The conditions are not at all favourable.

11:40′ Exactly one and a half hour from Drakolimni, we have the good fortune to be at the summit of the second highest Greek mountain. Its welcome, however, is hardly friendly. The weather, up here, enlists all its vices against us: a freezing north wind, whose gusts are at times unbearably fierce. A heavy and threatening cloud, which hides the sun behind it and drops the temperature to 15 degrees. Depending on the direction and intensity of the wind, we are met with sparse or dense raindrops.

There is, however, another adversity, even more unpleasant. It is the total haze that prevails around the perimeter and deprives us of any distant view from the top of the mountain. Thus, we can barely make out to the south-southwest the outline of the ridge of Tymfi, the wildest and most inhospitable ridge but at the same time the most spectacular one in Greece. The situation is no better to the north, where we almost suspect the trace of the peak of Gramos. We are therefore forced to limit our observations to the nearer distances, which are much less affected by the atmospheric haze.

Two such spectacular and towering peaks are in the west, the Little and Big Mosia, with respective altitudes of 2,554 and 2,600 metres. Behind the two peaks, on an unseen plateau, lies Lake Mosia, the second alpine lake of Smolikas. Which we would be happy to visit on a future mountaineering expedition.

We are desperately trying to shelter from the north wind. Impossible, it’s hitting us from all sides, the top is completely exposed. We can barely last 15 minutes. The return, as we had predicted, requires much more care. The steep slopes and the scattered gravel form a very slippery terrain. Fortunately, with the strong winds the threat of rain has finally been removed. If this ground had been wet, it would have been very dangerous.

By the time we arrive at Drakolimni, five young men are preparing to set off for the summit. They are unlucky. Penetrating through the clouds at this midday hour, the sun creates conditions of perfect deafness. Which are, of course, hardly conducive to the rugged 500-metre climb to the summit. We watch the youngsters start off at a brisk pace, skip the robola on the neck and take the uphill. And while we admire their speed and stamina, we see them suddenly stop. Not for a few breaths, but for a stop of several minutes. Which, above, is repeated again. It seems that the young hikers underestimated the uphill of the mountain.

We spend a long time sitting on the so hospitable bank of the Drakolimni. We believe, that every Greek family, who likes gentle walking and nature, should try to reach here one day.

NOTES

• THE GREEK MOUNTAINS Geographical CERTIFICATE, A’ VOLUME 2 p. 330
• Map 1:50.000 “Gramos-Smolikas-Smolikas-Voyo-Basilitsa-, Anavasi
• It is the shortest and easiest route to Drakolimni, which can be followed without any problems even by people with no particular hiking experience.
• Robolo is a rare tree of unparalleled beauty, generally found at altitudes above 1,400 metres. Low-altitude rhomboids have been found on Mount Olympus, below the summit of Skourta, at the extreme altitude of about 500. Its wood is solid and of great value. It is used in specialised applications, one of which is barrel-making, as we have found out from a craftsman in Metsovo.
• It is the alternative route starting from Palioseli. It has a longer length and passes successively from the old wooden shelter and then from the new one, on the ridge of Mugourida it meets the path from Pades and continues along a common route towards Drakolimni.
• Our good friend and collaborator George Tartaris, from the University of the Aegean, Department of Geography, was kind enough to send us the dimensions of the lake: perimeter 329 meters and area 915 square meters, almost 6 acres.