21st September 2015
The day after Mount Olympus, I caught the bus from Litochoro to Thessaloniki, then another bus to Ioannina, and then a late evening bus that chucked me out at the desolate town of Kalpaki. It was getting dark, and there was nowhere to stay, so I hiked up a small hill to an imposing war memorial, which commemorates a major victory for the Greeks over the Italians in November 1940. The Italians had already invaded Albania in April 1939, and thought they could simply march into Greece, but got more than they bargained for. The outnumbered Greek army drove the Italians back into Albania in what constituted the first major land victory for the Allies.
Anyhow, I thought at least up here by this massive threatening statue, no dogs or people would bother me.
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| War memorial |
What I hadn't bargained for was what the weather was about to throw at me.
I got the tent up, but couldn't sleep for the high humidity, and rumbling thunder across on the Albanian hills. Then with very little warning all hell broke loose. The wind was slamming my tent with gusts so violently I had to cling onto the tent from the inside. Thunder was crashing on all sides. Lightning was filling the sky. The heavens opened. Suddenly I was at the centre of a vortex of cataclysmic rain, wind, thunder and lightning all going off at once. My natural instinct was to pack the tent down and run for cover, but there was no cover to run to, and I would be soaked to the skin if I left the tent.
So there was nothing to do, other than to lie there, clinging onto the tent, feeling completely at the mercy of the elements as the storm raged all around me.
Time has no meaning in these situations. It is just a question waiting it out, and hoping to get through the next few minutes. Eventually the storm must have worn itself out, as I found myself dozing off.
As soon as it was half-light, I was ready to leave and start my 5-day hike to Albania.
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| The following morning, and pleased to have survived the night |
My route to reach the Vikos Gorge was a bit of a cross-country thrash.
It started with hiking up a grim road in low light, patrolled by snarling farm dogs. I clutched handfuls of rocks ready to take action if needed. But the ferocious barking dogs always turned away resigned disinterest once you got closer.
After 2 hours I reached the small semi-abandoned village of Elafotopos. I was lucky to find a guy who could fill my water bottle. There were no shops.
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| Deserted village of Elafotopos |
I then crossed some high ground before a steep descent to Vikos where I stopped for some lunch, before dropping down into the famous Vikos Gorge where for 14km there's no escape due to the 900m walls on either side.
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| About to enter the Vikos Gorge |
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| The Vikos Gorge - no escape for 14km |
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| Trail at the bottom of the gorge |
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| 900m high side walls of Vikos Gorge |
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| Woodland flowers |
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| Arriving at Kapesovo |
I stopped at Kapesovo briefly, just for a bottle of Coke, before continuing up some steep stone steps to the next semi-deserted village of Vradeto which I reached just as the rain came on.
I spent the evening at the
Hotel in Vradeto chatting with an Israeli couple over a few beers.
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| Hotel at Vradeto (Balkoni Zagoriou Guesthouse) |
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