Mules, Mountains and Razorbacks! Days 13 & 14 in Greece #HogsAbroad

The whole crew before starting up!

--Morgan

I am not sure whether we were excited or apprehensive about our excursion to hike Mount Olympus.

We got to our bus Saturday morning, where we also met our guides for the two-day hike. All of us from the U of A decided very quickly they were very chatty and enthusiastic people.

It was Maggie Jo's 24th birthday! We celebrated on the bus with all sorts of cakes and sweets from a confectionery down the road. It was a perfect breakfast for our trek up the mountain!

It was about a two-hour drive to where our drive dropped us off at the bottom of the trail. Karlee had been fighting a cold/allergies the past several days, and once we got there she decided the best thing was for her to go back to AFS. I think she made the right choice after hiking for about twenty minutes...

As we ascended the mountain, we took many breaks to catch our breath. I did not mind, and I don't think anyone else did either.

Interesting fact, the only way the refuge receives supplies is through mules packing it up the mountain. We were warned before ever departing for the hike to beware of the mules because they would not stop for people and could knock you over the edge of the mountain. I think we crossed paths with the mules three or four times, none of which were as horrible experiences as we were led to believe.

The mules (usually with a person leading the way, though sometimes the mules were on their own) carried supplies such as drinks, food, necessities up the mountain, but they also carried some trash down too. There is a helicopter pad near the refuge where we stayed, but it is only used for emergencies.

We could hear the mules coming from the bells around their necks. We had to get as far off of the path as possible because they did not go around us. Some of the mules looked more like horses...

We made it up to the refuge in approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes. We were all red-faced, sweaty, exhausted and ready for a cold drink and snacks. We had to wait until our entire group made it to the refuge, which was about an hour wait, before we could have access to our room.

When we reached the refuge!

We all had sweaty backs from our backpacks!

Once we were finally allowed into our room, I think we were all taken a little by surprise. We were met with bunk beds. But not just a room filled with bunk beds, the bunk beds were pushed together into one huge bed on top and bottom! We decided the girls from the U of A on the top bunks, and the rest could find their own space. Our whole crew stayed in the same room.

The weirdest part was the room joined to ours. There were more people staying in this conjoined room, but the only way they could access their room is by going through ours. So that was interesting...

The girls getting settled into their bunks and trying to stay warm.

The next morning, some of our group decided to venture to the top, while the rest of us waited at the refuge. Dr. Edgar, Jerry, and Kyre went on, while Maggie Jo, Morgan, Kylee, and Emily waited at the refuge with Pantelis from AFS.

Dr. Edgar and Jerry made it all the way to the summit!

Dr. Edgar with our guide, Costas

Once they returned, we waited about an hour for them to have lunch before continuing down the mountain! I personally could not believe I had made it all the way up in one day once we made it down! I think we were all ecstatic to see the trees give way to asphalt and only a short wait for our bus!

Final results:

Day 1

• about 5 miles
• 14,500 steps
• 300 flights of stairs
• 3,000 calories burned

Day 2 (for those who went to the summit)

• 28,722 steps
• 12.9 miles, and
• 171 flights of stairs up
• 4,069 calories burned
• 1,800 meters climbed in the past two days

We then went and had gyros and dessert in town to celebrate our feat! The warm shower to wash off two days worth of sweat and grime was probably the best shower I had ever taken.

Our morning view from the refuge.

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Read more from these students at http://bumpersingreece.weebly.com/

Find our more about the U of A Faculty-Led: Food, Agriculture and Sustainability in Greece program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/aggreece