Athanasios Diakos - Refuges

Athanasios Diakos - Refuges

Page Type Page Type: Route
Location Lat/Lon: 38.66000°N / 22.16000°E
Additional Information Route Type: Hike
Additional Information Time Required: Half a day
Additional Information Difficulty: Walk-up
Sign the Climber's Log

Approach


The trail is part of the E4 International trail up to a point. It is marked with the standard E4 sign (yellow diamond with black border on white background or yellow-black spray paint). The trailhead is in the village Athanasios Diakos (actually the trail runs all through Greece but the ascend to Vardoussia starts here). As you enter the village you will see a road starting on your left following a ravine bed (not a real road, just the ravine bed is paved) where you will see the first mark. After about 50m the pavement stops and the actual trail begins.

Route Description


The beginning of the trail is steep, loose and most of the time muddy. After about 25’ of zigzagging in the forest, you will see a concrete water tank (the village’s reservoir). An impassable dirt road (which was probably made for building the tank and then abandoned) starts here, having covered the trail. We follow this road until it meets the dirt road leading from Ath. Diakos to the refuges. Even though driving to the refuges in the winter is impossible, a 4x4 can reach at least Profitis Ilias (see below). The view of Skorda Mousounitsas is magnificent and you can also see Giona to the SE.

Walking on the road for about 500m we find another water tank (providing water to the lower one). From there we can follow the trail signs and leave the road turning left. However in the winter this place is usually flooded, so it is better to stay on the road until the next E4 sign on a U-turn. At this section, the slopes of Vouno Chomirianis are visible on your right (north) and the steep peak "Tou Gioni to plai" becomes visible on your left (SW) behind the massif of Skorda Mousounitsas.

After a small steep section, there is a plateau with a spring where we meet the road once again. On the shoulder E-NE there is the Profitis Ilias (Prophet Elias) chapel. The trail continues west and after another steep section it joins the road again (although staying on the road all the time seems tempting I wouldn’t suggest it as it follows a very longer route). After a while Alogorachi peak (2264m) becomes visible. A small shrine on the road is where the trail from Koprisies plateau meets the E4 trail (the trail from Koprisies is the usual return route after climbing the ice/mixed routes on “Tou Gioni to plai”).

Staying on the road we come up to some shepherd huts (closed an partially covered with snow in the winter) and as the slope eases up a bit the refuges become visible. Total time to the lowest refuge is about 3h30’ and about 20 more minutes are needed to reach the second one on Meterizia saddle.

Essential Gear


The route is not technical but in the winter an ice axe and crampons are necessary. You don't have to carry a lot of water, as there are lots of springs.


Parents 

Parents

Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.