An Expedition to Mount Olympus, Greece - 2 to 5 July 2020

The Cass Expeditionary Society is excited to announce a new expedition from the 2nd – 5th July 2020, to climb the mountain of the ancient gods, Mt Olympus in Greece.  There is only room for 15 people, so please sign up sooner rather than later!

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, with its highest peak “Mytikas” (meaning "nose"), rising to 2,917 metres (9,570 ft). Mount Olympus is the mythical home of the gods in Greek mythology. According to legend, the mountain was created after the Titanomachy, the epic battle between the young gods, the Olympians and the older gods, the Titans. As a result of this battle, the Olympian victors created their new majestic home – Mount Olympus. It was shrouded from human eyes by clouds which constantly obscured its peaks.

Throughout the expedition , we are paying a particular focus to concepts of leadership and followership. At the end of each day of the Expedition, we’ll debrief our experience but principally,  this is an opportunity to explore an inspiring natural environment and have a a great time with new friends.

The itinerary is as below. The fixed costs are £450 per person (please see below what is included in price). To register, you will need to make the £450 payment through the link: 

https://estore.city.ac.uk/product-catalogue/course-exam-fees/field-trips/a-journey-to-the-mountain-of-the-gods-25-july-2020

Itinerary 
Thursday, 2nd July – Arrival in Thessaloniki, Greece. Depending on what time you arrive, there might be free time for sightseeing and dinner.
Accommodation – The Met Hotel, 26is Oktovriou 48, Thessaloniki 546 27, Greece https://www.themethotel.gr/

Friday, 3rd July 
08:30. Breakfast and checkout
10:30. Bus departs to the village of Litochoro
12:00. We arrive at the village of Litochoro and take a half-hour break. We will have free time for coffee, snacks and preparation for our three days adventure at Mt. Olympus.
12:30 - 13:30. We will visit the museum for Mount Olympus, is in our way for Prionia.
14:00. We arrive at Prionia, a parking area and the last place that the car can go to on the mountain. The altitude there is 1100m, deep in the heart of the National Park. From there, we start hiking the E4 path.
Distance: 6,5 km
Duration: 3 – 4 hours
Altitude: 2100m
Difficulty: Medium

18:00. We arrive at our first accommodation on the mountain “Refuge A- Spilaios Agapitos” for the night
20:00. Dinner

Saturday, 4th July 
07:00. Breakfast
07:30. We begin our summit. We start walking from the accommodation to the peak “Skala” at 2882m altitude – our first checkpoint. When we reach “Skala” we will have the highest peak, “Mytikas”, in front of us, at 2918,4m altitude and the second highest peak, “Skolio” 2912m altitude. The way for “Mytikas” is steep and vertical, so safety precautions will be taken. The last 120 meters require scrambling to reach the top, so we will all wear helmets, harnesses and follow the instructions of the guides to climb with ropes at this terrain. For those who prefer an easier route, “Skolio” peak is a simple hike from “Skala”. Reaching the summit depends on weather conditions and the team's condition at the time (fear of heights etc). Physical condition advised: Medium – Very good.
Distance for “Skala”: 2,5 km
Duration for “Skala”: 2 hours
Difficulty: Hard

Distance for “Mytikas”: 700 meters
Duration: 1 hour
Difficulty: Hard, Scrambling, II grade climbing in some points, 

15:30. We arrive at our second accommodation, “Refuge Apostolidis Giosos” at the valley of the Muses, located at 2700m altitude.
16:00. Lunch
20:15. We can reach a near peak at the refuge, “Profitis Ilias” at 2788m altitude and see the beautiful sunset.

Sunday, 5th July
07:00. Breakfast
08:00. We start walking down after we have prepared our backpacks. We will reach a checkpoint at the middle of our way back, where we will take a 40 minutes break. We then continue to reach “Prionia”, the point where we began our hike.

Duration: 6 hours
Distance: 12km
Difficulty: Medium

15:00 - 16:00 Arrival at Prionia. We have the opportunity to take our lunch break in a traditional Greek tavern at “Prionia”. 
16:15. Spend time in Litochoro
17:00. Bus leaves for Thessaloniki
18:30 Arrival at the Airport of Thessaloniki


Flights to and from Thessaloniki have to be booked by the attendees. Note that we will not be sooner than 19:00 at the airport of Thessaloniki, so please make sure that your flight are within that time frame. There are currently flights available (BA flight departs at 20:00, Ryanair at 22:15). 

Cost of £450 includes:
•    All accommodation (The Met Hotel and Mountain Refuges)
•    Breakfast on all days
•    One meal per day from the 3rd – 5th of July (including one drink per person)
•    Transportation to and from the airports in Greece
•    Professional guides to take us to the peak
•    Safety equipment rental - necessary to reach the top
•    Small After Party for completing the hike

NOT Included in the price:
•    Flights to and from Thessaloniki 
•    Meals on the 2nd of July
•    Additional expenses for snacks, drinks etc.

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