Kopsi Skolio – Mytikas – Kakalos Refuge
| Distance: 7,25 km | Elevation change : +1590/-290 m | Difficulty: 10/10
This route climbs Skolio by Kopsi Skolio and continues to The Plateau of the Muses by traversing Skala and Mytikas. The starting point is Noum. You can reach this place by car from Petra using a dirt road (12 km), or on foot by descending Xerolaki from Christakis refuge, or descending from Oropedio by Portes-Kazania Rema Naoum [check our other path in oposit direction].
Kopsi Skolio is undoubtfully the most demanding way to reach Skolio. The ‘Skolio ridge’ is one of the ‘kopsis’ on what we use to call the ‘Dark side of Olympus’, the darker part of the high peaks (Christakis, Skolio, Skala, Mytikas, Stefani, Toumba, Profitis Illias). Kopsi Skolio starts in the Xerolaki Valley, it is a genuine vertical mile starting at 1300 metres elevation and climbing steep up to 2900 metres within 4 kilometres. The climb is steep and demanding. The first half of the climb is on a mostly difficult to distinguish trail in the forest, signposted with red blases, not always visible. In one part some iron bars facilitate the progress in a 5 meter high rock wall.
The second part of the route is without signposting, but the route is obvious: just take the steepest way up. This part crosses at 2300-2600 metres elevation a scree slope that makes progress far from easy, and poles are highly recommanded for progress. The scree section finishes at around 2750 m on the trail between Christakis (peak) and Skolio. From this point Skolio can be reached in 15 minutes. The route from Skolio to Skala follows easy trails. A fast way from Skala to the huts on the Plateau of the Muses is Kakoskalos, the track from Skala to Mytikas, followed by the descend of ‘Louki’ to the trail that crosses Zonaria to the huts on the Plateau of the Muses. This route is fast for mountain runners with good alpine skills. For hikers it’s easier to descend Skala direction Refuge A and to hike to the Plateau of the Muses by the Zonaria trail.
