a special hiking excursion on the ridge of Giona
Just before leaving autumn behind us and welcoming winter, we were offered a hike and overnight stay on the mountain of Giona. The proposal came from the climbing club of Amfissa, commonly known as EOS Amfissa. The association had organized every detail of the excursion, such as the place to spend the night, the route and of course the "night entertainment"! The plan was as follows: Hike on the Giona ridge with the final destination being the Pyramid peak.
Giona for those who don't know is the highest mountain in Central Greece as well as the fifth highest mountain in Greece. Located in the prefecture of Fokida, you find between the mountain of Parnassos and that of Vardousia. Its highest peak is the Pyramid at 2,510 meters, which we will visit on our excursion.
Point for the start of the hike as well as our overnight stay is the Makrilakkos location. In order to reach this specific location, one must travel by car (preferably 4x4) from Amfissa and travel 43 kilometers, most of which is on a difficult dirt road. The initial altitude of the route and our overnight stop is 2,173 meters. And as very natural someone will wonder... What temperature will it be there at night? Let us inform you that in mid-October we encountered 2 degrees Celsius at night, while in the rest of the mainland the temperatures were between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius! The program once we arrived consisted of setting up tents and preparing a fire, to cope with the severe cold of the mountain. Then hot tea and discussions about tomorrow's route. Of course, it couldn't be missing baking food and endless stories under the starry sky.
Morning-morning everyone is ready for the hike. Without wasting time we start walking, heading for the first peak of the route that we will meet after the first saddle. In total we will cross 4 peaks on the way to the Pyramid, through quite stony terrain with alternating uphill and downhill sections. The second peak named Tragonoros is not long in coming, as we move along the ridge in a northerly direction. At 3.51 kilometers from our start we will encounter a steep downhill passage between rocks. Care will be required, as both its steep slope and the lack of fixed points for support make it technically demanding. Then we climb up a steep path with large pieces of rock, until we reach a large plateau at 4.51 kilometers and 2,448 meters altitude.
At this point the top of the Pyramid begins to be seen, which is not far away until we "step" on it!
On the large plateau we will be lucky enough to meet a herd of wild goats, which as soon as they noticed our presence moved away towards a steep descent. This point of the plateau is also connected to another well-known but difficult path of the region, that of Karagiannis, which starts from the mountain village of Sykia. Beyond my path, we also walk the Karagianni path, the approach to the Pyramid can also be made from the POA Grigoris Perdikis refuge in the east of Giona.
A few meters separate us from the final summit of our route. Once you "conquer" the top of the Pyramid you will be enchanted by the view it offers of the surrounding mountains. Parnassos, Oiti, Velouhi, Agrafa and Vardousia will be in front of your eyes. At 2,510 meters our altitude and what better than to enjoy a hot coffee, to replenish our energy. The return we made to Makrilakkos will be made by the same path. As soon as we arrive, we restore equipment (tents, sleeping bags, etc.) and, as usual after every hiking excursion, we head full speed for our Sunday tavern!
ROUTE DETAILS
Total length 11.16 kilometers Starting altitude 2,174 meters
Distance to the top 5.54 kilometers Maximum altitude 2,510 meters
Positive altitude +805 meters
