UKC

I'm planning on climbing Mount Olympus 2917m on 22/23 October - well, to be honest its more of a walk with a bit of scrambly stuff at the top as far as I know. Staying at the Refuge Agiptos to enjoy it more.

Anything I need to know?

Is the roadhead a dodgy place to leave anything in the car? Are robust trainers OK or walking boots a better bet?
Anyone in the area fancy joining me?

In reply to Babika:

It might be worth bringing a helmet for the top scramble if you do the colouir (which I have done, years ago without a helmet before I started climbing) rather than the other way up (which I have not done). And I don't know what the weather is like in October but presumably it might have started snowing by then? It really is just a (lumpy in places) walk until the very top so whatever you have comfortable slogging out the uphill and downhill miles in.

In reply to andrewmcleod:

Thanks - I hadn't thought of a helmet. Good idea to shove one in.
I'm hoping that the weather is still Ok - bit nippy maybe but no snow.

In reply to Babika:

If you're staying in the refuge, you can probably afford to take your time. The walk all the way from the town is quite nice through a gorge, which you would miss out on if you started from the roadhead. We walked in that way and hitched a ride from the roadhead back to town when we came down. Certainly the roadhead did not appear to be a dodgy place to leave a car at the time.

Refuge was nice when I went (few years back), very friendly, let us pitch our tents outside (we'd phoned in advance to check this was ok - I wouldn't just turn up with tents!) and we could just pay for dinner etc.

Robust trainers probably ok, depends on the weather and your stability on rocky terrain. Doubt there will be snow to plough through and generally terrain was quite dry (we went early Oct I think and had good weather, almost perfect). Scramble to the summit was airy (don't fall!) but easy. I think it is given Grade 2, but that's probably just because it is exposed rather than technically difficult.

I really enjoyed my trip - I hope you do too!

In reply to Babika:
Two probably unimportant details after looking at the map; I think I have only done the route by Petrostrouga rather than the E4 route from Litochoro, and the relatively loose 45 degree colouir I have done is the Louki colouir scramble to the Mytikas summit. I have done (most of it) twice - once from the road somewhere around 1000m I guess to the summit over two days, and once from the Agios Konstantinos monastery above Dion at around 300m, via Koromila and Petrostrouga, to the Muses plateau (~2600m) and back down in a day - a very long day!

In reply to andrewmcleod:

I plan to take it easy - 1900m up and down over 2 days rather than 1.

2300m up and down in a day sounds pretty impressive to me - I'm certainly not fit enough for that!

In reply to mountainbagger:

Someone else suggested the gorge walk so I might do that - thanks for the recommendation.