Climbing Ostrakina Peak at Mount Mainalo

Even though I have walked hundreds of kilometers on its fir-covered slopes, whenever an opportunity for a hiking experience to Mainalo mountain rises up, my participation is non-negotiable. Even if we are in the heart of summer in the middle of a heat wave!

It is the middle of July, the thermometers have hit red, the beaches and beach bars are suffocating and two uncured mountain lovers, arrive at the exotic Levidi village.

Levidi village

Levidi, we read in the official travel guide e-levidi.gr , the beautiful stately capital village in Northeast Arcadia, Peloponnese appears suddenly after a turn on the Tripoli-Olympia road, lazily spread out on a slope of the magical forest of Mainalo, towards the plain of ancient Orchomenos.

Mainalo mountain

Mainalo mountain is located in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. In antiquity, the mountain was especially sacred to Pan.

The mountain’s highest point, known as both Profitis Ilias and Ostrakina, at a height of 1,981 m (6,499 ft), is the highest point in Arcadia.

The mountain has a length of 15 to 20 kilometres (9.3 to 12.4 mi) from southwest of Tripoli to northeast of Vytina, and a width of 5 to 10 kilometres (3.1 to 6.2 mi) from Zygovisti to Kapsas.

The mountain is part of a Natura 2000 site, designated in March 2011, covering an area of 226.4 square kilometres (87.4 sq mi).

Mainalo is home to a ski resort, which is found at an elevation of 1,600 metres (5,200 ft), with 7 ski slopes and 4 lifts, which are at an altitude between 1,550 to 1,770 metres (5,090 to 5,810 ft).

The trail

In order to avoid the bewildered and sympathetic looks of the locals, we go uphill, leaving behind us the last houses on the western outskirts of the village, until we find the starting point of the path.

Following a wide dirt road at the beginning, in a west-southwest direction, we enter the inland of Mainalo.

The dirt road narrows, becomes a wide path and we quickly enter a dense forest of the famous Kephallinian fir.

The thick red markings lead us to a characteristic clearing. After crossing a forest road vertically (at about 2.2 km), we start to climb up a forested ravine.

Our direction is clearly south, while as we gain altitude the slope of the ravine increases.

Coming out of the ravine we come for the first time in visual contact with Ostrakina Peak, the highest of Mount Mainalo at an altitude of 1.981 meters.

So far, the heat and the hot sun have not particularly troubled us, since most of the time we are walking under the cool shade of the Kephallinian fir.

But now things start to get difficult. We gradually come out to the alpine part of the mountain.

We will cross a slope with relatively sparse vegetation and soon we are at the base of the peak (at about 1,600 meters altitude).

A little further on, the shelter of Mount Mainalo stands silent. We will not honor it with our presence, because our concern now is to expose ourselves as little as possible to the hot touch of the summer sun.

As we climb towards the top from the classic path I start to reminisce. That first time on a mountain, on the same mountain, on the same trail, with completely different weather conditions.

What a traumatic experience that was. Almost twenty years have passed, but the memory doesn’t fades out.

Instead, it has now become a sweet and nostalgic memory. A beginner hiker, unaware of danger and with childish innocence painted on his face, hiking up to the top of Ostrakina Peak in the middle of a heavy snowstorm.

As I get closer to the top I realize once again that despite the years that have passed, despite the experiences I’ve lived, despite the mountains I’ve climbed, my face is still painted with that first time’s childhood innocence.

Every climb to a mountain peak is a journey to those years of innocence of my childhood.

After all, this is the power of the mountain. There, the future of a meaningful life is fertilized. There, dreams acquire content and value.

The harsh light and glare do not allow us to enjoy the view from the 1,981 meter altitude of the peak.

Back to Levidi by the same route, because two bottles of cold beer are waiting for us for recovery.

Every season, even in the heart of summer, Menalo mountain stands there maddeningly charming and invites us to enchanted routes.