Crete Island - Levka Ori (White Mountanis)

(Sougia – entrance into Agia Irini gorge by bus) – old kalderimi to Omalos  – the road to Xyloskalo – marked E4 route to Linoseli spring and saddle under Gigilos – marked footpath on the Gigilos summit – through terrain on a saddle between Gigilos and Volakias – marked footpath toward Volakias I. – through terrain to Volakias II. – under the summit of Psiristra– saddle between Kladou and Tripiti gorges – saddle under Kokinavari – (back) summit of Volakias I. – along the same way (like a day before) but conversely on the summit of Gigilos – down to Xyloskalo – Omalos – old kalderimi at T-junction with Fugou path – footpath into Fugou gorge – well-built pavement through the Agia Irini gorge – mostly through a riverbed to Sougia

1^st day In Sougia early morning – we bought tickets for a bus to the Agia Irini gorge at 7 o’clock a.m. to Chania. After about one hour we were at the bus stop near the entrance in the Agia Irini Gorge. Now, facing the entrance miss it, turn to the left and set out down along a small concrete road. This road crosses a (usually dry) stream bed (several trees) and turns to the left. After several tens meters, it turns to the right and ascends a little bit between fences. For about 100m you get on a wider place and in front of you there is an arrow-table “Omalos” pointing to the right. Go there. In the beginning, we walked along a very well-preserved old cobbled kalderimi. This excellent part is not too long – it is running just about 200 or 300m. After this distance, the cobbled road turns into a classical footpath winding upward among clusters of (usually prickly) low shrubs. As soon as the path levels out, it continues like the well-preserved kalderimi again. However, again for a quite short distance only. Not so far from T-junction (a branch to the right running through the Fugou gorge – the side gorge of the main one – Agia Irini) there is a water cistern with (most likely) poor water. We continued ahead from T-junction and then up along the kalderimi in the various rate of preservation as far as a car-park just beside an asphalt road (Agia Irini – Omalos). Keeping the road for about 2kms we were at the beginning of a large plain of Omalos. Missing the first branch to the right and take the second one along which we got (about 2 – 3kms) on the crossing with another tarmac road (to the left for Omalos and Chania, to the right for Xyloskalo and Samária). Turned to the right and after 1.5km we came to the snack-bar at Xyloskalo where there is (not so far from it) the entrance into the most known Cretan gorge called Samária. At the outlook terrace just beside the entrance (above which a building of a coffee is towery), the ascent on the top of Gigilos starts (a wooden arrow-table at its corner). As soon as we crossed an approaching road to the coffee, yellow-black E4 poles appear. They mark the footpath as far as to the saddle between peaks of Gigilos (left) and Strifomadhi (right)(this col is at about 1750m). Ascending there we passed through an excellent rocky arch and missed the Linoseli spring where we could take enough supply of water because this spring is working year-round (and there is no water along the whole trek later as far as the southern shore!!). At the saddle, in front of us, the deep Tripiti gorge is running southward. The path to the summit is climbing and winding steeply up (in 2013 quite new yellow marks) on your left. Following it. On only a short part of the ascent, you have to use your hand, however, for around 40mns the footpath levels out and the well-tramped path leads you as far as to the big top cairn. Southward you a huge brown massif of the Volakias peak can be seen – our destination for the next day. Nevertheless, now it is necessary to find a place for overnight because the day was declining. From the cairn, we went a little bit to the right (when you are facing to Volakias) to reach a flatter spot heading for a crest of rocks falling down to the highest point of the saddle between these two peaks. We got down as far as the saddle and continued lower to the left. As soon as we came to the flat spot beside a low boulder we were at home – this is a good camp-site for overnight. It could be also possible to go on still lower to the high rock beside which there is also a platform, even with lee-ward, but it was not large enough for our tent.

2^nd day In the morning, our first steps headed for back on the highest spot of the saddle. Here we could note first cairns which mark the next way as far as the summit of Volakias. The footpath climbs upward mostly through such a wide gully on the northern slope winding among rocks and boulders. Cairns are in good frequency. There is one (flatter) spot (possibility of bivouacking?) at which cairns are a little bit misleading because they mark more directions. It is necessary to keep yourself more to the right then contour on the slope to the left. As soon as we reached the top (overthrown concrete column) we could enjoy an excellent view over the whole western part of Levka Ori on the one side, and if somebody has a look over the deep Samária Gorge on the opposite side one can note the highest peak of Levka Ori – Páchnes and its whole massif including crags of the rounded summit of the peak of Zaranokefála (the right end of the massif) falling down in the Eligias Gorge. From this spot we followed scarce cairns which led us first on the Samária’s side of the range then crosses on other slope and here heavy rocky climbing started. It is necessary to overcome wild area of rocks at first to climb vertical rocks down for about 10m to ascent for the same high on the opposite slope. There are no cairns, at least we did not find out any. Therefore, we tried to keep roughly the same altitude contouring the slopes from the summit which we named like Volakias II. (Because it is lower and there is no name of this summit on the ANAVASI map and also because it is linked with the main Volakias summit with an overthrown concrete column by a not too long crest of a very sharp line of rocks). Previous to getting at the flat and low part of the range we left our backpacks and made detour upward to this summit to soak up an excellent view and also to survey our next progress from the bird’s eye view. We could see quite reasonable slopes under a summit of a distinguishing shape – like a sharp spike. Descent to our backpacks was through big stones and boulders but as soon as we got down, next progress was rather easy. Now, we were roughly highly above the saddle where two gorges (Kladou and Tripiti) meet. However, the easy way ended just under the sharp summit (Psiristra) – suddenly, we were on a small platform above huge vertical crags falling down for tens of meters. Under these crags, we could see quite gentle slopes with sporadic trees but problem was how to get there. Because to go over the summit and then descend seemed to us to be problematic and risky (from our view there were steep scree fields falling down under the summit) we decided to climb down heading for the head of Kladou gorge trying to find some way down on the gentle slopes. The slope on which we descended was overgrown by very scarce cypress trees standing beside many flat and steep rocky plates and around us, there was only slipping scree. The situation got worse and worse and at last, we were lucky to get to the saddle between above-mentioned gorges. But problem was there was no proper place for spending a night. So, we decided to try climbing up the opposite slope along some path which was distinct as far as the lower range with trees hoping to find a proper place here. Just under two big cypress trees there really were two leewards but due to its smaller size (not suitable for a tent), we went on down to the next saddle where a quite nice spot was. We adapted this place (to match the surface, to build low walls of stones against the wind from below) and overnight here. During the night we thought about what to do on the next day due to a lack of water.

3^rd day In the morning, we decided to try to get back on the main summit of Volakias. Yesterday, not so far from the first saddle we could see a slightly visible path heading for proper way, and now we climbed down at its beginning and set off keeping it. It was a good choice, the path, indeed, petered out becoming unclear but its direction was right and when we gained high we got at open terrain. Slopes got gentle and we could see well where we can be. Now, all things seemed to be better, only lack of water (we set out in the morning with only 0.75 lit of water for both!!) was quite risky. It is hard to describe our way from this moment. Our main effort was to gain altitude in maximum rate and at the same time to get on the summit of Volakias. We succeeded for about 4 hours. The way up was very tiring, almost exhausting but as soon as we reached the summit, the life seemed to be nice again. We descended along the known footpath in the saddle between Gigilos and Volakias, climbed upward to Gigilos but not directly to the summit’s cairn but missed it and rushed down. I probably set up a record of my age category (64+) – the way from the summit of Volakias as far as the Linoseli spring took me 3hrs and 10mns!! Final descent along the E4 route to Xyloskalo lasted only for short time then and including refreshment in the snack-bar and passing over the Omalos plain we were with dark just beside the chapel of Agios Theodori (the road Omalos – Agia Irini). We went down under the road in a shallow gully and about 150m from the chapel we found a proper place (an old terrace beside ruins of a stone house) for pitching our tent to overnight.

4^th day That day was easygoing. During a short time, we were at the T-junction where we branched to the left. This descent through the Fugou gorge is one of the nicest routes. The footpath is well distinct and as soon as one comes in the Agia Irini gorge, the footpath turns into the well-built and well-tramped pavement, with wooden railing in places and 4 resting places (this year, there was water disposal at two of them only). The whole way down through the gorge (6kms) is easy and well apparent and just at its lower end, there is a tavern. From this resting spot, you have to take the asphalt road and after about 1.5km you come to the bridge come over it and for about 150m farther, just beside a water hydrant, we left the road and set off along the path with red marks. It drives us on the main road (Sougia-Chania) but for only about 200 or 300m it left the road to the left and went on through the river bed where we chose our own way. After about 4kms we came to Sougia.