Crete Island - Levka Ori (White Mountanis)

(CHANIA) - ASKIFOU/AMMOUDARI - TAVRI refuge - NIÁTOS plain- TRIKOUKIA plain - above KALI LAKKI - saddle under KEFÁLA - SKARFÍDHIA spring - ANOPOLI road - ANOPOLI plain - AGIOS DIMITRIOS - bridge over ARADHÉNA gorge - SELLOUDA - AGIOS PAVLOS beach - AGIA ROUMELI - AGIOS PAVLOS beach - MARMARA - ARADHÉNA gorge - ANOPOLI plain (KÁMBIA) - LOUTRO - GLIKA NERO - ILINGIAS gorge - SFAKIA - (CHANIA)

SUN 01/03 Arrival late to Chania in the evening, catching bus toward the city and overnighting on the beach Nea Chório.

MON 02/03 The morning on the beach was clear, sunny and nice. After packing we set off to the city to buy necessary - a cartridge for a cooker, and – of course – the first gyros as a lunch. At 2 o’clock p.m., we left by bus toward Sfakia, to get out on the Askifou plain, in the village of Ammoudari, our trailhead. The old mule-track (marked like the E4 route) above the village was totally without snow as far as its crossing with the tarmac road but higher up snowdrifts were laying more and more often and as I guess, at an altitude of about 900m the snow coat was continuous... We tried to follow stones on edges of the pavement but step by step, they were visible less and less and on the top, snow often covered even goats' fences, in places. We sank now and again sometime waist-deep and because the snow wasn't to firm enough, to get up on its surface was very difficult. The best way how to do it was to lay up (not to plant) trekking poles on the snow surface and use them like "parallel bars"...The material of our trousers was good enough, the snow didn't get stuck on it and therefore our bodies (legs) were dry. The same my boots - full-leather Hanwag Alaska (with GTX-membrane) were indeed wet but only the upper leather's material, inside it was OK. However, boots of my trekking mate were, I'm afraid, different, not so heavy and still during the first day his boots were wet a little bit also inside whereas at the end of our "snowy escapade" they were completely dumped. Fortunately, we were lucky concerning the weather - no wind, anything falling down (snow, rain), even sunny..... The first night, we spent just beside of northern side of Tavri refuge to be hidden against a wind. This wind wasn't strong but because we used just a lighter type of a tent whose fly-margins ends about 10cm above ground level, so that a light wind which would get under the fly could cool conditions inside... However, we used our backpacks, sandals in special cases, stones and even a piece of a wooden board to fill in these gaps and our effort was successful - no wind got inside. Our three-season sleep-bags (lower comfort slightly below zero) were sufficient we had only to put on more underwear...

TUE 03/03 Morning was nice, sunny and because during the night surface of snow got frozen, walking was quite easy.... Snow drifts on the road were high, as I guess, sometimes even about 150cm. The whole Niátos plain was covered by snow, only an upper part of a metal barrel covering the pump of the underground water tank was partly above snow.... but the winter view of mountains was excellent. The worst part of our way was a stage between Niátos and Trikoukia. The footpath here, under a small meadow, was for a stretch of about 100 - 200m like a little bit dug, steep and covered by the shade of trees and high bushes (in summer), and now, this passage was even dangerous - quite high rocks with sharp edges and boulders covered by snow and between them deep crevices and holes....normally, this part can take about 15 min as maximum but we went along it almost for one hour... Trikoukia was under snow, too, WC behind the house was, fortunately, open and with water from its tap..... The Kali Lakki road was also covered by snow but not its margin. Nevertheless, there was a problem how to get across the road to the beginning of the marked path on the rocky road's bank. Snowdrift was so high and so "infirm" we had almost to lie on the belly and almost to creep…to reach it... However, as soon as we were up, the way itself was quite easy. And always an old marking of Loraine Wilson (along the old mule-track) is more useful than the newer one but problem was that the old well-built track was with snow whereas the path on a slope among stones was exposed to the sun and thus, without snow. As soon as we got on the top, orientation was difficult because almost all marks (colourful dots, cairns) were under snow and only rare some of them could be seen... I went along this footpath more times, I guess, maybe 5 or 6times, but if there are any points for localization, sometimes we had to look for the right way. But I can be said we didn't get lost anytime and our second night was on terracing fields above Kali Lakki.

WED 04/03 Also the next day way was difficult at its beginning because to get down on a gorge bed and climb up following the old track then, meant to wade through high snowdrifts. Honza (the name of my friend) sunk once higher his waist and couldn't get up for a quite long time. But as soon as the way should come into a gully right, we left it and climbed rather on rocks which were almost without snow and also hiking here wasn't problematic. In that way, we got on the saddle under the Kafála summit which was the highest point of our way - I think, 1305m. On all this way (from the point where we left the road running from Trikoukia) as far as almost the road from Anopoli any marks (Loraine’s, of EOS, cairns) weren't visible or if yes, so very sporadically only. Skarfidhia spring was so full of water I have never seen it yet. Water pours not only from a pipe but also around it like a waterfall and in addition at more places beside it... Next way along the road was rather easy, not so large places were covered by snow, and these could be passed by using margins of the road. It was surprising a building of a new house a little bit lower from the first junction (to the right toward some pens, to the left down to the workstation Feeno kai Yannous). On the left side of the road (when descending), in a distance of about 30m, the new two-storey house is built. A nice "stony" building (I suppose, it is, in fact, built of concrete but overlain by a facing looks like stones), well and carefully built, with a nice view roughly south- or southeastward... I can't guess, for which purposes it should be: a house for permanent dwelling hardly - very bad and long access, or a house for accommodation? The same reasons against it...I don't have any idea for a way of using it… Still, on this part of the road, we can meet thinner layers of snow here and there but the road from the workstation was totally uncovered by snow. We continued as far as the village of Anopoli and after a short beer-break in a tavern (at the corner) we continued to Agios Dimitrios, then shortcut across the hill on the road again, the bridge across the Aradhéna Gorge and along (about 4 km) an asphalt road heading to Sellouda. Somewhere around the bridge, dark came, so we had to use forehead torches. From the place where asphalt surface ends (in front of a pine forest), we had to go on along a classical dirt road for next, perhaps 2kms, as far as Sellouda, where our next campsite was waiting for us. We came there very tired because the whole that-day-track was over 25km (rather almost 30) with heavy backpacks and the difficult snowy stage at its beginning.

THU 05/03 However, Sellouda is so nice spot that sunny morning removed all physical problems and we could enjoy a nice view of surrounding green parts. Following days were not so interesting though - we descended on E4, had a break in the (abandoned) Agios Pavlos tavern on the beach of the same name, and spent three nights in Agia Roumeli. (FRI, SAT, SUN – 06-08/03). The weather was quite windy, sometimes clouds came but without rain...

SUN 08/03 On this day, we tackled our step-by-step return along E4 via Agios Pavlos and Marmara (abandoned, only an old, and a rather grimy but helpful man being - probably - a guard), and again in dark, we found a nice spot in the Aradhéna Gorge for overnight.

MON 09/03 During the following day, we ascended upward Aradhéna with a short break just under ladders across the last rockfall of huge stones because we had to hide under an overhanging rock against a short but intense shower. After it sunny again and we finished the ascent. Later lunch in the same tavern (unbelievable low prices of the meal!!) and - perhaps we fancied night adventures in dark? - again in darkness, we finished the descent to Loutro.

TUE+WED 10+11/03 Here, we overnighted twice at our favourite place with sunbathing and even swimming in the sea (me not, of course, water under 20 is totally mortal for me, so I sunk into the seawater for washing of my body only, thus, just about 20seconds was enough). Necessary to say, winter storms and rains had to be very strong because there are laying at many places of E4 between Agia Roumeli and Agios Pavlos many stones and boulders from slopes and rocks above, and also "a detour" from Glika Nero to Sfakia around in past already destroyed cliffs was different in comparison with last state (in the last year). In a bay before Glika Nero, we had a short break and a fierce storm-rain with thunders and heals caught us. But - fortunately - there was a nearby cave, not very deep but sufficient enough for use as a shelter. After a half an hour the rain was away and we continued toward Glika Nero - next break with short swimming. Because it seemed next portion of rain was approaching we hurried up and I (as the one who "strokes" because Honza is younger and due to it also faster) was on the Anopoli road in 30mins!! Maybe, a senior's record with a weight? :-) But, fortunately, the rain didn't come yet and we landed in Sfakia, in just single open tavern to have dinner. Also during the dinner, a heavy rain came...finally!! After the meal, we set out back to the Ilingias Gorge not using the old mule-track but along the road because darkness was coming (again!!) and we supposed the last part of the old mule-track down to the gorge could be dangerous due to its destroyed end - steep paths could be very slippery after the rain. Hiking upward through the gorge (from the road) was, thus, in darkness and with forehead torches. About 300m from the road, there is my favourite spot for a tent (in small "forest" of cypress trees - in fact, there are only about 7 of them....) where we overnight our last night "in nature". Following day we took 7 o'clock a.m. bus to Chania, to spend the rest of the day here (shopping, eating gyros, drinking beer etc.) and left then by evening bus to the airport for really last night. Departure (FRI 13/03) was by early morning plane (6:50), and after a change in Athens, we landed at about 11:00 of local time in Prague.

Necessary to say – one week after my arrival I bought next flight ticket from Prague to Chania, for the second half of September, so, there is in front of me an object which I can look forward to again, and start to spin a new itinerary.