However, when the summit is so close and almost everyone at Skala went on to Mytikas (including an 73-year-old gentleman we met on the way), we couldn’t resist giving it a try! It’s true that it’s difficult, from time to time dangerous, but it’s not impossible! The important thing is not to go alone if you’re not confident, and never do it if the weather is bad. Initially we only planned to reach Skala because it sounds so scary in every travel blog to climb Mytikas and we have 0 experience in climbing. Again, in the end we finished this section in 2.5 h. The last 300 m or so up was on the back of a steep hill with loose rocks, but I found it ok to go up with trainers. The climate was perfect for hiking, but the route was even tougher than the previous day even though the elevation was less. We watched a beautiful sunrise with breakfast and set off for Skala at 7:30 am. The next day the lights were on at 6 am although we actually planned to sleep until 7, never mind. They also offered bed sheets for rent at €3. Just be aware that they don’t have hot water there so bring some wet wipes if you care. We had a pleasant stay at the refuge that night, the food was tasty and the room (with ~20 people) clean. It’s a forestry hike with well paved path/stairs, although it’s also very steep - almost 1000 m up in about 4.5 km, only two short sections of flat path, otherwise continuous ascending! That being said, we still managed to finish this section in just under 2.5 h. We hiked quite a lot back home, but didn’t bring hiking poles or proper backpacks for this trip, my boyfriend had good hiking boots and I was only in trainers because I didn’t really expect to go on a proper hike here… anyway, we drove from Thessaloniki to Prionia and started the ascend at around 3 pm. To be honest and contrary to many other reviews, we were not that prepared for all that happened but I’ll still share our experiences here :) I literally called the Refuge A 9 am on the morning of our trip, and luckily, got the last two beds there.
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