Hiking in Hymettus - the monastery Karea
starting point of hiking : Monastery of St. John the Baptist Karea. Foot End: The rock with the Greek flag towering above the monastery.hiking trail : «C. Michaelides"George Michaelides (1915-1995), climber, climbing instructor. killed in 23-7-95 Mount Olympus, At the age 80 years, during descent of the mountain with his grandchildren. The trail starts from the stairs located on the edge of the mantras of the Monastery Karea. You will find the parking lot, on the right side as you look at the monastery entrance.
The trail is passable and to get on the road beneath the cliff with the flag, you will need about 20 '. The download is much easier and takes about 10 '. At first the path is gravel, then they have dirt and rocks and end stones and a few rocks. The dense pinewood, that existed in this part of Hymettus, burned 2015. During your mountain hike you will not find any tree for shade, only undergrowth, so we should be prepared. Caution, because at the beginning the trail crosses another. You will follow the route with the orange markings on the stones, marching along the creek that is the Monastery.
In many places the EOS. Heliopolis has created steps of logs burned trees.
The end of the trail is the road beneath the cliff with the flag.
Beware the output is a bit more left, looking like the rock. This will help you in downloading since these shrubs can the path is not visible. The input - output of the path defined by the stones placed on top of one another for this purpose.
Just hit the road, under the rock, on your right you will see a water tank.
Here the trail ends, you can rest, admire the view from the top and then descend again to the Monastery Karea, following the same path.
If you want to continue hiking mountain you 2 choices.
SELECTION 1or
You can continue walking on the road, follow road to the left, as you see the cliff with the flag. You are walking parallel to the gully and the convent and will be continuously visible by you. At the end of this road leads you to a very difficult path, with blue marking, so do not attempt to cross it yourself. At this point your mobile phone will have a minimum signal.
If you still continue higher, you can ascend until you find the 2 water tanks, road is passable dirt road. Beware not to get lost because the monastery is no longer visible. Once you reach the two tanks can continue even higher. If you do not want to continue, you can go back and re-enter the path leading to the parking area of the monastery Karea.
At this point, directly beneath, you will see the shelter of EOS. Heliopolis.
Here comes a steep rocky path from the shelter.
You can descend the cliffs, following the red marking on the stones, which will lead you faster Refuge (difficult access).
SELECTION 2or
OR 2or option is to follow the road on your right, like looking at the rock with a flag. Once at the turn of the road, where is the water reservoir, continue walking until you reach the path that leads to the EOS Shelter. Heliopolis.
The path to the refuge starts from where you will see the signs installed by Municipality of Ilioupoli.
If you reach the Refuge, It is relatively easy to ascend the rocks located next to the building, on the side which is pine and reach the upper street, the two water tanks. Essentially follow a circular path, the road that is the rock with a flag. Here you can relax on the stones that exist beneath the pine. The pine is the only tall tree you meet on this side of Hymettus. All the rest were burnt.
Caution, if you catch rain in the mountain you need to know that will become soaked. Even if you are next to the refuge shelter that has the property, as shown in the pictures, protrudes slightly, Shelter is locked.
Hiking in nature will reward you. After the great fire in Hymettus (2015), in some places you have been planting trees but you will see many small Peukakia that have sprouted on their own. thyme, grasses and wildflowers, as cyclamen, saffron etc. continue to come between burnt trunks and stones. If you are lucky you may encounter partridges, hawks, foxes.
If you want to relax, after hiking, in the parking lot of the Monastery Karea you will find benches placed under the trees. There is a faucet to drink water.
