Steni to Dirfi

This is a nice, varied hike, with parts in dense green forest (T2), dirt tracks, scree (T3), and some optional scrambling over blocks with only little exposure, if one is so inclined. The main hazards are slipping on the gravel or being carried away by a strong wing gust.

Starting from the village of Steni (buses run at 6:00 and 14:00 from Chalkida), walk up to the trailhead next to a church and a dirt football field. The two main trails run from there. The east trail (which I climbed from) goes through dense green forest by a stream. The track is narrow and not very much frequented. In the morning, it is cool, even on a summer day. It was about 20-25C when I was climbing.

I maintained a steady pace with brief jogging intervals, but it was generally too steep to run, even though I was only currying 2.5l of water with me and a couple of sandwiches. However, the green and shade are a nice environment to run in. 

Around an hour later I had reached the dirt road leading to the mountain refuge. This is a large, very well equipped refuge. [The dirt road is reachable by car, but the part that is paved with asphalt only ends around a kilometer before the dirt road, should you prefer to not endager your suspension or wheels.]

From there, it is another 600m to the peak, through gravel, scree and rocks. Even though there is no cover from the sun, the wind always blows strongly there, starting from the pass. In fact, it is recommended to check the weather forecast for winds if you want to attempt to ascent to the peak. Winds can easily reach 100km/h. However, today it was a nice 20km/h breeze that took the edge of the sun and heat.

The final ascent starts at a commemorating stone for a dead climber. The ascent is initially through gravel. After a short climb, I reached another commemorative marker at the base of some rocks. This is one of a few places where there are some small rock steps to be overcome. However, it is nothing serious and it is not very exposed. The route continues through gravel and gnarly roots, with the occasional steps. There are also plenty of opportunities to scramble over some larger boulders; however, there is almost always a walking path to follow. It was definitely fun to scramble, as the holds were generally pretty stable.

The peak itself is very flat, and is essentially two peaks that overlook a small bowl. Within the bowl there is some long grass and rocks (and some goats). It is worth visiting both peaks to look around all directions, but is impossible to have a 360 degree panorama due to the size of the plateau at the top.

Going down was only slightly faster than going up. Everything was fine until I faceplanted a few meters before the refuge. Thankfully I could wash my hands there at least.

I returned through the west path, accompanying two trail-runners. This path is noticeably drier than the east one. There are fewer green leaves and the ground is hard packed earth with gnarly tree roots and stones.