It seemed to me that I was just a bag of mess a few days before the start. I wasn't feeling good — mentally or physically. But you all know… deep inside, I knew I had to do it. Go back to myself.
Unfortunately, I missed a week of nice weather around 23 °C, and I kept convincing myself that it would be fine even in 30 °C. I set off from Polis around half past five. The hilly scenery was beautiful. The day and the adventure began. Everything went smoothly, and I was surprised to find I was feeling good. It confirmed that the hardest part is to start — to make those first steps.
Around 8 a.m., I reached Lysos, where I refilled all my bottles. I was very happy to get some route info and a strong coffee at the ranger station. There were 25 km to Psokas without any water supply, and another 25 km to Kykkos. Both sections went pretty well: dusty roads, a missing forest path, some paved stretches, shady forests, but also intense afternoon heat. At the end of the day, I was surprised to have finished with 82 km and 2,400 m of elevation gain.
The next day was Olympus day — the highest peak on the island. I was very excited to visit the place and see the ski resort, which feels totally out of place here. It was a beautiful journey with great views, mostly through forest trails. Especially the part just before Troodos village was lovely — a steep path alongside a small stream. The summit itself is ugly. No point lying: it's one of the ugliest high points I've ever been to. On the other hand, it's also kind of interesting — views over the whole island, huge radars, and no tourists at all.
Despite the altitude, the heat was intense. The downhill was awesome — the path to Karvounas, along the unstable sandy hillside, was great. I was really happy to use a rare opportunity to get a nice sandwich in a bar. There were very few chances to refill food. I was roasting in the afternoon. The wet towel I was using on my head dried out in two minutes. I started making routing mistakes — the heat was just terrible. Even the water in a drinking fountain was almost boiling 😄. The evening, again, was beautiful. Small paths across hillsides and ridges during sunset felt very peaceful.
The third day was just roasting — from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There were a few beautiful places (especially Kionia peak), but I was completely overheated. The missing water before Lythrodontas was really bad luck, and I didn’t feel very safe — alone, under the sun, no water, no shade. In the evening, I managed to reach just in front of Stavrovouni Monastery. I was exhausted but amazed that I’d done almost 80 km and another 2,400 m of elevation. I drank around 14 liters of water.
The final stretch was fast. The moment on the top of the mountain near the monastery was very emotional — just me, the sunrise, and an incredible view. Almost no elevation and just a few villages. The heat was still bad, but I could handle it because I knew it was only for a few more hours. I was very hungry but couldn’t eat — same as the day before. I was happy about the nice path on the edge of Larnaca, so I didn’t have to walk on the main roads much.
Overall, it was a beautiful adventure — full of variety in both landscapes and trails.