"Of the three ultras on Crete this is probably the easiest to get to, but arguably the hardest climb. We took it from south of the Lasithi plateau, in the karst plain. Just a bit further south from the Agion Pnevma church. The track gets to about 1200m then peters out. One heads due south from here. The path crosses the moraine at a sort of diagonal over what must be streams in other seasons. We sort of lost the path at this point which goes up through the shrub to the left, and rather continued up the boulder strewn right hand side, although this way is also marked by small cairns. The path was more visible on the descent and is marked by yellow splodges of paint and the occasional post. At a certain point the valley bifurcates, we headed straight up the small hill in the middle and regained the path which crept up to reach another level area at about 1600m. Continuing along this one reaches a ridge that is climbed diagonally up and then the path bends around to afford you a view of the mountain as a whole once more. From here it is a quite steep climb until a bit of a traverse and then steep again to the summit. Signed the summit book. Appreciated the anti-nazi graffiti. Saw golde..." — vygodski • Sep 18, 2022

"Getting to this hill was somewhat harder than the climb itself, involving a long 17km drive along a bumpy dirt road from the south. Saying that, the scenery was spectacular. The limestone is almost black in some places in this unique geological setting. One really feels on a different planet. From the end of the road where we met a Polish couple doing the same walk, one climbs steadily reaching a well, then passing round to the north side of the hill itself where it properly becomes visible. The climb is gradual for most of the way and you pass several dolines. It is very barren but majestic at the same time. Far-reaching views from the top, including Mount Ida. One very small section required a bit of careful foot and handwork but nothing to be worried about. In the evening we ate in a tavern in Anapolis near the start of the route, from here you can hire a chap to take you up (we had our own rented 4x4). We'd met him earlier on the road, and we spent a bit of time hopefully successfully explaining "prominence"." — vygodski • Sep 16, 2022

"A hard trek from the refuge to the south at 1510m. To get to this point required driving in a rental 4x4 some 13km along a very rough track (I guess this is why most take it from the north where asphalt takes you to 1600m). Saw no one on my walk, only encountered some people at the top where there is a large shelter with three rooms with a shrine and places where people bed down. The climb (along the E4 route) was mostly not too steep, and fairly steady. Well signed with red dots, and yellow and black stripes, plus some signs left over from a race which intermittently give the altitude. Saw lots of goats with shaggy coats of black, beige, and brown, and some sheep. A few flies but thankfully not swarms of them. Mostly very barren and exposed. Lots of birds of prey circling above, ominously. The vegetation was nasty, very spikey - a curse of natural selection. Once I slipped and put my hand right into one of these bushes, and I am still picking the spines out now. Great views from the top, particularly of the white mountains. " — vygodski • Sep 10, 2022

"Thursday 20th September 2018. An ascent of Pachnes 2453m/2038m, Lefka Ori (White Mountains), Western Crete, Hellas, from the east. 9.2km, with 610m of ascent. 4 hours 30mins. On the White Mountains (Lefka Ori), see at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lefka_Ori, and my account of our ascent of Gingilos at https://peakery.com/gigilos-greece/summits/182422/ Pachnes (Πάχνες), at 2453m, is only three metres lower than Psiloritis (Ψηλορείτης), the highest mountain on Crete. Some years ago, rumours emerged that the Greek army’s latest maps showed Pachnes as marginally higher than Psiloritis (see at https://www.summitpost.org/pachnes/362115). However, there is good reason to believe these reports were bogus, coming as a result of the traditional rivalry between prefectures on the island. Our KE Adventure Travel trek in the White Mountains began at sea-level with a two-hour drive from our hotel at Finikas, in the open back of a pick-up truck, mainly on grit roads. We passed through the village of Anopouli, and then by a circuitous route via Amoutsera, to be dropped off near the end of the rocky grit road just west of an area of potholes called Tafkos tis Langonias. As the tru..." — marktrengove • Sep 20, 2018

"Sunday 16th September 2018. An ascent of Gingilos 1974m/138m, Lefka Ori (White Mountains), Western Crete, Hellas, from the Xiloskalo Restaurant, near Omalos. 9.5km, with 1000m of ascent. 7 hours 40mins. The White Mountains (Lefka Ori), so-called due to the dazzling white limestone visible in summer, and snow-caps in winter, form the most western of the three highest mountain massifs on Crete – see at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lefka_Ori. Like the Psiloritis massif to the east, they were formed in the same period as the Alpine Orogeny. They have similar geology to Psiloritis, in that they are composed of limestone and its metamorphic derivatives (such as marble). The highest peaks are in the eastern part of the range, forming characteristic cone shapes of boulders and scree, broken up by the action of rain, frost and snow to form unstable slopes at the optimum angle for these geological formations. However, the western part of the range presents mountains of a different aspect. Many are rugged, with soaring cliffs and pinnacles, with sweeps of scree beneath. The reason for this is that they are mainly composed of hard dolomitic limestone, and therefore resemble the pr..." — marktrengove • Sep 16, 2018