"From the col between Agathias and Vouloumenou I made short work of the last 200m gain to the top of the mountain, traversing the north side of Agathias on a good path. This is the most frequently taken route and it is relatively untaxing with only a few places where you need to take care on the rocks. I didn't spend too long on the summit as it was getting late and I was umming and ahhing about whether to go up Agathias or not... as it turns out I did. But I did ring the bell three times as it was three o'clock. Saw quite a few people on the walk, couples mainly, of many European nationalities." — vygodski • Oct 21, 2025

"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

"Friday 14th September 2018. An ascent of Psiloritis (Ψηλορείτης) (Mount Ida) 2456m/2456m, Psiloritis Range, Central Crete, Hellas, from Lakkos Migerou Refuge, near Livadia. 10.3km, with 920m of ascent. 6 hours 55mins. Psiloritis, at 2456 metres, is the highest mountain on the island of Crete, and also the most prominent mountain in the country - see at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ida_(Crete). Its summit is located along a ridge stretching west to east, of which over 6 kilometres is above the 2000 metre contour. A rough little church, with dry-stone walls, has been constructed on the summit plateau. It contains two rooms. The eastern chapel is dedicated to the Holy Cross (Τίμιος Σταυρός - Timios Stavros), while the eastern one to SS Peter and Paul. The high mountains of Crete are a unique environment in Europe. They are desert mountains, with many species of flora and fauna endemic to the place. They are young mountains, in geological terms, raised at the same time as the Alpine Orogeny, as the African tectonic plate is sub-ducted under the European one. They are mainly composed of hard sedimentary and metamorphic limestones. These landscapes have been fo..." — marktrengove • Sep 14, 2018