The third day of a four-day trek on the Olympos Massif, Macedonia, Northern Greece.

From the Christos Kakkalos Refuge (Refuge 'C') (2650m) to Touba 2801m-c.90m and Profitis Ilias 2803m-c.94m via their cols, returning to Refuge 'C'. 250m of ascent and descent. 2hrs 0mins.

After another rather restless night in our cramped quarters in Refuge 'C', I was up with the dawn, in time to see her light rose-tint the surrounding high peaks of the range. Stephani, the High Throne of Zeus, again dominated the scene, as it had done at dusk on the previous evening. These mountains have a truly numinous quality to them at this time of day, and one can readily understand how the Greeks of ancient times imagined their King of the Gods seated on this high place.

After a light breakfast we had several hours to spare before we began our descent to 'Refuge 'A'. We split into three groups, with Ivo leading four on a round of the Plateau of the Muses, while three others decided to do a longer tour, also taking in the peaks of Profitis Ilias and Touba. I determined to spend the hours walking alone, to better soak up the surroundings without distraction. I was also in bagging/surveying mode, as I wished to examine the cols and summits of Touba and Profitis Ilias. Their heights are very similar on the most modern maps available of the range.

I retraced the path we had descended yesterday evening, heading for the col between Stephani and Touba. While taking an altitude reading on my GPS, I surveyed the scene. From this angle Stephani looked just as awesome, now a sharp jagged peak soaring skyward. With GPS data collected, I retraced my steps for several hundred metres, turning onto a faint side path which took me easily up to the wide flat col between the peaks of Touba and Profitis Ilias. On this col is situated the Giosos Apostilidis Refuge at about 2700m - the highest refuge in Greece. It appeared deserted. It is named after a famous Greek guide and mountaineer who tragically died on Mytikas in May 1964. I had passed a monument to him on the path to the refuge.

As I climbed the steep north flank of Touba, heading to the summit, I passed among a large herd of chamois. They seemed largely unconcerned by my presence. They moved reluctantly away from the sparse vegetation on which they were grazing. A short pull brought me onto the summit, adorned with a tall cairn that looked too fragile to withstand the high winds that sometimes sweep over these mountains. As my GPS again gathered data, I stared again down into the steep cwm of the Megala Kazania to the south-west. From my viewpoint Skolio, which I had scaled yesterday, took on a far more fearsome aspect than the rounded stone dome I had passed over so easily on the day before.

I continued to Profitis Ilias peak.