We planned a hike to the summit of Mt Zas/Zeus, the highest point in the Cyclades. The previous day we bought our bus tickets to the village where the path starts. At 7am about twenty-five people were waiting for the small minibus. The driver took one look at us all and announced, to paraphrase the famous line from Jaws, “we’re going to need a bigger bus”. He drove off and returned ten minutes later with a much larger vehicle. We all boarded and headed inland. It was a great opportunity to see more of Naxos, the part that is generally away from the tourist gaze.

On disembarking most of the hikers headed for the easier ascent side. But not us. Armed with my trusty walking poles we set off for the steep side. And it was steep. Oh boy! I found it really tough. There was a fair bit of clambering and scrambling, not much rambling. Although I found it physically challenging I was really enjoying myself, admiring the varied views as we climbed.  We passed the cave where Zeus was (allegedly) born. It is currently not accessible as bats are roosting there,  as a protected species are allowed to live in peace, without disturbance by passing tourists. As I later found out, depending which island you are on, there are a number of claims to Zeus’ birthplace!

We finally made the top of the mountain, over 1000m. While we rested on some rocks and ate our sandwich (and some of the previous evening’s left over pizza) we could gaze on spectacular views, not only of the whole island, but also many of the islands in the archipelago.  Such a special moment, made better by the huge effort required to get there.

We descended via the ‘easy’ route. It was still pretty tricky with lots of loose stones and rocks. I was very glad of the stability the walking poles gave me. I’d never have managed the hike without them.

With a great deal of satisfaction and smugness we reached the village. The bus wasn’t due for a couple of hours, so there was nothing to do but settle down at the taverna to a leisurely scrummy meal with homemade lemonade. A full sized coach picked us up, but it still wasn’t big enough, so we had to stand the whole journey. Although I was one of the oldest on the bus I could hardly claim old lady status for a seat having just climbed a mountain!

Sometimes we have to really stretch our limits to get the full experience, and it increases our satisfaction. Would you like to share your experiences of pushing yourself further than you thought you could?

Susannah

A Moodscope member