Swimming the Vikos Gorge
Always Check Local Conditions When Hiking
Last week I wrote about my time as a Greek waiter, which came about when I was writing a travel piece for The Times. If you missed it you can read it here.
For some reason it reminded me of another very different travel piece I wrote, this one for The Sunday Times. I thought I’d write a ‘behind-the-scenes’ story about that one, too, as it contains some very useful advice if you’re going hiking in Greece. This was a trip to the Vikos Gorge in the Pindus Mountains, and it made me happy that I wasn’t ashamed to admit to being a wimp!
The story behind this story went back several years, when I got chatting to my neighbour on a flight. I can’t remember where it was to or from, or much about the neighbour except that he was a young guy and we got to talking about Greece. He told me that the most beautiful part of Greece he had ever been to was the Pindus Mountains and especially the area around the Prespa Lakes.
Unfortunately at the time this was still a military zone, being close to the sensitive border with Albania, and you couldn’t go there without a permit. I seem to remember that the guy was either in the military or was supplying support to the military, which was how he got to be there. But his enthusiasm for the region stuck with me. One day I’ll get there, I told myself.
A few years later, when it was no longer a military zone, I did get there. I was commissioned to write a guidebook to Mainland Greece, and I stayed in Kastoria while I explored that part of Greece, including a drive to see the Prespa Lakes, a thrilling trip for me, given the background.
I was also writing for newspapers at the time and when I saw that a tour company was offering a hiking trip in the Pindus Mountains, including the Vikos Gorge, I suggested a story to The Sunday Times about this lesser-known part of Greece. I won’t name the tour company as (a) they no longer do this trip, and (b) what happened on the one I was on might be seen to reflect badly on them, though it was merely unfortunate.
The trip was in late May, and when the day came that we were going to hike in the gorge, our guide gave us a warning. He said that the winter snows had been late that year, and there was still some water in the gorge from the snow-melt. So as well as hiking, there would be a little swimming involved in places.
I’ve never been a good swimmer, so along with about half the group I wimped out. The others decided to go for it. We arranged a rendezvous later. For me, it was definitely the right decision. It also shows the importance of checking local conditions. The guide had done some homework, but not enough.
At the planned rendezvous, the group that had gone into the gorge weren’t there. As well as the hiking guide, we did also have a local guide and driver, who was going back and forth trying to keep our group informed while also finding out where the other group was. It had become a very worrying situation. Where were they? They were hours late.
When the other group eventually turned up, they were bedraggled and clearly exhausted. Some were cold and shivering, and we wrapped them in blankets and any spare clothes that were around. What had happened?
Near the start of the hike, they had to scramble over a huge boulder that was completely blocking the path. On the other side of the boulder was a stretch of water, through which they had to swim to continue on the trail. Once over the boulder, though, there was no going back. It would have been impossible to climb back over the boulder, they explained.
Then the going got worse. That wasn’t the only pool of water they had to swim through. There were many more, and they had no choice but to keep going. They couldn’t go back, and the walls of the gorge are sheer in places and rise up to 3,117 feet (950 m). No hope of climbing out.
So on they went. The gorge is 7 miles (12 kms) long, and the group was getting more tired all the time. Even the ones who were young and fit were struggling by the end, and the others were totally exhausted. It was clearly too early in the season for the gorge to be walkable, and our guide was distraught at what he had put the group through. He was aware how close it had been to disaster. Had just one person twisted their ankle, or simply been unable to go on, it might have needed a helicopter rescue.
It was clearly the guide’s responsibility to make sure the gorge was safe to walk, but he had asked around and been told it was OK. The people who told him it was OK were obviously assuming it was OK, as if they’d been down into the gorge they would have known it was definitely not OK.
The hikers recovered that evening, and in the end all was well. It’s a strong lesson, though, if you’re going hiking in Greece, especially in rugged mountainous areas. Always check and double-check current local conditions. Make sure the people you check with really know what they’re talking about. And always, always, let someone know where you are going and when you hope to return. In this case it was fortunately an organised group, with a guide, and with another driver/guide looking out for them. If you’re going hiking on your own or in a very small group, you may not be as lucky.
But don’t let that one incident put you off! It was unfortunate, and with conditions that weren’t normal. Greece is full of wonderful places to go hiking, including two of Europe’s most dramatic gorges, the Vikos Gorge and the Samaria Gorge. You could say that it’s gorgeous (sorry)! So enjoy it.
Till next time.
Safe travels.
Mike