Hike up Mount Hymettos

To this point, our time in Greece has been marked by early mornings, packed schedules, late nights and a constant overwhelming feeling of exhaustion. It goes without saying that our first opportunity to sleep in was highly anticipated. So, last night when I learned that Mr. Dr. Kaplan would be leading a group hike up Mount Hymettos that constituted a 5 am wake-up call, I was conflicted. The challenge of making it to the summit (farther than last year's group) was enticing. But another early morning was not at the top of my list of  favorite things. Still, I knew that an opportunity like this might not come about again, to hike up a mountain in the middle of Athens, to say I made it to the top, to see Greece's beauty from another perspective. So, I set my alarm for 5 am and sacrificed another morning of sleeping in. 

It didn't take long into the hike for me to realize that this was going to be an experience I would not regret. And the sleep lost, was well worth it. We started off following the winding mountain roads that led about a quarter of the way up the mountain. As we climbed higher and higher, the sun was just starting to rise over the mountains, slowly lighting up the sprawling city, the shadows cast by mountains dwindling to nothing. 

Eventually, we came upon a narrow, steep, rocky, slippery trail, and so the easy part was over. I'm an equestrian so I like to think I have strong legs, but about halfway up the first trail (there were three total) my knees, ankles and thighs were screaming at me. 

This was one of the easier trails. As we climbed they grew narrower, steeper and we grew tired. 

Still, we pushed on, motivated by the sight of the summit, ignoring the pain in our legs and lungs (mountain air is much thinner than the humid Florida air we're used to) though not without a few breathing breaks and motivational chants. Finally, we made it to the summit of Mount Hymettos around 7:30 am. 

I have to say, waking up at 5 am was such a small sacrifice to make. The hike was exhausting and painful but  it was fun and I got to spend some time with some people from our group that I don't know too well yet. Not to mention the feeling of accomplishment when you reach the top, or the incredible panoramic view of never-ending mountains, two coastlines, and the beautiful city the Greeks call Athína in between. 

It doesn't get much better than that.

I think I found my Kefi today!