Panorama Photo

Great conditions for this dominant mountain. In November 2020, I had also considered the approach from the South to Profitis Ilias that you show here --- however, I was unsure whether the long dirt road in the approach was suitable to my small rental car. Your vehicle, hardened in Himalaya and South America, was probably the better choice to get here. Cheers, Martin

Indeed... with the detail that, for the Taygetos, North America (for further detail, the East Coast) turned out more useful than South America.
My ascent was from the little village of Kastania, 750 m. Night in the sleeping bag outside Panagia Giatrissa, 1040 m, a monastery in wonderful position on the ridge. From there, 8 km of dirt road to a fork from where a road descends to Exochori. There is a gorgeous viewpoint not far from the fork, where the latter road crosses the S ridge of the Mavrovouna: I made a detour to it during the descent.
From there, further 5-6 km (I believe) to the little church Agios Dimitrios, 1495 m, where there were also some tents of local people. End of the track, and start of the path along the wonderful ridge. A combined tour of a quality comparable to the ascent of the Lefka Ori from Sfakia - Anopoli, in Crete, or to the track along the ridge of the Peloritani, in Sicily. Pure essence of that magical and unique place which is the Mediterranean.
Unfortunately, on the descent I had a flat tyre on the flat stretch before the Giatrissa, and during the repair I had the misfortune to... break the pump, which happened when the front wheel was at little more than one atmosphere. So, I had to push the bicycle all the way down to Kastania, an unlikely place to locate a pump with the right valve compatibility in a late summer evening.
But in July the place was crowded with former inhabitants coming back for summer holiday from New York, where many of them emigrated. So, with the help of these reasonably young and English-speaking people (two features which are by no means the rule in a mountain village of Peloponnese...) I was able to fix the problem. The news of the strange tourist with strange needs spread quickly across the village (indifference is still unknown in blessed places like this one) and a pump materialized from some house: an hour later I was quietly eating my dinner, sitting under the trees of the wonderful square of Kastania.
The next morning, of course, I headed straight to Gythio for a new pump, with which I was ready for Cape Maleas...

Luoghi meravigliosi. Tra i miei preferiti.

Looks like an abandoned place in pure nature. How long did you hike this day?

Looking at the Exif (memory fails to help me in such detail...) it seems that I walked since 12.00 until 18.30.
Considering also cycling, I was occupied since 06.30 until 22.30.
Time well spent, however!