Mount Askio is situated in the heart of the Western Macedonia region of northern Greece. Adjoined by Mount Verno to the north and Mount Vourino to the south, it is the central part of the mountain chain that separates the Kastoria prefecture from the plain of Ptolemaida. Its highest peak, called Siniatsiko, reaches an elevation of 2,111 meters, making Askio the 34th highest mountain in Greece.
While visiting my 13-year-old nephew in Kastoria, we were looking for an easy, nearby mountain for his first hiking trip. Mount Askio seemed an ideal choice: a mere 600-meter ascent at a slight gradient, no technical sections, good views…
So we packed and left the city of Kastoria in the early morning. It took a 50 km scenic ride up the mountain to reach the trailhead at the northern foot of the peak. I mistakenly assumed, without checking, that we’d find a petrol station en route. We arrived almost empty and had to let the car roll down the entire mountain on the return. A picturesque village named Kleisoura was the only one the road passed through. We stopped at its sole bakery for drinks and pastry; the owner was particularly eager to vent his complaints about his business, the government, and whatnot.
The last bit of the drive was on a fairly navigable dirt road amid complete wilderness. Toward the end, we saw grazing horses and two hares crossing the road. The trailhead’s coordinates are 40.4294, 21.5740. A cow pen is installed at the spot. Their owner arrived concurrently with us to tend to them and was keen to describe the route to the top. Kind of him, but there wasn’t a need.
The trail is as straightforward as it gets. We took the obvious line along the bare ridge, following the signs and the wind turbines. It’d be impossible to miss, even in the fog that covered the mountain during our ascent. The whole route is well above the tree line, which means that bears wouldn’t normally stray up there, but we brought pepper spray just in case.
In exactly two hours, we stepped on the summit as the sky began to clear. A triangulation pillar and a little shrine stood there. The wind turbines reached almost all the way up, diminishing the naturalness of the scenery. Regardless, the view was still spectacular. Surrounding mountains, a part of Kastoria Lake, and the wide plain of Ptolemaida were all visible. Taking it in, we had a hearty lunch and headed down.
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