Mount Helicon may not enjoy the honor of a good position amongst Greece’s highest mountains, coming only 59th in a row. Despite its nearly insignificant height (1749m) however, it may well boast of being one of the most renowned mountains in the world concerning its millennia-long, rich history, and tradition. This mountain has been carrying a sacred notion since a lost-in-the-depth-of-time era for ancient Greek and Roman people. Numerous prominent incidents of their mythology took place on its slopes. And Hippocrene and Aganippe, the Muses who used to inhabit its mystical forests, have been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for many generations of poets. Mount Helicon’s vicinity to Athens makes it an ideal destination for a day trip. So, at some time before the sunrise of a winter morning, we were starting from Greece’s capital to perform a pilgrimage to this revered mountain.
We drive on the highway leading north towards Lamia, we take the exit to Thebes and Livadia, and a few km before the latter we turn left towards the village of Aghia Anna. The day had just broken in when, that day, we arrived at the village and the clear sky above us was promising a sunny day of rare beauty. We parked the car and we took the trail, which starts on the uppermost point of the village (38.314622 22.900135).
From here on we follow the well-signalled trail running along the ravine, inside a deep fir-forest of a very mystical character. Wondering at the mysteries of this ancient forest, while enjoying the constant accompaniment of the Muses and every sort of spirit inhabiting the forest, we soon leave the vegetation behind us and we follow the trail along the rather naked slope till we reach a plateau with a small shack made of cement-bricks standing on it. Here we see the summit towering right in front of us. We can choose either to follow the road we’ll find zigzagging up the slope, from where sparse marks will lead the easy way up the top, or just take a rather faster line straight up.
Check out this page for more ideas about hiking near Athens or this one for hiking throughout Greece.
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