Seven Power Spots in Ikaria
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 4 Δεκεμβρίου, 2018 Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, holidays, ikaria, pleasure, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: adventure, aegean, atheras, eleni-in-ikaria, explorers, Google maps, Greece, hiking, hiking map, hiking trails, ikaria, χάρτης, Ορειβατικός Πεζοπορικός Σύλλογος Ικαρίας, ΟΠΣ Ικαρίας, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, Mountain Climbing and Hiking Association of Ikaria, my-friends, OPS Ikarias, self-guided hiking 12 Σχόλια.
Hello readers!
The Sturmvogel 💗
said «Soul Powered Works»!
And I say now «Seven Power Spots»!!!
It’s wintertime and summer is a long way ahead, so let’s forget «narcinstagram» 🙂 for a while and get down to serious business. Because here I am going to catch the pending threads from Nana’s glorious old article «Hiking routes…» and weave some more cloth on the loom.
Skip the metaphors…
This article is actually about the work of Hiking Club of Ikaria in mapmaking! Let me quote Nana’s words about these people…
«In spite the lack of support by government and privates, OPS Ikarias are doing more than their best to promote hiking in Ikaria. In the course of time they have literally built with their hands a large network of very popular hiking routes in the island’s varied landscapes and since 2014 when they owned a page in Google they started making Google maps of some of these hikes. Though I have helped several times, it is never enough. There is and there will always be plenty more to do.»
«This entry stands as a due tribute, promotion and encouragement to their effort. As I said and as surprising as this can be, the OPS Ikarias are not funded by anybody. On the other hand, as far as marking and mapping the paths are concerned, given that they are very few and that the terrain of the island is very rough and complicated, they haven’t done badly at all!»
«However, their task is far from being concluded. The maps that I am presenting below to do not correspond to organized, marked and clearly secure trails of the kind we see in other parts of the world. So very often advise and guidance in needed in advance. But the good thing is that the OPS Ikarias are residents who live on the island all year long. So, before you take up any of these hikes, I am asking you to get in contact with them either through their Google page, blog, photo gallery on Flickr and group on facebook.»
And I, how am I involved? Well, I was the naive and ignorant newcomer who put a few red marks on this map of Ikaria and posted it on my blog back in 2006. It became so popular so fast on the net that I felt awkard and had to take it down (Nana, our good archiver, stored it though). You see, although I have done a lot in this direction, I wouldn’t take it on me to draw maps of my island, thus offering reliable guidance across its exciting but rough, exhausting and sometimes dangerous landscapes.
These times are over! Since that old red marker stained sheet of paper, we have had fine quality digital mapmaking on the net, interactive, with a signature, and for free, created by OPS Ikarias for the sake of hiking, nature, tradition, pleasure and sport. There is so much love into this things that I have decided to call the places included in these maps -places where they have dedicated so much time and work (Soul Powered Work!)– I have decided to call them «Power Spots»!
How many are they until now? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 !!!
So here they are, dear readers, nature lovers and possible future hikers of Ikaria, the Seven Power Spots of the island, checked, signed, branded and… blogged!
Love
Eleni
your faithful weaver
. 💗’
.
1) The Lighthouse of Kavo Papas
Check the OPS Ikarias review of the location
About the trail, check the OPS Ikarias map:
«Karkinagri – Kavo Papas»
and the amazing photos included in my article:
«A Day at an Exhibition»
2) «Σπιτάκι της Μαμής»
Check the OPS Ikarias review of the location
and my article: «The little house in the desert»
3) Δάσος Ράντη
See also my richly illustrated article:
«Legends about Ikaria: The Forest of Radi»
«The Round of Radi Forest on Foot»
(See also their review of the location)
4) ΛΑΓΚΑΔΑ
[♦] See the location on the map and read
the OPS Ikarias review loaded with many recent photos.
[♦] See the map & description of the 1st hiking route in the area:
«HINTERLAND»
A hiking round in the wild mountains of western Ikaria
Also in the OPSI blog: «HINTERLAND»,
γύρος στην ορεινή ενδοχώρα της δυτικής Ικαρίας.
[♦] See the map & description of the 2nd hiking route in the area:
«On the old dry stone built trails of Northwestern Ikaria»
Mavrianou – Vrakades – Langada – Amalou
5) Crossing Mt Atheras from north to south
With a stop for a meal in Taverna Plaka».
[Read the OPS Ikarias review of this place]
Map of the hike:
«Karavostamo – Dokimi – Arethousa – Chrysostomo»
Photos:
«Karavostamo – Dokimi – Arethousa – Chrysostomo»
The Pictures!!!
6) Chalares Canyon
[♦] The beautiful area and the old chapel of «Ai Giannis»,
also the epicenter of the «Musical Yards» events in July.
[♦] Read the OPS Ikarias review
about the trail in the Canyon.
[♦] Finally, for the experienced, the bold and the demanding:
«The Round of Upper Chalares Canyon»
7) Μονοπάτι του Αθέρα
[♦] This amazing long trail running on Ikaria’s high mountain ridge starts from the Tower of Drakano. Read the OPS Ikarias review of the place and check out the location on the map.
[♦] About the trail read the OPS Ikarias review
and check out the starting point.
[♦] Finally, the map of the first part of this hike. It’s one of the best I’ve seen on Google maps! I so hope OPS Ikarias will continue with this project!
«THE TRAIL OF ATHERAS RIDGE»
.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Finally, don’t miss to buy the new hiking map of Ikaria by ANAVASI EDITIONS!
All of these locations and trails are included, and even more, most of which offered gratis by the Ikarian Hiking Club!
Ikaria, Greece
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Updated
Monday 29, August 2022
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τοπια των αλλων plus +
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 25 Σεπτεμβρίου, 2015 Filed under: choses vécues, hiking, ikaria, photography, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: aegean, angels' pools, atheras, Cézanne, eleni-in-ikaria, environment, flickr, general takes, Greece, hiking, hiking trails, ikaria, Αθέρας, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, landscape shots, landscapes of others, my-friends, OPS Ikarias, people in landscape, wild shots, wild swimming 5 Σχόλια.
Hello readers! ❤
Erietta’s latest visual commnent in one of my older entries was smashing! ⭐
Where do these new young girls come from? 🙄 To be honest, I feel the urge to assemble and post a 2nd part of «Who in The Where» only for their sake! Maybe I will do it later, for example in January or February, when I will have missed summer. Now I have stick to my schedule and to do the last of «Landscapes of others». Only that, to pay respect to the new trend, I have chosen landscapes which are not empty. Ladies and gentlemen, dear readers of my humble blog, please welcome 13 landscape shots celebrating the wild nature of Ikaria, 13 landscape shots which somewhere in their many pixels include beautiful human figures! In one of them I am included too, that was when I was young and wild enough to match the natural surroundings. Let’s see if you can spot me
Here we go! Go little poeple in the landscape!
Go Ikaria! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
.
You were bored because you have seen these pictures already?
I promise, my next post will be more original!
Follow me up!
Eleni Ik
❤
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
These Mountains are for Yoga!
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 30 Αυγούστου, 2015 Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, ikaria, photography, pleasure, travel | Tags: adventure, aegean, asanas, atheras, beach, enviro-lore, fitness, girls, Greece, hiking, ikaria, instagram, island in the aegean sea, Αιγαίο, Δάσος Ράντη, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, mountain, nature-culture, out of the beaten path, people in landscape, people-landscape, performance, philosophy, photo rapsody, Radi, The EGG, tourism, Xenia, yoga, yoga postures 6 Σχόλια- .
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__
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. . Please forgive my ignorance if I made one or two mistakes in giving the sanskit names of the different yoga postures. I thought the terms of that magical old language connect well to the original spiritual meaning of the exercises. The title of the entry is a tribute to the unforgettable «These Mountains Are For Dancing», a brilliant performance on the mountains of Ikaria by OPS Ikarias in 2014.
Tuesday, September 1, 2014
Two big hikes Google mapped!
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 28 Φεβρουαρίου, 2015 Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, ikaria, photography, travel | Tags: adventure, aegean, angels' pools, atheras, ecotourism, empty-landscapes, forest, Google maps, Greece, highlights, hiking, hiking trails, ikaria, Δάσος Ράντη, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, June, map, naked, OPS Ikarias, out of the beaten path, photography, Radi, Ratsos, tourism, Upper Chalares 5 Σχόλια.
One’s own country is the country where one does not need a map, even less a Google map with coordinates, to go around. But Ikaria is not your country so maybe you do. As a matter of fact, I think you do. Our little island is very complicated and if you have a doubt just go and browse through my «landscapes of others» set of illustrated entries. I’d rather see people walking these landscapes, instead of those disastrous goats, therefore, besides my explorers, I hold in great esteem the people who make maps and share them with the world, evenmore, when these people go for originality, have good taste and stay away from clichés.
As you have assumed, since my last entry about the «Ikaria Guidebook», I have changed course, and have taken on to the practical side of things. Let’s say, how about hiking safely in the famous but little known, ancient Forest of Radi? How about going in the depths of the upper part of Chalares canyon to find waterfalls and pools to swim naked? 😉
Don’t worry about crowds, ’cause the articles that I will suggest speak about places only for the few. And I would be surprised if you met even few. Take my word, I have been in both these places several times and in spite their breathtaking wild beauty, I never met a living soul!
Although Ikaria has all the assets to become an AAA mountain and outdoor destination, nobody on the island seems to care to know what to do about it so things are left to chance. Taking everything into account, it doesn’t matter. With the exception of the short tourist boom of August, we are and, as it seems, we will always be an island for the few – the few hunters of adventure in a wild and exciting unknown! 😎
But even hunters of adventure need help sometimes…
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The first Google mapped hiking route I would like to present to you today was created by the local Mountain Climbing &’ Hiking Association (OPS Ikarias) and it is about a circular hike in the Forest of Radi which lies between the village of Petropouli in Messaria and the village of Frantato in Perameria. Their blog can be easily translated through Google translate, so here is what they say in the announcement of the completion of this hiking route:
«Hello Readers! After many hiking trips and searches which ended in defining a circular route in Radi Forest, our Hiking Club proudly presents the digital map: «The Round of Radi Forest»!»
They have indeed made many trips and searches and their Google map the best evidence. This document contains 70 pins with coordinates along an intricate trail of more than 12 kilometers, most of them inside a thick forest, as well as 145 photos! If not for anything but only to appreciate the ammount of their work I think it’s worthwhile to zoom in to make a virtual walk from pin to pin and browse through the pictures. What a feat! But as they said when I asked, that magical forest was worth it!
If you click on the image below you will be transported to the OPS Ikarias website where you can read/translate their entry. At the end there is a list of advice and instructions which you may find useful before you do this hike.
…..
And now, after thick mysterious woods, let’s speak about rocks, sun and river water. Do you remember our friend Zdeněk Šenkyřík, the Czech photographer who I praised in my blog last July? Well, Zdeněk recently revisited his material from Ikaria as well as other islands and reorganized everything into something that I would call «Do it like Zdeněk!»
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Introducing his chapter about Ikaria Zdeněk says:
«In 2014 while we were planning our trip to Samos, we made a small change to visit Ikaria as well. We wanted to get to know this paradise for lovers of wild nature – canyons, waterfalls, mountain hikes – awesome!»
Indeed, once on the island last June he and his partner Petra were guided by the members of OPS Ikarias and they discovered several places of the kind they were looking for. A list of these spots which are so well shown in Zdeněk’s photos appears in a Google map inside the general page about Ikaria. But the best map and the best photos are included in the subchapter «Chalares Ikaria – swimming in waterfalls». Click on the image below to be transported to that page. We ❤ Zdeněk and Petra!
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Still, before closing this, I have to advise everybody who found these hikes appealing to read again my forenote about the situation in Ikaria about hiking. To find and explore safely and succesfully the amazing forest of Radi or the wild and secluded upper part of Chalares canyon the best thing to do is to contact the members of OPS Ikarias, either at their blog which is open to comments or at their facebook page. Like they did with the Czech friends, not only they will be willing to help but they will also have other interesting suggestions according to your likes and the time of the year.
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Eleni Ik ❤
Saturday February 28, 2015
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