Hiking through Vrykous

Touring a lost civilization

Early Arrival

After our early morning arrival in Karpathos we took a taxi from the ferry to our hotel. We were very early, way before check-in time, but the staff graciously upgraded our room to a two floor suite and let us in early. We stowed our belongings and got in our bathing suits and headed for the pool. The views looking out on the water were stunning. It was a very serene place. We spent the day exploring the beach right out front and then had dinner nearby.

The girls' dad, Kiko, arranged for us all to go on a hike together on our third day with a guide from Ecotourism Karpathos. The place we were going, the ruins of Vrykous (also sometimes called Vrykountas), was on the north end of the island.

The long and winding road

It's only 30 miles (45 km) from where we were staying in Pigadia to the village of Avlona but it takes an hour and a half to drive there, because the roads are so windy and twisty. It's very steep the farther you go with cliffs that go straight down to the sea. The road is a real fete of engineering. Mind-boggling to think of how they built it.

The whole island is like a giant very steep, narrow rock plunked down in the Aegean Sea. It's dry, nearly all rock, with not much tree cover, and mostly scrubby plant life. There are some pockets of turkish pines, which used to cover the island, some junipers and olives groves on the leeward side of the island.

Water sources are not at all visible. It must accumulate in the cracks of the rocks and rest below. There are water restrictions on the island. The place where we stayed had salt water pools which were wonderful. The island has a desalination plant close to Pigadia that is powered by renewable energy.

Arriving in Avlona

After what felt like a really long stomach swirling drive, we arrived in the small village of Avlona. We weren't there long when we were greeted by Evangelia, our tour guide. She explained that most of the people in the village worked the land there but lived in nearby Olympos. The houses in the village were very small and traditional and used largely in connection with farm work.

The valley is the most productive part of the island agriculturally. They grow many different crops: wheat, barley, a variety of produce. Small herds of goats are kept in pens with some wandering around. Donkeys roamed freely no longer beasts of burden but kept more as pets.

Terrace Farming

The mountains go high above the valley on both sides and there are stone terraced plots going all the way up towards the peaks that were once used for growing wheat and barley. You see these terraces carved into mountainsides in many places all over the island, which is how they fed the people of the ancient city. Mostly they farm only in the valley these days.

Evangelia said that people have lost the art of making the stone fences that line the mountainside and frame the plots. It is a complicated thing to build and the rocks need to fit together just right.

People in the village were working hard coordinating farm work and there was an old lady who seemed to be ordering everyone around. We passed by them on our way towards the trail.

Farming plots in Avlona

"He who sees things grow from the beginning will have the best view of them."

– Aristotle

Questions and logistics

I wasn't sure what to expect from this hike. I did ask a few questions when we first discussed it. How long was the hike? Around 2 hours. Was it a difficult hike? No, kids have done the hike before. It seemed doable, though I did have some concerns.

I made sure everyone had on sunscreen, full water bottles and were wearing hats. There isn't much shade to be found anywhere on the island, and this was summer so I was a bit concerned about the heat and the sun.

Hiking through the ruins of the ancient city of Vrykous

The trail took us through the valley and then down the mountainside to the ocean below. Evangelia was very knowledgable about the area, the flora and the history, having grown up in Olympos. She clearly knew everyone there and had hiked the trail many, many times. The path we were taking passed right through the ancient site of the city of Vrykous.

Karpathos was originally part of the Minoan culture which worshipped a goddess, had a less hierarchal structure and women held important roles in society. They were taken over by the Dorian culture, a more war focused society.

At its peak the city of Vrykous had around 100,000 inhabitants. This was over 2000 years ago. Which would make it one of the largest settlements in the world at that time. Seeing the space empty and barren, with us the only people on the trail and imagining it with 100,000 people was hard to fathom. The current population of the entire island of Karpathos is only 6,567 (year-round) residents. I couldn't help but wonder, where did they get their water?

I looked into it and found that they did a lot of rainwater harvesting and cisterns. There are springs in some places, and small rivers that are sometimes dammed. They also used wells and aqueducts.

Old tree in Avlona

Lost Forests

Karpathos, like many of the Greek islands, used to be covered with forests which are now mostly gone and the land has become very dry. It seems wherever humans go trees start to disappear. To their detriment they're incredibly useful. You can make trees into so many different things: buildings, boats, furniture, paper, fuel, tools, etc. I think we can't help ourselves from cutting them down and turning them into new things.

The only way current way to curtail this is by having laws limiting the harvesting of trees and laws protecting the forests. It somewhat works. I think shifting how we value the health of the earth and our direct ecosystems is an essential component for helping develop an environment where many forms of life can thrive. We are terribly out of balance.

Having trees helps draw water to an area. They pull water into their roots and they release it through their leaves creating clouds, which cools things down and draws air currents from the ocean bringing rain. They are a key part of the hydrologic cycle.

Sacked and pillaged

We hiked over the valley until we came to the point where the plateau ended and the trail started to descend. From here you could really see the ruins of the lost city. It was strange to me to think that this island supported such a large civilization. What changed that made it no longer capable of supporting such a populace?

I was curious why the city was abandoned and Evangelia explained that it was because it was repeatedly attacked by pirates. I inquired where the pirates were from, and she said it is unknown. They would shelter on nearby Saria island and then come over and raid the city. They could have been from anywhere around the Mediterranean.

Building foundations along the peninsula

Abandoned

Eventually the citizens abandoned the city and moved up to towns in the mountains which were easier to defend. Everything was looted. The graves were all robbed. The remnants were gone, carried away to unknown places. Much of the knowledge of who the people were and how they lived was lost. 

You can see the foundations of the buildings that were once there, along the slope and on the peninsula. There isn't much of a harbor in the cove. Evangelia said they tried to build a dock at some point but it was immediately destroyed by the unruly sea. The better port nearby is on the leeward side of the island in Diafani.

This was once a large city

Standing on the Precipice

As I stood on the precipice looking at the hike before us down to the sea, I knew that getting back up was going to be a challenge. Not so much for me, but for the girls and their dad. At this point it was the peak of the heat of the day, and there was no shade anywhere. 

Our water bottles are a fairly large size, 24 ounces or 710ml and I filled them with ice and water in the morning. We each had one. I would have brought more if I knew more about the overall distance. I tried to drink sparingly in case I needed to share. 

The hike took us all the way down to the water, where we stopped, had some snacks, cooled off in the sea, and dipped our hats in the salty water, to help us keep cool as we climbed back up.

Longer than expected

The hike that I thought was going to be 2 hours turned out to be around 5. The girls were real troopers and didn't complain at all as we were hiking back up. I was proud of them. They walked far ahead and I tried to stay in the middle, with my eyes on them, and also to be aware of their dad and Evangelia in the back.

Before we left San Francisco for Greece, I read on the Guardian about a British TV doctor who died of heat exhaustion on a nearby island. He left the beach alone and became disoriented and eventually collapsed. It sounded like it occurred very quickly. This was reported only two weeks before we arrived. So that was on my mind, and I wanted to make sure that we all made it back safely.

Evangelia was a great guide and I felt like we were in good hands with her. She had some extra water with her and some apples, which she shared with Kiko and I shared my extra water with the girls, who then shared their extra water with Kiko. Our guide stayed at the back to keep an eye on the hiking party.

Hiking back up 

Grinding back up

It didn't help my worries that this spring I read the book "The Heat will Kill You First" which is about the impacts of heat on the human body and how that will affect all of us because of the climate crisis. I read alot of books about climate change, because I want to understand what is happening.

It was a slog with the sun baring down, and we took a few breaks to catch our breath, but without shade it was best not to linger. After what felt like a long time we made it back to the upper plateau and from there we came to the village and blessedly a little tarverna was open and we stopped in for some cold water and lunch.

Avlona Taverna

Stories over lunch

The food was fresh, local and yummy. I had a salad full of delicious local produce, some hearty bread and olive oil. The girls tried some local pasta and they gave us a sweet treat made of bread and honey for dessert.

Evangelia was with us and she told us how a couple of weeks before she had taken the ferry to Athens to visit a friend. Her friend got some last minute tickets to see Coldplay who were on tour with the goal of promoting sustainability of touring for bands and reducing their carbon emissions.

As they were waiting somewhere near the venue, someone approached her and asked if she spoke Greek and if she would translate the introduction for the band. She agreed and stood up in front of thousands of people welcoming the band and explaining what they are doing to have a more environmentally conscious approach to touring. They definitely picked the right person to speak!

Ecotourism Karpathos Guide Evangelia

Heading Back

It was a beautiful hike and very educational. We looked into a part of ancient history that was new to us and it left us craving more knowledge. After the long hike I knew that we would all sleep well that night. 

"But nature flies from the infinite; for the infinite is imperfect, and nature always seeks an end."

– Aristotle