ANNOUNCEMENTS

The restoration and marking works of the daily new hiking section of the Mornos valley, which now connects Sykia with Mousounitsa and Athanasios Diakos, have proceeded to their final stage since last autumn, but also during the winter season, covering so far about 2/3 of the entire route.

The daily crossing leg is developed in 12km connecting Giona with Vardousia. Let us not dwell on the situation we identified these trails for the composition of the route, especially on what we encountered in the Sykia - Mousounitsa section. The west bank of the Mornos had not been trodden by people and cattle for 7 decades, almost since the farms were deserted. The vegetation is dense, Mediterranean and the doros almost hermetically closed.

After much effort and the assistance of volunteers, it gained excellent passability and marking on the legs:

1. Sykia - Mornos 2km

2. Mousounitsa - Mornos 3km

3. Mousounitsa - Ath. Diakos 2,7km

To complete it there are still 4.3 difficult kilometres left on the riverside traverse moving west of Mornos. This section has frequent views of the river and holds the hyssop with little variation, and takes us from the site of the ancient fort (on the west bank of the Mornos below Sykia) to the ruins of the farmhouses found on the west side of the verdant valley, in proximity lower down from the settlement of Mousounitsa.

The passability of the traverse, after some interventions, is in a moderate condition, with regular marking, which makes the path passable by many people even at this time of year.

It is reasonable to wonder about the crossing of the Mornos, which takes place at the height of the fort. At this point in the past, the cattle farmers used to erect a makeshift log bridge and cross the river with their cattle. For the last 4 years the bridge has been gone, taken away by the momentum of the river. The crossing is now done carefully through the water, taking off your shoes when of course the level allows. The creation of a bridge would give safe passage all year round and it would be a welcome sight to see it standing there one day, facilitating the crossing of the Mornos.

As an initiative group we are moving in that direction, but it is a project that requires the assistance of others.

However beyond the need for a bridge, we can confidently say that in March there will be significant progress if not completion of signage & walkability across the entire 12km span.

It is the difficulty we face on this section of the route that is slowing the process down. Since 2020 there have been several iterations to identify and widen it. The bar is raised by the isolation of the point because it requires daily advancement with overnight stays in the field, which means a full load and extra effort.

Fortunately after so much friction in the field the team is initiated, but spring is ahead of us!

Volunteer participation for the Mornos traverse is limited due to the aforementioned difficulty in working and staying on the trail. This of course does not mean that this is a deterrent to any volunteer friends who may be thinking of following along in the near future.

Available gpx file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oFarzDJJY0Xm9cavi2WT71RJ_IlChwRG/view