the Stella Solaris in 1964.
European-certified mountain guide, Alex, along with Irene, a
guide-in-training, and our Samothraki guide, Giorgos, would
lead us to the top. On day one they established supplies at our
base camp at tree line. Early on day two we began our climb,
lunching and resting at base camp before reaching the top,
then returning to base camp for dinner and the night. On the
third day, we descended.
During our climb a poisonous black viper appeared a few feet
to my left. Without a moment���s hesitation a guide clobbered
it with his staff. We were riveted to the scene.
Few landscapes I have seen possess so many great gnarled ancient trees. The grove of oak trees that served as a canopy for
our base camp seemed to have stepped straight out of a Tolkien forest. One tree, weary of standing upright, had fallen to
Mount Fengari
