Hiking up Mt. Olympus and suffering the wrath of Zeus

This weekend I went on a trek up Mount Olympus with 28 other people from CYA. The conditions were less that spectacular. When we got off the bus (a SEVEN hour ride, ugh can you say leg cramps?) it was pouring down rain. Our guide was about to cancel the trip entirely, but we convinced him that we wouldn't melt if we got wet. And, boy. did we get wet...

The first two hours of the hike we were completely soaked, but we trudged on. As we climbed in altitude, the weather turned colder.

The rain turned to sleet, then to snow. Before we new it, we were in the middle of a snow storm and I couldn't help but break out into total nerd mode, Lord of the Rings style. For those who need some edification, here is a link to what I'm referring to. Granted, it wasn't as bad for us as it was for Frodo, but you get the drift (no pun intended).

We finally made it to our refuge just as the sun was beginning to set. Our sleeping conditions consisted of one giant bed for all of us and tons of blankets. Did I mention that we had no heat?!

Instead of going to the summit, we had to return the next day because of icy conditions. Only a few people fell on the way down the mountain, but without any major injuries. One of my friends slipped on some ice and fell straight into another hiker who was heading up the trail. The only thing he said in his broken English was, "Shit Happens," and continued on his way. I feel like that is quite indicative of our entire trip.

At the bottom of the mountain, there was a waterfall that people were jumping into. I refrained, considering the temperature was a little above freezing, but many others didn't think twice about jumping straight into unbearably cold water. I did however get some pretty GREAT reaction shots after they realized what they've done.