Just when you think youve heard it all...
I usually avoid getting into these conversations online with people i dont know or have any intention of meeting,but i also have a natural reaction whenever i hear or read nonsense or crap especially if its aimed at me...
So here we go Tours (Andreas) and GerdHH (or whatever your name is).
The Kakos Poros descent and ascent route had been used for many many years in the past before i finally did it in the summer of 2016.I also found a bit of info here:
http://www.sfakia-crete-forum.com
and I knew of other people that had done it and a few months before i attempted it the local Chania mountaineering club did the route (a group of about 20 hikers)and posted many photos online so it was natural for me to at least try it.I ended up doing it twice in two months.Its a steep non-technical downwards hike that requires the use of ones arms for the first steep bit,requires a lot of caution on the area to the east under the cliff due to the risk of rockfall and then continues onto loose scree with tree trunks scattered on the route and the final descent to the E4 footpath is over large rocks and requires patience.Its not a route to be done with bad weather but should not take anyone more than 3 hours to get down to the E4.
I often hike in the Sfakia mountains and area and have many friends there,there are many people i dont know so well but are friends on facebook with and i also know some of the firefighters that are usually called out to rescues when there is an accident in the mountains here.But not one of them has mentioned anything to me or tried to talk to me about the video ive posted on my youtube channel and the track ive posted on my wikiloc profile.
WHERE EXACTLY DO I ENCOURAGE ANYONE TO ATTEMPT THE ROUTE??? ON YOUTUBE I CLEARLY STATE IN GREEK AND ENGLISH THAT IT IS ONLY FOR EXPERIENCED HIKERS AND ON THE WIKILOC PAGE OF THE ROUTE IVE GIVEN IT THE MOST DIFFICULT GRADE (ONLY FOR EXPERIENCED) AND AGAIN IN GREEK AND ENGLISH I SAY THAT IT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!
With your logic if i or anyone else watches a video from Everest or K2 for example or any other difficult mountain in the world and then we go to attempt the route without the right equipment,experience or knowledge and we hurt ourselves or others in the process we then have to blame the person that made the video and not ourselves...Ive never heard anything more dumb in my life.Anyone can download the gps tracks for ascending the Matterhorn,the Eiger or Mont Blanc,but just because someone has the gps track doesnt mean that they should attempt a route if they dont have the right skills.There are many much more difficult routes in the White Mountains than the Kakos Poros route and many of them are detailed in this forum itself,where anyone can download them.So if someone has an accident in the Elygia gorge at the rope pitch and theyve got the info from this forum then its the forums fault? What is this madness you are claiming?
Accidents can and will happen to anyone,anywhere.The two fatal accidents this year in Chanias mountains had Greek victims and occured on medium difficulty routes (Vryssi gorge and at the beginning of the ascent up to Fanari peak).People will continue to hike,climb and explore in general with or without gps tracks and with or without youtube videos.The thing that you two obviously have failed to understand is that the more information people can get on routes the more UNLIKELY an accident is.When someone can see a difficulty grade,see what the terrain is like and get a general idea of a route then they are more likely to either not try it at all if they judge its too difficult for them or be much better prepared if they do try it!
The Anavasi maps have now included the Trypiti gorge in the newest edition,is that wrong also?Who are you to judge anything?
Now both of you should visit the official samaria gorge website:
http://www.samaria.gr/en/home-2/
When on the page click on Samaria National Park and then maps below and then data area in google earth.When the next page opens click on trails (in green,below) and you automatically will download a kmz file.Now open it in google earth and you will see (photo A) what the official Samaria gorge site is suggesting as extra footpaths in the Samaria national park...Amongst others youll see that they have the Xyloskalo-Gigilos-Psiristra-Ag. Roumeli trek,which is considered by many to be the hardest route in Crete and to the right they have the Kakos Poros route! Without any extra information!
And your problem is my video and gps track...What can i say...
A simple internet search will produce many videos and info from others,for example: 1. videos of Trypiti and Klados gorges 2. video of a winter ascent up the northwest ridge of Pachnes 3. video of a ski descent down the Volakias gullies 4. a blogspot with reports from many mixed winter climbing routes 5. another blog with a report from the Katsigianni myti route (the ridge between the Samaria and Elygia gorges).All these routes are much much more difficult than the Kakos Poros route.So i guess using your logic they should also not have posted anything online with the fear that someone inexperienced will try those routes right? People upload and post what they want to.THE FINAL DECISION AND FULL RESPONSIBILITY OF ANYONE ATTEMPTING A HIKE,CLIMB,ETC. COMES DOWN TO THE PERSON ACTUALLY DOING IT!
1.
https://www.youtube.com/user/tsampa13/videos
2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9unP0b8_A4
3.
https://vimeo.com/125580073
4.
http://climbinchania.blogspot.gr/
5.
http://skondinakis.blogspot.gr/2010/10/ ... a-ori.html
This will be the very last post i make on this forum.I thought people at least would be interested with info on new and generally uknown to many routes,NOT CRITICAL!
There is a saying in Greece that says:
ΟΣΑ ΔΕΝ ΦΤΑΝΕΙ Η ΑΛΕΠΟΥ ΤΑ ΚΑΝΕΙ ΚΡΕΜΑΣΤΑΡΙΑ!
If you dont understand what it means ask your local friends to translate it for you next time you meet them...
Rob
- photo A
