Below the Radar - Cyprus Summer of '74

Chapter 21 : Morning Banter (Everybody's Talkin')

Horseshoe Hike Day 4: Misty Trails

The camp awoke next morning to a cold, still, misty morning, the temperature this high on the mountain some twenty degrees cooler than down on the south coast. The day would warm slowly but hiking the steep south west slopes of Troodos meant they would see little sun during the morning and were unlikely to see the temperature rise above fifty degrees Fahrenheit. If the cloud and mist persisted it would be cooler still. Everyone was prepared for the possibility of significant patches of snow near the peak and on the highest mountain passes.

In response, for the first time, boys and girls slowly emerged from tents across the site wearing several layers of warm clothing. Chunky jumpers with gaudy hoops, long fleecy lumberjack style check shirts, flared and bell bottomed jeans, a variety of dark green, brown and black corduroy trousers were all now in evidence. Bobble hats and scarves had replaced shorts and tee-shirts.

Obvious exceptions apart, the teams mingled easily, morning gatherings around neighbours' tents were becoming the norm as teams mixed with friends old and new. Meeting around cooking stoves as breakfast was prepared and tea supped, early risers talking in muted tones awaiting the emergence of all their team mates. Conversation switched between the effect of the day passed, the changing state of toes, feet, legs and backs and the challenge of the day ahead. Alex and Dan chatted to several of their school mates from Episkopi, discovering that three more participants, two boys and a girl, had withdrawn from the hike overnight. Two due to injured feet and painful blisters, whilst another boy had been taken ill. All three would be transported back down to Limassol and on to Akrotiri whilst the remaining hikers tackled day four.

The day ahead marked a major milestone on the hike. They would pass the half way mark and scale the highest point in Cyprus. The natural result was that the hike from thereon would be literally as well as figuratively downhill all the way. In addition tonight would be spent under a solid roof in two large barracks rooms, a comparative luxury.

Completing the first four days successfully to stand briefly on the highest point of the island before spending the night at the RAF Troodos camp had always carried its own standalone prestige, second only to completing the full seven days of the hike. By custom, the hike organisers committee normally arranged a small and quiet social event in the evening for the successful hikers. Even the thought of a simple bbq of burgers, sausages and buns plus a couple of cans of coke all cooked by, and courtesy of, the support staff drove the hikers on.

But that was getting too far ahead. Even though short at just over eleven miles, the terrain for day four was exceptionally tough and the incline unfailingly steep. To reach Mount Olympus they would climb some eight hundred and fifty metres through thick forest, often following poorly defined mountain tracks. After the summit they would complete the day with a relatively easy and short downhill tramp along the road from Mount Olympus back to the RAF Troodos Mountain camp or leave centre as it was locally known.

One consequence of the days 'special' status was that even for the most committed of teams, the day was not considered part of the informal competitive inter-team challenge. It was accepted the mountain alone would set the pace. Reaching the golf balls and having Mount Olympus stamped in your log book the only measure of success required.

After a brief tour of the site chatting with other early risers, Alex and Dan stopped at the girls section. The four girls' teams had grown close over the previous three days, working together to organise communal cooking and eating areas each night. They all contributed food and provisions and shared the chores of cooking and washing up. A sound, very practical idea, but not one that would have ever occurred to the boys.