The lower slopes of the mountain are covered in bright wildflowers and buzzing with insects.

View from the mountain shelter ("refuge") at dawn, before starting out for the final ascent to the summit.

View from the Skala Plateau. To the right is Mytikas, "the nose," the highest peak of Olympus.

Jordanna slogging her way up the Skala Plateau, the final leg of the hike before reaching "Mytikas."

Thin air, no sleep, and a grueling hike nearly kill Jordanna.

A small Greek flag marks the summit of the nation's highest peak--and the home of the Olympians.

The summit of Olympus as seen from the Skala Plateau beneath. The scale is deceptive. If you look VERY closely, you should be able to see a tiny speck of a hiker.

Red dots mark the way along a narrow ridge that leads to the summit. Clouds block the view on either side.

Sunset over Meteora in northern Greece, site of monasteries spectacularly situated on natural fingers of rock.

This is where I imagine Orion lies resting beside the sea, communing with his father Poseidon.

It's easy to imagine Artemis and Orion hunting in the gorges of Crete.