Christos Kakkalos facts for kids
Christos Kakkalos (Greek: Χρήστος Κάκκαλος) was a brave Greek mountain guide. He was born on July 13, 1882, and passed away on April 12, 1976. He is known for leading a special trip in 1913 with Swiss explorers Daniel Baud-Bovy and Frédéric Boissonnas. During this trip, he became the first person to climb Mytikas, which is the highest peak of Mount Olympus in Greece. Mytikas stands tall at 2917.727 meters!
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About Christos Kakkalos
Christos Kakkalos was born in a town called Litochoro. At that time, Litochoro was part of the Ottoman Empire. After just three years of school, he started helping his family. They worked as lumberjacks, cutting down trees.
His family owned a small hut on the east side of Mount Olympus. It was called Paliokalyva, which means "old hut." They would cut wood and then transport it to sawmills that used water power in a place called Prionia. Because of this work, Christos learned a lot about the mountains from a very young age. He even hunted animals like the Balkan chamois high up near the mountain tops.
His Guiding Adventures
Christos Kakkalos became a very experienced mountain guide. In July 1919, 1921, and September 1927, he led more groups up Mount Olympus. The 1927 trip was huge, with 105 people!
In 1921, he guided a Swiss mapmaker named Marcel Kurz. Marcel Kurz is thought to be the first person to climb Stefani, another high peak on Mount Olympus (2909 m). Christos also guided a Swiss engineer named Fritz Kuhn on that trip. In 1931, he again led Daniel Baud-Bovy and a group of climbers.
Until 1932, Christos and the groups he guided would often spend the night in his family's old hut, Paliokalyva. In 1930, work began on the first mountain hut on Mount Olympus, called "Spilios Agapitos."
In 1937, the Greek Mountaineering Association officially made him the guide for Mount Olympus. He guided many different people, including scientists, artists, and even important leaders. Christos Kakkalos was incredibly strong and loved the mountains. He reached the summit of Mount Olympus for the last time in 1973, when he was 91 years old!
Christos Kakkalos passed away on April 12, 1976. To honor him, a mountain hut on the Muses Plateau (2680 m) was named after him in 1984.
The First Climb of Mytikas
On July 28, 1913, the Swiss explorers Daniel Baud-Bovy and Frédéric Boissonnas arrived in Litochoro. They hired Christos Kakkalos and another lumberjack, Nikos Bistikos, to help them reach the top of Mount Olympus.
The Journey Begins
The very next day, they started their climb. By noon, they reached the Agios Dionysios Monastery. From there, they continued to Petrostrouga and spent the night. On July 30, they reached the Muses Plateau, which is about 2600 meters high. They climbed some other peaks there, like Profitis Elias and Toumba.
They looked at Mytikas and Stefani, the highest peaks, but decided to go down for a bit. They stayed in a log cabin, probably the Paliokaliva, near where the Spilios Agapitos mountain hut is today. On July 31, they thought about giving up and started heading back to Litochoro. But on the way down, they changed their minds! They decided to try again and stayed in Prionia. On August 1, they climbed back up to the lumberjack hut.
Reaching the Summit
On the morning of August 2, 1913, the two Swiss explorers, Christos Kakkalos, Nikos Bistikos, and two shepherds set off from the hut. The shepherds were hired to carry the heavy camera equipment. It was a tough day – it was raining, cold, and foggy. Along the way, the two shepherds and Nikos Bistikos decided to stay behind.
This left just the three of them: Daniel Baud-Bovy, Frédéric Boissonnas, and Christos Kakkalos. When they thought they had reached the highest point, they realized they were wrong! They saw Mytikas still towering above them. Christos Kakkalos, being the experienced guide, took the camera equipment and bravely began the final climb. A short time later, at 10:25 in the morning, they successfully reached the very top of Mount Olympus!
Books About Christos Kakkalos
- Fred Boissonnas ΕΙΚΟΝΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ/IMAGES OF GREECE. Rizarios Foundation, Athens 2001, ISBN: 960-85302-6-1. (This book is in Greek and German.)
- Giannis Kiritsis Olympus, by Frédéric Boissonnas, Edition Dion-Olympus Municipality 2018. (This book is in Greek and English.)
