30 Jan 2024

Statistics for 2023

by | posted in: 2023, General Announcements, path clearing | 12

The number of volunteers I was able to host was greatly reduced throughout 2023 as I was unable to continue offering free accommodation. I withdrew using Rigas House as they were making more and more demands in return for their offer and other options simply dried up. So volunteers had to pay, albeit a small amount or I took advantage of other opportunities. Due to a bad experience, I stopped offering a room at my house but continued to prepare an evening meal on the days we worked plus I provided the tools and transport and worked along side our wonderful helpers. One good thing was that the municipality gave me the use of a place to store all my tools. This has made life so much easier.

I really hope the famous trails project happens this year. It’s been over 4 years since it’s inception when the study was carried out and accepted. The start date keeps being pushed back without explanation. In the meantime, two portions of routes contained in the study have been asphalted over and two have been fenced; both by foreign land owners.

VOLUNTEERS AND TRAILS CLEARED – 2023

6-11 January Baiba (Latvia) Robert (Canada) Polymistria Trail down to Kambos section I

13, 17,18 January section II to Petrovrissi (rain 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th)

19,22,23,24,25,28,29 = 120 hours Kalogeros through to coast

31 January Ypermachou

1 February Signing at Palouki

2,3 February B & R Pera Karia – to Analipsis

22,23,24 February Me, Peter & Nikos Loutraki waterfall

10,11,13,14,20,21,23,24,26 March Alex Wright (28th March) Pera Karia continuation

15 March Alex (UK) Pefkias

19,20 April Suzie (Australia) +1 day Opel & Anna Refuse tip down to Glysteri (Monks)

23,24,25 April+1,2 April Suzie (17 April-21 March) Potami calderimi

4 May Suzie Gateway maintenance

6,11,17,18,20 May Suzie + Christian + 2 Glysteri (Monks Trail)

8,11,12 May Suzie & Christian (Austria) Chickpea trail

14,15 May Christian Ag Reginos Pirgos Retsina trail (clearing power company damage)

10 October Madeleine & Liam (USA) Adventure Trail/Deer Park/mend gates

11 October M & L Improve Signs at Sendoukia

12 October M & L Moutero

16, 17,19 October M & L Monks Tzukala, Glysteri

22 November Chris & JP (Canada) Michalakis

2 December Amy (Canada) Retsina trail, Pirgos

13,14,15,18,19 Tim, Remco, Miranda (Holland) Retsina trail, Pirgos

23,24 Remco & Miranda Myli trail

TOTALS: 7 WORKAWAY VOLUNTEERS PLUS 6 OTHER HELPERS + 6 DAY HELPERS = 19

NATIONALITIES: Latvia 1, Canada 1, Australia 1, Austria 1, USA 2, UK 1 = 7 + Holland 3, Canada 3 + Peter (Holland), Nikos (Greek), 4 ladies = 19

1 Nov 2023

iNaturalist

by | posted in: General Announcements, Uncategorized | 2

You don’t need me to tell you how many apps and publications exist that help us identify the flora around us. We all have our favorites. Ours is iNaturalist. It is based at the California Academy of Sciences and is an independent nonprofit platform. Skopelos Trails is a donor, contributor and supporter. Confirming contributions, iNaturalist is used as a reference by study groups from all over the world. They can now suggest an astounding 80,000 species of plants, animals and fungi. I log our flora even when I know what I’m looking at. I do this for our records, for the use of others as well identifying unknown species.

It is through this platform that we were contacted by Spain’s department of Biogeographical Eco Botanical facility at the university of Savile who invited us to contribute towards their project on the study of the cytinus rock rose paracite. Over a period of a month, we collected samples of the female and male flowers (inflorescences) and dried them in bags of salt before sending them off in the post. For our efforts, we received a surprise donation which was about the same amount as the donation we had already made to iNaturalist!

23 Jul 2022

DIPPING MY TOE

by | posted in: 2022, General Announcements, Publicity | 0

After much deliberation, I decided to go for it and offer T shirts and logos for sale. The outlay was much and the return will be slow but it’s fun to see the Skopelos Trails sign emblazoned on the front of a T shirt and the logo hanging proudly on my rucksack and not just on a tree!

So if you want to support us, here’s another way of doing so without taking even one step.

7 Sep 2021

Back to Work

by | posted in: 2021, General Announcements | 0

We are happy to welcome new volunteers again and we’ve cleared the Kambos end of the Kimissia trail. We’ve made a start on the Polimistria trail but the Spanish broom is making it hard going.

Cleared Polimistria section
Spanish broom
Kimissia

We need to warn hikers of a newly errected fence near Djelili. If you take either the valley trail from Glysteri or the section by the deers, the exit beyond the spring is very tricky. The route was very badly damaged anyway by the floods a few years ago and a hole was created by the water. One could navigate around this hole but the new fence has made it rather dangerous.

30 Jan 2020

The Five Kamares

by | posted in: General Announcements | 0

There are five ways of getting from Skopelos town up to Raches/Ag Paraskavi/Pefkias: Kokala to the heliport, Kimissia to Pefkias, Kambos to Polimistria Aloupi to Ag Paraskavi and Abuzali to Raches. There are two extensions; Pefkias to Vromoneri and back to Ag Paraskavi and Polimistria to Petrovrissi then Aloupi or Abuzali. There’s also an alternative between Aloupi/Papathemou. All five have now been cleared so you can make short walks by going up one and down another in series or passing one by and taking the next to make a longer one. I’ve called these routes collectively The Five Kamares. I’m in the process of GPSing them and they’ll be available to download via the Skopelos Trails app.