European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse A few tumbledown dwellings Are about All that is left of the old Village of Samaria Midway through the Gorge. photos by Ken George the scrum of hikers manage to slurp enough water to slake my thirst and hit the Trail again. Below the rest area the Cliffs narrow and the path follows the River that carved the Gorge. The River now is Little More than a trickle. In Spring it will turn into an icy roaring Chest High torrent and hikers will have to be accompanied by qualified guides. At the narrow Section known As the Iron Cates the Skinny passage Between the Cliffs is Only 10 feet wide and the Clifftops nearly meet 1,800 feet overhead. The Sun reaches the floor of the Ravine for Only a few hours at midday. The sight with the libyan sea beckoning in the distance is singularly spectacular and makes the ordeal of the hike worthwhile. The Gorge ends gradually and changes to Boring scrubland. The last couple of Miles of the hike seemingly take years. Leg Muscles scream from the Strain of constant descent. A. The five hour hike ends at a Seaside Taverna in agia Roumelia. Several icy Beers follow a swim off the resort s Black Sand beaches. A Small ferry takes exhausted hikers to Khora Sfakios Harbor where buses wait to haul them. Back across the mountains to Chania. A. Anyone who hikes the Gorge pays a Price. The fittest. Get off easily with the Odd ache. My leg Muscles cramped constantly and painfully for Days afterwards. Was the hike Worth the Hurt you betcha. Would i do it again definitely but not during the searing summer. The Gorge is open to the Public Only from May 1 to oct. 31. A. Left hikers carefully negotiate a pile of boulders in the Gorge. Above a tourist who sprained her ankle is brought out on a Donkey. Hot and weary adventurers relax during a lunch break at the Bottom of the Gorge. The stifling heat makes water a must for summer trekkers. June 20, 1991 stripes Magazine 7
