The Friends of Mount Athos -- Footpaths Project

The Footpaths Project of the Friends of Mount Athos

Go directly to List, "Mount Athos Footpaths and their Condition"
Go directly to List of Footpath Descriptions"

A Project to Clear the Footpaths of Mount Athos

The Friends of Mount Athos has undertaken an ongoing project of clearing and maintaining the old Athonite footpaths and reporting on their condition for the benefit of pilgrims.

Background

In his article entitled, "The Orthodox Understanding of Pilgrimage" (Forerunner 38, Winter 2001-2, 1-10 (p. 8), Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia wrote,

I count it a singular blessing that I was able to visit the Holy Mountain of Athos first of all in autumn 1961, and again in autumn 1962, at a time when there were no roads for vehicles, no buses, no jeeps or tractors. . . . As a pilgrim, either one travelled from monastery to monastery by the little motorboats that plied along the coast (but in the equinoctial gales most of these had been cancelled); or else one hired a mule (but that was far too expensive for a student like myself); or else one walked. I walked. At times it was hard work, for the ancient mule tracks of Athos are steep and stony. I lost my way, slipped into ravines, fell backwards into a thornbush and twisted my ankle. But by walking alone -- meeting only the occasional monk, not to mention an alarming number of snakes, and at one point a family of wild boar -- I was able to experience Mount Athos as a centre in sacred space, in a way that otherwise I could not possibly have done. I was able to feel, in the words of the Russian Athonite hermit Fr. Nikon, "Here every stone breathes prayers."

Graham Speake, in his introduction to the Friends of Mount Athos Annual Report of 2001, pp. 5-14 (p. 7), describes how the Prince of Wales, a long time Friend of Mount Athos, became interested in undertaking this project after receiving a letter from a concerned Greek. In the same Annual Report (pp. 16-22) John Arnell, who led a preliminary Friends expedition in May, 2001 to assess the size of the task, offers an illustrated report on the 2002 expedition, in which the real work of the Footpaths Project began.

Report on Condition of the Footpaths

As an immediate benefit of this project, We offer via the Friends of Mount Athos Web Site,

a useful table, "Mount Athos Footpaths and their Condition," which we intend to update from reports of members who walk these paths and from future footpath clearing and maintenance expeditions.
a series of "Footpath Descriptions that will grow over time," providing pilgrims with indications of distances, views, and landmarks to help them choose and follow individual paths.

Maintained for the Friends of Mount Athos by
Robert W. Allison
Dept. of Philosophy & Religion, Bates College
Lewiston, Maine 04240

Responses to the Friends of Mount Athos may be sent by e-mail to

Dr. Graham Speake, Hon. Secretary

Prof. Robert W. Allison, Membership Secretary for the Americas

Responses may also be sent by post addressed to:

Dr. Graham Speake
Ironstone Farmhouse, Milton, Banbury
OX15 4HH England
(fax: 01295-722047; from the U.S.A.: 011-44-1295-722047)

or:

Robert W. Allison
Dept. of Philosophy and Religion
Bates College
73-75 Campus Avenue
Lewiston, Maine, 04240 U.S.A.
(fax: 207-786-6123)

http://www.athosfriends.org/footpaths/pathsproject.html