Head for the Hills

I'll start with an Andorra postcard showing a view of the Arinsal River which starts its journey in the mountains.  The stamp they have reproduced to complement it is one of the (Spanish) 1963 Landscape definitives showing the Anyos Meadows.  The mountains of course are the Pyrenees and this is a popular winter sports area.  Andorra is under the joint suzerainty of France and Spain and for the mountain loving philatelist the perfect country because both Spain and France issue stamps. The GRP1 , a 100 kilometre path which circles Andorra. crosses the Arinsal River. 

Now to one of my impulse purchases because I love the mountains of Greece

and the stamps show the major summits of the mountain of the Gods, Olympus, and the three climbers who made the first ascent on 2nd August 1913.  Two Swiss -  Daniel Baud-Bovy  and

Frederic Boissonnas, the photographer and publisher

with their Greek mountain guide Christos Kakalos (a hunter of mountain goats) from the town of Litochora which is located at the bottom of the mountain and today is where most of the climbs start.  The photograph shows him on the Plateau of the Muses (2600m)

They experienced atrocious weather and when they raised the flag on what they thought was the top, the clouds parted and they saw they were on a lower peak, the Gods were obviously having some sport with them, so they had to descend this false summit and continue on their way up to the summit proper, Mytikas.  Kakalos's last ascent of the mountain would be in 1972 at the age of 93.  The article on the mountain refuge tells of his relationship with Olympus here  

An entry to Sunday Stamps II theme - Mountains - climb for the scenery at See It On A Postcard