These gods and goddesses did not actually live upon Olympos， rather the ancient myth can be understood to be a metaphor for the power of the sacred mountain. This spiritual power had drawn hermits and monks to live in the caves and forests of the mountain since long before the dawn of the Christian era. With the coming of Christianity the myths and legends of the old Greeks were suppressed and forgotten， and the holy mountain was seldom visited. Today， weekend hikers and young travelers on the vagabond trail through Europe dash up and down the peak in a single day. It is certainly a beautiful place for such a hasty hike， yet to draw upon the real magic of Olympos one must come as a pilgrim pilgrim n.圣地朝拜者， 朝圣 and stay some quiet days in the woods. The author has lived for a month in the forests of the sacred peak and experienced that the spirits of the old gods and goddesses are still powerfully present.
Mount Olympus， the peak for which the Mount Olympus Wilderness Area was named， forms a very prominent prominent adj.卓越的， 显着的， 突出的 part of the Murray skyline， and it has been a favorite hike of the nearby residents for almost as long as Murray has been a city. It is not unusual on weekends to see fifty hikers relaxing together on the rocky summit.
The climb described here leads to the south summit of Mount Olympus， but there is also a north summit. The two are about 300 yards apart， separated by the upper reaches of Tolcats Canyon. The south summit is higher than the north summit by 67 feet. It is also the only one with a good trail leading to it， and the one most frequently visited by hikers. The north face of the north summit， however， is a favorite among more serious mountain climbers. Although it looks foreboding， there is actually a route up the north face which requires little or no technical rock climbing skill.
As you start up the trail to Mount Olympus you can look down and be thankful that in 1984， after a long and difficult fight by concerned citizens， most of it was included in the Mount Olympus Wilderness Area. The first half mile of the trail， however， crosses private land， and there is a real danger that some day it will be obliterated obliterate vt.涂去， 删除， 使湮没 by real estate developers. Hopefully when this land is developed public access to the trail will be preserved.
Initially this is a desert hike. The trail winds upward from the parking area on Wasatch Boulevard through the dry grass lands that dominate the foothills foothill n.山麓小丘， 丘陵地带， finally coming to the first juniper trees after a climb of about 500 feet. Then， as the trail enters Tolcats Canyon， the dominant vegetation turns to Gambel oak. The path crosses the bottom of Tolcats Canyon 1.7 miles from the trailhead， but， except in the spring， there is seldom water in the canyon.
Continuing upward along the south side of Tolcats Canyon， the trail never stops climbing until it reaches a small saddle 0.2 mile from the peak. As you approach the saddle the conditions change dramatically dramatically adv.戏剧地， 引人注目地. A very pretty grove of Douglas fir occupies the ridge， and， for the first time since beginning the hike， you are on level ground. The presence of a few campsites indicates that hikers sometimes spend the night here， although there is no water.
From the saddle the trail turns directly north and soon encounters encounter v.遭遇， 遇到， 相遇 n.遭遇， 遭遇战 the rocky base of the summit. From here you must ascend the last 500 feet in scarcely more than 0.1 mile， scrambling up the Precambrian quartzite that caps most of the mountains around Big Cottonwood Canyon. You will occasionally need both hands， but if you stick to the trail the danger of injury from a fall is not great. Pay attention to the route. There is basically only one easy way up this side of Mount Olympus， and if you take a wrong turn you will soon be confronted with a much more difficult climb. If that happens just stop and look around， and you will probably find the trail just a few feet away. The greatest danger is from falling rocks， so as you climb be careful not to dislodge dislodge v.驱逐 loose rocks onto other climbers below.
The summit is little more than a giant，s rock pile of jagged boulders， but the views are great. Much of Salt Lake City lies below， and the full expanse of the Wasatch Mountains stretches to the east. Lone Peak， Twin Peaks， and Dromedary Peak are clearly visible to the south， across the Cottonwood Canyons. To the north the summit drops off sharply into the upper reaches of Tolcats Canyon， beyond which， less than 300 yards away is the north summit of Mount Olympus.
Crete克里特岛
克里特岛是爱琴海最南面的皇冠，它是诸多希腊神话的发源地。它过去是希腊文化、西洋文明的摇篮，现在则是美景难以形容的度假地。在历史和未来之间，它似乎未尝断过在历史上的角色，永远是爱琴海上最璀璨的主角。
克里特岛面积8305平方公里，东西长260公里、南北50公里，岛上有三座山超过2000公尺，
不但是爱琴海最大的岛屿，也是整个地中海第五大岛屿。
米诺斯国王(King Minos)除了在岛上建筑了囚禁牛怪的迷宫，他主宰的克里特岛上的米诺安文明划开了西洋文明的混沌。即使后来面对希腊大陆文明、拜占庭、罗马及鄂图曼土耳其文明的洗礼，克里特岛上的米诺安文明仍是它最令人不可忘的一页，甚至后来的强势文明都是以它为根、融合它的精神。
过去被遗忘的文明又重见天日了，在伊拉克里翁(Heraklio)、哈尼亚(Hania)、瑞提姆农(Rethymno)和拉西提(Lassithi)，到处可以看到米诺安文明的痕迹，博物馆更提供了线索，让今人趣味津津地印证希腊神只的诸种红尘风流账。
伊拉克里翁是克里特岛的首府以及主要港口，为克里特岛上生活步调最快的城市，亦是交通中枢及信息发达之处。由于它位于岛屿中心的地理位置以及丰富的博物馆馆藏，伊拉克里翁成为探索克里特岛的最佳基地据点。
与米诺安文明相关遗迹位于岛屿的东面及南面，包括克诺撒斯皇宫(Knossos)及卫星城市马利亚(Malia)、费斯托(Faistos)等；阿吉欧．尼吉拉斯(Agios Nicolas)及附近则有许多美丽的海滩，附近山区的健行等活动也很盛行；西岸哈尼亚南方的萨马利亚峡谷(Samaria Gorge)，是欧洲数一数二的峡谷，谷地落差高达1000公尺，景色壮观，进入活动必须准备全套合格的装备。
Crete lies at the point where the continents of Europe， Asia and Africa meet. It is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean with an area of 8，335 square kilometers.
