On Monday, 18 May 2026, in Vagionia, the hands-on workshop on the topic “Hiking safely” was held at Vagionia Primary School, as part of the information and promotional activities of the “Asterousia Trails” hiking trail network.
The event aimed to inform the local community, stakeholders and interested parties about the project to create a network of footpaths in Asterousia, as well as about issues relating to safe hiking.
The Chair of the Vagionia Municipal Council, Mrs. Maria Chondrozoumaki, welcomed the audience and the speakers, expressing her satisfaction with the implementation of the project and the organisation of the event.
The workshop began with a presentation by the Managing Director of ETAM S.A., Dr. Chryssa Pagalou, who presented the “Asterousia Trails” project and the “Study for the Creation of a Network of Signposted Hiking Trails in the Asterousia Mountains of Crete”. In her presentation, she highlighted the natural and cultural wealth of Asterousia, the importance of the Natura 2000 network and the project’s objective, which is to create a sustainable, integrated and high-quality network of hiking trails. She also presented the 11 routes comprising the network, with a total length of 40.6 km, as well as the main categories of project activities, such as improving accessibility, signage, minor technical works, and promotional, information and awareness-raising initiatives.
This was followed by the presentation of Kostis Kanakis, mountaineer and executive at ETAM S.A., on the topic of “Hiking Equipment and Hiking Preparation”. Mr Kanakis outlined the basic principles of responsible and safe hiking, emphasising the importance of good physical fitness and a number of other factors that hikers must take into account before setting off, whilst he discussed the necessary equipment in detail and demonstrated it to the audience.
Subsequently, Ms. Chara Papailiou, a mountain guide and General Secretary of the Crete Mountain Guides Association, gave a presentation on the topic “Hiking Safely on the Trail and in the Mountains”. Ms Papailiou outlined the role of the mountain guide, the importance of guiding groups in the field, risk management and proper preparation before each hike. At the same time, she outlined basic safety rules to follow on the route, such as staying on the marked path, avoiding straying from the group, maintaining a steady pace, taking frequent breaks to drink water, and returning to the last known signpost if the path is lost.
The workshop concluded with a presentation by Mr. Dimitris Steiakakis, Rescuer and President of the EPIDRASIS Humanitarian Crisis Management Team, on the topic of “Principles of First Aid in the Wilderness”. Mr Steiakakis provided practical guidance on how to deal with incidents in the mountains until specialist assistance arrives, emphasising that the mountainous environment differs significantly from the urban environment, as rescuers’ access may be delayed and weather conditions may exacerbate the situation. Particular emphasis was placed on the safety of the rescuer, the team and the injured person; on avoiding a secondary accident; on dealing with bleeding, fractures, sprains, hypothermia and heat exhaustion, as well as on making the correct emergency call via 112 or 166, providing an accurate report of the GPS coordinates, the number of injured people, weather conditions and accessibility.
The event concluded with an open discussion on both the issues of safe hiking and the importance of implementing the project to create a network of signposted hiking trails, as well as the need to ensure its sustainability.
Source: asterousiatrails.com