Top 10 Mind Blowing Facts About Majestic Mountains That You May Not Know

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7. Home to the Gods

Greek mythology named Mount Olympus as the home of the Olympian Gods, won during the battle between the Olympians and the Titans. Its highest peak was said to have been frequented by Zeus.

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece and remained unexplored until it was finally conquered by three climbers in 1913. The mountain guide, Christos Kakkalos, who assisted Frédéric Boissonnas and Daniel Baud-Bovy on their expedition, remained the official guide of Olympus until he died in 1976.

The mountain has a delicate eco-system consisting of hundreds of species of both fauna and flora, including 60 types of orchid, cornflowers, lilies and more. On its slopes you will find horned larks, golden eagles, wallcreepers as well as European honey buzzards and the Balkan chamois. Bears travel via the mountain on their way from the north to Pilio and Thessaly and 170 different species of butterflies beautify the scenery even more.[4]

6. Resting place of Noah’s Ark

In 1829 the first recorded ascent of Mount Ararat’s summit took place. The mountain consists of two volcanic cones named Great Ararat (highest peak in Turkey) and Little Ararat.

Mount Ararat is considered to be sacred by Armenians and is the country’s principal national symbol, featured in art and literature as well as on its coat of arms with Noah’s Ark perched at its top.

In 2010 a group of Turkish and Chinese explorers claimed that they had discovered Noah’s Ark near the peak of the mountain during their expedition between 2007 and 2008. The group, called Noah’s Ark Ministries, said that they found seven large wooden compartments buried at 4,000 meters above sea level and returned to the site of their discovery in 2009 with a film crew in tow. They went on to say that wood taken from the site and radiocarbon-dated revealed that it was around 4,800 years old which could fit into the time of Noah’s flood as recorded in the Bible.
These claims drew wide-spread criticism and heated debate, with the majority of experts refuting them.[5]

5. Ghostly mountains

The Appalachian Mountains form a natural barrier between the eastern Coastal Plain and the Interior Lowlands of North America and played a critical role in the settlement of the continent. The Appalachians are world-famous, in no small part due to its massive National Scenic Trail which spans fourteen states. The creator of this fantastic hiking trail is said to have daydreamed about the idea while sitting in a tree on top of Vermont’s Stratton Mountain.

There have been several hikers who attempted to hike the entire trail with most dropping out due to injury, illness or extreme fatigue. In 1955, 67-year-old Emma Gatewood became one of the first people to complete the entire hike. In 2009, hiking the Appalachian Trail became something of a meme for adultery, after it was revealed that South Caroline Governor Mark Sanford was off visiting his mistress in Argentina instead of hiking the trail as claimed by his staff members.

The Appalachians are also as well known for its apparent ‘hauntings’ as it is for the beauty of the hiking trail. There have been scores of reports of disembodied footsteps, voices, whispers, Big Foot encounters and an apparition dressed in formal clothes with ice-blue eyes that vanishes when approached.[6]

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