Hiking in the Balkans – Day 4

Morning in Bashkimi, Dobërdol

Breakfast in Bashkimi was nice with bread, jam, blueberry cake and some doughnut type things. There was roasted aubergines and peppers too, and some apples along with coffee and tea. There was also good conversation and a friendly vibe. Then we made jam sandwiches ready to take with us for lunch and took more doughnuts, blueberry cake and a boiled egg as well. 

There were a few patches of blue sky in the valley and even some rays of sunshine. We packed our bags, made use of the toilet facilities, topped up with water that we filtered and treated water and paid for our room and food.

We then headed off up the valley in a different direction from everyone else, crossing a river on a rustic bridge. People could be seen zig-zagging up the steep hillside out of Dobërdol toward the Three Borders Peak. We took a southeast route, following tracks on the left-hand (northeast) side of the valley, while a more defined 4WD track zig-zagged up the right.

Clouds clung to the mountaintops ahead, and what little sunshine there had been quickly vanished. It looked like another grey, misty, and possibly wet day in the Balkan mountains, although Dobërdol below us didn’t look too bad.

Into Kosovo

Before long the easy gradient became steeper as we headed uphill to the Albania-Kosovo border at the top of the Ali Peja Pass. This would be our highest point so far on this trip at around 2,200 m. It was also our third country, having started in Montenegro, walked into and through Albania, we were now in Kosovo.

We spotted someone ahead, likely the Aussie we had chatted with the day before, but soon lost sight of him in the thick mist. We’d expected to cross paths later, but we never saw him again. The mist was so thick we could barely see anything, so we focused on following the trail as it wound through the mountains. The path grew steeper at times, requiring a few scrambles over rocks and ledges.

Summiting Gjervica

We passed a couple of lakes and navigated through the misty peaks. Most of the trail was easy to follow, though occasionally it became more interesting, with scrambles over large rockfalls and boulders. After several hours, we reached the summit, marked by a pillar and a post. There was a logbook to sign, but we couldn’t see anything through the mist. 

We lingered just long enough to sign the logbook, put on an extra layer of clothing, eat a snack and snap a few photos. It was fairly exposed and chilly up here and we were running out of water so we were soon retracing our steps having summitted Kosovo’s highest peak. Gjeravica is also the second-highest mountain in the Accursed Mountains range and the Dinaric Alps range. It has an elevation of 2,656 m and would be our highest point of the whole trip.

Bears and Hand Grenades

Retracing our steps, we began our descent, passing a group of hikers emerging from the mist. Their guide stopped for a chat and warned us about bears if we were camping overnight – why did he have to say that? I hadn’t been worried about them until now!!! It was good to see someone else up here today as it was a pretty bleak, inhospitable place in this weather. 

We stopped at the heart-shaped lake for lunch. As we did I mentioned to Morgan that we weren’t supposed to stray too far from the trail here as the area had been land-mined during recent conflicts and hadn’t been completely cleared. We needed some water though so headed to the water’s edge to get some only to see a hand grenade in the water a few feet from the edge. The black lined rocks from the water level, the rolling mist and the evidence of war made it a somewhat eerie place. So, we only lingered long enough to eat our lunch.

I’ve thought since that maybe we need to report the presence of this hand grenade to someone so that the authorities can make sure it’s safe. I’m not sure who needs to know about it though?

Camping in the Mountains

We continued retracing our steps back to the pass, then headed north along the ridge to a sign marking the border between Albania and Kosovo. A little further into Kosovo, we aimed for a small, oval-shaped lake on the mountainside which I hoped would prove to have some grassy flanks and would be a suitable place to camp. The little mountain lake of Liqeni i Tropojës eventually came into view through the mist as we rounded one of the bends in the trail. Upon inspection, the area I had earmarked from the map was indeed perfect. There were some nice flat areas with short grass, dry ground and there was a small stream emerging from the lake as a water source, There were even a few stones to sit on. 

It wasn’t just a suitable campsite, it was almost perfect. We decided to stop here as planned for the night having covered over 10 miles with lots of elevation gain.

It wasn’t warm in the mist and murk up here at above 2,200 m though so wet set up camp, had hot chocolates and blueberry cake then chilled in our tents for a while trying to warm up.

Lost in the Fog and a Starry Night

Dinner helped us warm up, and pudding perked us up further. But then the rain started. We spent the evening playing cards and chatting. At one point, I went to the toilet in the dark and got completely lost in the fog. I couldn’t find my way back and had to shout for Morgan to turn on a light to guide me. When I finally saw it, the light looked miles away, though in reality, he was only about 20 m from me! It was a bit of a panic, but I eventually found my way back to the tents. Phew!

After that and the bear warning, I didn’t expect to sleep well. Morgan, of course, seemed completely unbothered.

I didn’t sleep that well, and despite being under my quilt, I felt a dramatic drop in temperature around 2 a.m. Curious, I got up to check outside. The mist had cleared, revealing a sky full of stars. The bright moon made stargazing difficult, but I managed to snap a few photos of Orion over our campsite. Morgan slept through it all.

Tomorrow looked set to be sunny at last, and maybe we’d finally see the landscape we’d been trekking through!

Tags: Balkans