![\"Evidence](\"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Evidence-of-blue-skies.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nWe 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 Dob\u00ebrdol 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nClouds 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 Dob\u00ebrdol below us didn\u2019t look too bad.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a>Into Kosovo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nSummiting Gjervica<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019t see anything through the mist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nWe 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bears and Hand Grenades<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We stopped at the heart-shaped lake for lunch. As we did I mentioned to Morgan that we weren\u2019t supposed to stray too far from the trail here as the area had been land-mined during recent conflicts and hadn\u2019t been completely cleared. We needed some water though so headed to the water\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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