We were prepared to get our biscuits kicked by Maja Rosi, but instead we enjoyed an incredible day in the Accursed Mountains. I loved this hike so much, therefore there are a ton of photos in this post. We were expecting a hike similar to Maja Jezerca, but this was a real trail (with switchbacks - yay) with gorgeous alpine gardens of wildflowers, fantastic views, 2 countries, and some interesting encounters with a few other hikers.
We were up well before the roosters started crowing this morning in order to bang out lots of miles and elevation before the heat of the sun cranked up. Our guesthouse had provided us with some breakfast which we ate as breakfast and lunch because we also had leftover pizza from last night's dinner. Before we hit the trail, we each had a hard boiled egg, banana and an apple before our hike to fuel us for a bit.
Started our hike before the sun rose over Valbona.
After a few miles, we hit this peaceful valley with a guesthouse.
It was still quite early and Albanians were already out working on their crops.
The sun's rays starting to stream in.
We met this Albanian couple a few miles in (they were able to drive their 4x4 Jeep up). They were professional tour guides who focused on cultural tours, so I had lots of questions for them. They were picking strawberries, so we nibbled on some too - so sweet!
Super sweet mountain strawberries
Time for a pizza break (it was probably before 7:30am).
The mountain in the sun ahead of me is almost the summit of Maja Rosi (which is just a little bit higher).
These yellow alpine flowers were SO bright.
About 3 miles and 2300 feet up into the hike, there was shepherd's home that doubles as a place for hikers to get water and sodas. Knowing that we could get a Coke there while we were hiking down in the hot sun was movitating.
An Albanian woman in her home.
Check out the beautiful setting where the shepherds live.
Hiking towards Maja Rosi.
A junction where we could hike towards Jezerca or Rosi. We didn't know there was another way to access Jezerca, but the "trail" this way looked even more difficult than the way we went.
Still cranking out elevation gain to get to the saddle/border of Albania and Montenegro.
Time for another pizza break.
In the saddle and border of Albania and Montenegro
The summit of Maja Rosi ahead, but still well over 1000 ft of elevation gain left. The mountains are deceiving.
This was really steep!
More steep stuff.
Hiking next to a death cliff again.
Made it to the summit Maja Rosi.
We had saved a bag of Cheetos and celebrated on the summit with them.
Dan is eating a tomato with oregano that he picked on the way up.
Pointing on where we had been on the way down.
We were anticipating a Coke as we got close to the shepherd's hut.
I cut up all of the food that was provided by our guesthouse and made a sandwich.
Ta-da!
Dan buying some water from the shepherd.
A shepherd tending his flock.
As we approached the end of our hike, we saw an ambulance and a police car go up the rough dirt road. We wondered what might have happened on the trail.
Our guesthouse in Valbona.
We've carried around a lot of heart rocks in Albania.
A bit about Albanian bunkers: They are concrete fortifications and are everywhere. They were built during the communist era under Enver Hoxha's regime.These structures, numbering an estimated 750,000, were intended to protect Albania from foreign invasion, but they also became a symbol of Hoxha's paranoia and the country's isolation. We stopped to take a photo of a few of them in Valbona, but they truly are all over the country.
One of the 750,000 bunkers in Albania.
We ate dinner at the same restaurant, "Dragobia" because there are very few options in Valbona. My favorite thing on the menu are the "vegetable fritters" - so good! There were some cows who really wanted to join us for dinner. It made us giggle.
Last year, Dan bought a book about canyoning in Albania, so that's how we ended up deciding to go adventure there. I read about the beautiful mountains, but what tipped the scales in Albania's direction was what I read about the food - it's kind of a mix of Greek, Italian, Turkish, and more. And with a mountain range named the "Accursed Mountains", we kind of HAD to check it out. Before we left, we had to get our ducks in a row, including creating our "geriatric garden" (raised beds) and putting the plants in the garden, getting and training a puppy, packing a lot of gear, wrapping up things things at school for my work and putting together the master spreadsheet for our trip. And before we knew it, it was time to depart. It was a long travel day, but we finally made it to Dhermi, Albania. We said goodbye to our pups, Maya and James and then headed off to catch the Concord Coach with a quick stop to get the salads that we always get for flights at Market...
There was not time to be jet lagged because we had things to do today. The weather and wind cooperated, so we grabbed some breakfast at a bakery on the beach and then headed to meet the paragliding folks. Because, why not go paragliding on your 1st morning in Albania? Plus, today we got proof that Kara and Dan were on a beach during a vacation - unheard-of. Check out the color of that water - it really is that blue! A delicious breakfast from a bakery on the beach. A bakery on the beach The paragliding launch spot One of our pilots using some flagging tape at the end of a stick to figure out the wind - very high tech. Setting up the paragliders We did introductions with our pilots, set up the gear, waited for the right wind and figured out who would fly with whom - they divided up our weight, so I went with the bigger pilot named Guisne. I was told that all I had to do was run when I was told to run and then hold the camera. That sounded easy. So, I was excited, but not nerv...
Dan thought it was a good idea to do Benjes Canyon today despite the fact that it is a more technical canyon and very few people even do canyoning in Albania. So, I was a little anxious the night before thinking that we might die in a canyon in Albania. I am writing this blog now, so we obviously didn't die - yay. The morning started off well with a yummy breakfast in the garden of our guesthouse. Then we packed up our gear and headed off to find Benjes Canyon. We had to go several kilometers on a dirt road which would have made our rental car company very unhappy. We drove very carefully though. Breakfast in the garden of our guesthouse Our guesthouse There were even little pizza fritta - just like I learned how to make from my Italian mom and Nana We parked at a church that was tricky to drive to. The approach to the canyon was about an hour of hiking in the hot sun on a faint trail. It seems like we have spent a lot of time sweating since we have been in Albania. Eventually, we...
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