Peaks Of the Balkans

05/08/19 The Hunt for Gas

Sam and I rose at 05:45 to feed the dogs and horses (as mum, dad and Holly were at the tetrathlon in Kelso) before departing for Dublin airport. Our bags were packed together into one (so we could check it in as one bag) and loaded into the car. We parked in the premium car park for mum and dad to collect later that day. The woman at the counter seemed bemused by the fact that she thought I was collecting the car only 8 hours later. Having shuttled to the airport, checked in our bag and made it through security it was time to fly. I got chatting with a Linfield FC supporter who was going to Budva to support his team. He strongly encouraged me to take the Tran Siberian Railway at some point. I also got stuck behind the beverage cart for half an hour trying to get back to my seat after using the toilet. Once landed and bag collected, we divided our things into two bags and caught a 45 minute shuttle to the city of Dubrovnik.

On our way to our accommodation we stopped to buy sandwich ingredients but not before we were told to leave the supermarket because of our rucksacks. We ate and walked along the harbour (which stank of poo in places!), up a hill and eventually found our Airbnb.

The place smelt of smoke due to the presence of the owner. We dumped our bags and set out to get the camping gas I ordered and food for the hiking. We walked 15 minutes to Intersport, only to discover that it was closed due to ‘Victory Day’. We noticed that the first supermarket had the brand of gas we needed (just not the right type) so we set off in search for other ‘Konzum’ supermarkets. After trying 4 or 5 other supermarkets and garages we got an Uber to a retail park 15km away as a last resort. After 2 hours of searching, we were elated to find the gas we needed (not to mention relieved!).

We got the rest of the food we needed in Lidl and Konzum before getting an uber back to our accommodation. I cooked pork and cabbage for dinner before we repacked our bags, took cold showers and went to sleep above the covers with the noise of the fan in the air. I was a little disappointed not to have seen more of the old town.

06/08/19 Bus Spotting

We rose at 05:45 and were out the door by 06:00. It was much cooler walking to the bus station. We had to be there 30 minutes early so while we waited we had yoghurt and granola for breakfast. At 07:00 the bus appeared and then didn’t leave for 22 minutes. We had to pay a euro to take each of our bags with us. After an hour of driving we reached the first border crossing. The bus stopped and the AC was turned off. They only let us off the bus one at a time to show our passports and being towards the back of the bus made for a very uncomfortable hour while we waited to be seen. Once out of the bus and waiting for the rest of the passengers to be seen we found a Portaloo to rival the ‘worst toilet in Scotland’. We all loaded back on the bus, drove about 300m and then had to have our passports checked again and stamped before we were allowed into Montenegro.

After 90 minutes of border control we were underway again, fighting bad traffic on the Montenegrin ‘highways’. Another observation is that they seem to have fairly loose driving laws, particularly when it comes to phone use. We were due to go to Shkoder, Albania via a bus transfer at Podgorica but when we got to Kotor, our new-found Albanian friends told us we needed to change bus there and go direct to Shkoder. The whole thing was very unclear but we followed onto a smaller, nicer bus and continued on our way. As it turned out, it was a good thing we did as we would have missed our connection. The views of the journey varied between stunning coastlines, beautiful lakefronts with glistening water, powerful mountains, lush forests and also a range of settlements from 5* resorts to the odd misplaced mansion but the majority were very poor, unfinished buildings. I had to tell Sam about it afterwards as he did a better job of sleeping than I did. We then reached the second border crossing into Albania. It was shorter but still required a double passport check. The time passed and after about 10 hours we reached Shkoder. We walked to our second Airbnb and it was a breath of fresh air, literally. We had the whole place to ourselves with AC in our room. We cooked some eggs before doing a quick food shop.

We repacked our food and then in the evening went out for a meal. We ate at the San Francisco restaurant and sat on the balcony upstairs, next to a guy smoking (despite the no smoking signs). I had risotto and Sam had grilled chicken. We waited a long time for the food and Sam said he now knows why Albania isn’t known for its food.

07/08/19 The Cycling Scotsmen

We were woken for our call to prayer at 04:30 and left to walk to the bus stop at 06:15. We were due to be collected between 06:30 and 07:00 but there was no clear bus stop at the location on their website and none of their phone numbers worked. I asked in the café opposite and he said we were in the wrong place. Just as we were going to leave to walk to the place where the café man suggested we needed to be, the shuttle bus arrived at 06:45. We drove two hours to the ferry, stopping about an hour in at the side of the read to have our tickets checked. At the ferry terminal we piled onto a boat to take us the three-hour cruise up Komani Lake (a man-made, flooded valley) to get our next bus. The ferry was packed with people and cars, but the views were beautiful, and it wasn’t too hot.

There were some small settlements along the way, sprinkled among the giant mountains either side of us. The water was a little dirty unfortunately. Back on land, Sam and I were separated into different, non-airconditioned, minibuses. We waited 20min for the buses to leave, stopping along the way so my driver could do some shopping.

Around 13:30 I was left at Restaurant Tradita where I met my Scottish friends Harry and Mairi. Harry and Mairi had already done the first 7 days of the official trail as well as making their way from Scotland by bike and by train to get there in the first place. We would be spending just three days together before they would continue their two-month cycling adventure to Georgia. Unfortunately, Sam was left about 1km past the restaurant so had to walk back but soon we were all together. We bought some questionable meat and chips for lunch, divided out the food for the trek and played Chinese poker until 17:00 when we set off to find a campsite.

We started along the road and got a lift with a local twice (as we got out the first time he stopped and then he picked us up again!). It was a very bumpy ride in the back of his truck but soon we were at the trail head. We walked a little way up the hill before turning back to camp in the woods near a stream.

08/08/19 The Peak of the Balkans

We woke around 05:45 and got walking about an hour later. We ascended through the woods until we found the place where the official path split from our planned route over the highest peak in the region- Mt. Jezerca 2694m. We worked up some steep grassy slopes until we reached the rocky scree. We went over a pass and then along a very thin ledge at the side of the mountain that I’m unsure how it was found as a route in the first place! We followed the red paint and small cairns and came across some melting snow to fill our bottles.

We walked up some scree and over a saddle before a really challenging section over snow (despite the heat) and horrible scree. It is probably best my mother only heard about this afterwards. From there we had to put all our trust in a metal cable, climbing up a 4m shear wall to get up to the net stage. The consequences of a fall would not have been good. A couple more switchbacks later we were on the ridgeline and we could see the peak. So we stopped for lunch.

At 13:30 we finished up the ridgeline and summitted the peak. There was a fantastic sense of achievement until an old man in black shoes, trousers and carrying a tweed jacket appeared and started shouting down the other side of the mountain at a group we later discovered to be his daughter and brothers. After absorbing the view, we began our descent.

As the footing became worse and worse our route became more and more unclear. Thankfully the crazy old man started shouting at us and pointing us in the right direction. Progress was slow and we needed all our concentration. Eventually we made it onto surer footing and continued down, weaving around snow deposits, where possible, until, 10 hours after departure, we found a lake and our campsite.

We swam immediately in the idyllic surroundings with some newts (although Sam did clatter his knee). We had dinner and made camp at the other side of the lake with some Montenegrins and a Dutch girl.

09/08/19 Newting

We had a leisurely morning, having another glorious swim before packing up and setting off for the main trail. Sam was particularly fond of the newts and they gave him some inspiration for future photographs. It was mostly downhill and easy walking as we crossed into Montenegro, though by lunch it was getting really hot, so it was fortuitous that we came across a 6 degree spring. The water was amazingly clear and after eating we couldn’t help but jump in. We did have to get out pretty quickly given the cold waters! It was a fantastic spot but after a few dips we decided to leave.

The cool water tricked us into thinking it wasn’t so hot out but after 15min, when we reach Vusinje we had to sit in the shade and wait. We played hearts and then set off again at 17:00 to find water and a campsite further up the mountain.

We met a shepherd bringing his flock down from the meadows and found a perfect campsite at 18:45- just in time to watch one of the most incredible sunsets I’ve ever seen. We enjoyed a good feed and admired the bats before sleeping.

10/08/19 Spa Plav

We woke at 05:00 to avoid the heat and were walking by 06:00. We were headed for Plav but had done most of our elevation gain the day before, so we enjoyed easy climbing in the shade, munching on bountiful wild blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.

We came down a crazily steep slope and felt very sorry for those trying to come up as the day got hotter and hotter. We reached a forest track and followed it into Plav, stopping for lunch along the way. By the time we reached the town it was backing hot so we walked straight to the lake and Harry jumped in fully clothed! We swam for a while in the cold (but with some warm parts?) water before going to restock at the supermarket. It didn’t have all our staples, so we had to come up with some alternatives for the rest of the trip.

Once at the campsite we relaxed in the shade, played ‘Kambio’, decanted our food and went to swim in the river. We decided it was too dirty to actually swim but we soaked our legs and got pedicures from the wild fish! Harry and Mairi were leaving the next day so we had a feast as our last supper before planning and getting advice for the rest of our trip. We tried to sleep early but were kept awake by the wedding gunshots.

11/08/19 500g of Cheese

We were woken by the call to prayer and the local dogs at 05:00. It was extremely misty but wonderfully cool. We were all packed and ready to go by 06:30. Saying goodbye to our Scottish friends as they departed on their bikes, we walked down the road to hitchhike to Gusinje. A local picked us up and brought us though he did ask us for €5. Once in town, we began walking towards Dolja to begin the next stage of our trip.

We were picked up by some Lithuanian tourists who actually brought us too far, to Skala, but it turned out to be a blessing. We began hiking up Mt. Talijanka before deciding that we’d come back to Skala, so we stashed our packs in the bushes and headed steeply up through the woods. We came out into a mountain meadow after an hour as we followed and then overtook the Lithuanians. We snacked on blueberries as we did a loop of the summits in the vicinity. There was a steep hill to climb to get to the top of Talijanka but we were able to see gorgeous panoramas and wild mountain goats.

We cut cross country back to the path and down through the woods again. After about 3.5 hours we reclaimed our packs and walked to a bench in the shade to have lunch. We decided we were too tired to continue in such heat, so we re-planned our route, bought chips, played cards and waited for the weather to cool. We were going to camp by a lake but we were told it was dry, so we camped near the other tents and I bought half a kilogram of sheep’s cheese for dessert and lunch the next few days. Before sleeping, we went to investigate our trailhead for the next morning as we were anticipating a long day following a GPS route over the mountains and down to the official path, half way between Vusinje and Theth, so we could summit Mt Roshit the day after. We also met a German woman who told us about a rock arch which we hoped to find the next day. We began reading our book- Cards on the Table, by Agatha Christie.

12/08/19 The Road not Taken

We woke up at 05:00 to begin climbing at 06:00. We worked hard for two hours, steeply up through the trees following the path and continued for another hour above the treeline as the markers began to peter out. I decided it would be a good idea to hike without my shirt on in the shade and was rewarded with mosquito bite to the nipple.

We were then following cairns and trying to use the GPS to follow what should have been a path. Soon there was nothing that remotely resembled a path and after an hour of searching we decided it was a lost cause. Disappointed, but happy we had made the safe decision, we spent two hours returning to Skala. We washed ourselves off, had lunch in the shade and dried the tent. We decided we wanted to get to Vusinje anyway, so we started to walk down the road to find a different pass over the mountains. We walked past it, doubled back, decided we didn’t like the look of it and went back to walking the 8km by road to Gusinje. We tried to hitch but had no luck so had to keep our spirits up by singing and Sam quoted great reams of comedy sketches from Rowan Atkinson to Monty Python. Having reached Gusinje we turned to walk a further 5km to Vusinje.

This time we did manage to hitch a ride with a couple. Nynne was from Copenhagen and Peter was Czech and they were being driven by a taxi driver who had allegedly just had four beers, was smoking and on the phone. Happy to have reached Vusinje alive, we tried to find our path for the next day as we were still hoping to summit Mt. Roshit. This time it was marked on the map and on the GPS and was supposed to take us over Mt. Roshit to Valbone. Satisfied that we had found a potential route we went to swim in the same 6 degree spring as before and then camped in a nearby meadow with the couple from the taxi. While we were trying to fall asleep, we heard a gnawing above our heads, so we prepared ourselves to be bitten, mauled or gored to death in the night.

13/08/19 The Road less Traveled By

We were up at 05:30 and set off at 06:30 up our prospective path. We quickly established it was not going where we had hoped so we returned to the main path to Theth and carried on looking for a route up Roshit. Eventually we came to a sign that said Roshit, 6.5 hours- pointing to the left- so we took it and proceeded up and up, through the woods with Sam swearing at spider webs as we went. The path was pretty well marked, with just one initial instance of needing GPS help. After a couple of hours we stepped over some branches that I remarked looked like they had been cut and put there intentionally but the markers continued ahead so we ploughed on. Soon, as before, there were no more markers, only cairns. We scampered up the scree, trying to use the GPS to find the path. We tried to go higher but decided it was getting too dangerous, so we resigned ourselves to being unable to get to Roshit once more.

As we crossed those branches again, I decided I wanted to investigate my theory. A path appeared! There were no markers and it wasn’t agreeing with the GPS but there were clearly sawn branches, so we followed up and up. It was incredibly steep, and we needed to use both our hands and feet to climb and fight our way through nettles and the undergrowth- it was clear this was not a well-used path. After about 30min of hard work we found a marker! We were elated! Back on track, we continued through all manner of undergrowth and I even managed to pick up a snail in my boot! Soon we were on scree and rocky terrain, following some markers but we could see where we were headed. By 11:50 we reached the saddle (and the border with Albania), cooked our lunch in the baking heat, hid our packs and made our final ascent to the summit. 45min later we had our panoramic views of this stunning landscape but we also had an incredible sense of achievement after the disappointment of the previous day. We savoured the moment and had some celebratory sheep cheese before returning to our bags.

With just a litre of water left to get us to Valbone we were hot and thirsty. After a couple of hours we found a hut where we bought a can of Fanta (they didn’t have water) and then about 90min later we came to a guest house where we both downed a litre of water and refilled our bottles. Half an hour later we came to a cold river where we washed ourselves and our socks before returning to Restaurant Tradita. Despite there not being many people there, we were told they couldn’t feed us so we went down the road to the next restaurant. The guy running the show was very helpful and he recited the menu, at our table with a moat, as they didn’t have printed ones. We ordered fried veg, chips and trout that they breed onsite (we saw them being killed).

Some smokers joined us but after 7 fags and a drink they left. We decided we wanted more food so ordered more veg and also goat. In the interim, a large group of climbers arrived so we had to wait to get our second course. Completely stuffed we retired to the tent for Agatha and sleep.

Unfortunately, we were woken by the climbers talking very loudly and playing music at 23:30. After trying to sleep through it for an hour and getting annoyed I got up and told them to be quiet! They took another half hour but did go to sleep- only for another group of 3 or 4 to start talking near our tent. After about 20min, just before I was about to tell them to shut up too, Sam got up and did the honours- if you know Sam, you’ll know how annoyed he must have been to do it! Eventually, we were able to get some rest.

14/08/19 It looks like Rain

Given our lack of sleep we didn’t get up till 06:00 and then left at 07:00. We got very sweaty as we probably climbed about 40% of our 1600m ascent in the first 15% of our journey. We saw a snake and two lizards and after about two hours the path levelled off. We had an easy upward walk for an hour before getting to the start of the summit ascent of Zla Kolata- The last of the trio of peaks.

We stashed bags and after going up a marked but sketchy route we doubled back and carried on up the correct path. Looking at the cliff we scaled you’d be hard pushed to spot a route up but after an hour we made it to the final summit, hearts racing. From here we could see Jezerca and Roshit. We lay down to appreciate the region, while the first real clouds we had seen in 9 days moved in front of the sun. We returned to our bags in the relative cool shade that the clouds provided and cooked lunch. All satisfied we set off for Cerem. It was easy walking for an hour, and we passed a cave that appeared to be an air conditioning unit, pumping out cold air!

We could see the clouds darkening and rolling over the hills ahead of us and soon we were in them. The rain was gentle at first but progressively got heavier and heavier. By the time we reached the forest the thunder and lightening started. It was both thrilling and terrifying as the forest got darker and darker, the paths became streams and our clothes became soaked through.

It was hard to estimate what time passed but when we reached the road there were two guys waiting to take us to a guest house- if we wanted. Considering how wet and hungry we were, we decided to go with them. We climbed into the back of an old right-hand-drive Land Rover (with the back door swinging open and shut) and were brought to a guest house with the rain still falling. We hung out our wet things and then were able to enjoy a beautiful rainbow while we had home grown tomatoes, cucumber, bean stew, sweat pepper, chips and bread for dinner.

We were also treated to local mountain tea in glass mugs. It was fairly heavily sugared but a pleasant warm drink. With the cold and wet we retired to our room, hung out the tent and fell asleep in our comfortable beds.

15/08/19 Be Our Guest

We had a slower start to the morning as it was still overcast and we were unsure of our plan for the day. We had bread, cheese and fig jelly for breakfast and were given pack lunches. The whole guest house experience was rather odd and it made us feel guilty in a way. The guests slept in the nice upstairs rooms while the family were all in the, what seemed unfinished, downstairs. The men seemed to check on us but then barked orders to the women and children who did the cooking and cleaning. The house had some solar electricity and no wifi but it did have a bidet in the bathroom (making a change from the usual hole in the floor style). The family seemed to have their own cows and chickens and grew all their own vegetables. They were in the process of building two new bathrooms which aligns with a lot of the construction we saw on our way. The hiking is definitely bringing money to the region but at the same time, all the children are taught to ask the hikers if they want ‘Tea, coffee, cola, supa, cheese, tomato, salad, Fanta…..’ trying to get any money they can. Even leaving the house, the 10 year old kid walked us about 100m to the trail and then asked for €2… €1.. chocolate… bon bons… anything to get something- there would be no singing for our supper here.

We climbed some rocky trails, into forestry, following ‘mule trails’ passing into and out of Montenegro on our way from Cerem to Doberdol. After the storm, the weather was significantly cooler and made for very pleasant walking. We reached a meadow with a bit of a view to enjoy our packed lunch. It was bread, cheese, an egg, a tomato and half a massive cucumber each. We struggled to finish all the cucumber and didn’t feel so well afterwards. We continued on through the woods until we were met by an 18 year old from the shepherds village of Balqin. I wanted to buy some cheese so he took us to his house and I bought some for €2 though it was not an enjoyable experience with mother, son and daughter all butting in and trying to sell us other food items. Eventually leaving, our path wound down the hill before turning steeply upward to Doberdol.

We saw there was a glacial lake called Dashit marked nearby so we ventured an hour off the trail and up the mountain (with the help of a crazy, multilingual local) to discover a gorgeous lake at ~2100m. With the cloud cover we decided it was too cold to swim so we made camp, ate dinner and went to sleep.

At about 23:30 I woke up with a very sore stomach and got up to go to the toilet. Still with a sore stomach I went back to the tent and slept in the foetal position, turning every so often when it became uncomfortable. On one such of these turns I knew I was in trouble. I desperately fought with the zips of the tent to get it open. Just in time, I got my head out the tent and vomited up my dinner. I don’t know what caused it but I was definitely ill.

16/08/19 R&R

We decided to take a rest day by the lake, given my condition. I managed to eat some oats for breakfast and pasta and soup for lunch. We effectively spent the whole day lying by the lake, sleeping, playing mental games and reading our book.

We saw some other hikers but didn’t interact with them. I forced myself to eat a full pasta, cous cous, soup, lentil and tune dinner and went to bed. It was still chilly so neither of us swam that day.

17/08/19 The Triple Point

I was feeling a bit better in the morning, still not great, so we decided to leave. We packed up and walked back to Doberdol to get breakfast. They originally tried to charge us for tea but then offered it for free when we said no the first time. The breakfast was better than the guest house one with friend bread, bean stew, bread, fig jelly, cheese and cucumber. I forced it down and we set off- very slowly.

We were aiming for another glacial lake back in Montenegro, but it required going up to a pass, walking a bit in Kosovo and then walking down. The start if the day involved a 600m climb in 1.5km of walking. By the time I reached the top I was desperate for a lie down.

After a few minutes recovery I hid my pack and we walked to the triple border point between Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo. After a little more rest we walked along a ridge to the pass and cut down towards Babino Polje. Our plan was to skip this village and go over the mountain to the lake but we ended up following the dirt road down and down into the valley until we reached the village.

It was now 12:00 and my stomach was just beginning to settle. Unfortunately, on this second last day of hiking, a stone had gotten in my boot and given me a blister. We climbed for another hour, still on the gravel road before having lunch. This went down a little more easily for me. The rest of the day took us from 1600m to 1900m, heading into the woods until we found the lake.

It had such potential to be amazing but there were many locals with fires, cans, litter and loud music. The water didn’t seem all that clean and we found literal human faeces that hadn’t been buried when we were searching for a place to pitch our tent. We made camp, as best we could, washed our feet and decided we would leave the next day for Plav- our final destination.

18/08/19 Policija

We cleared out early and I was feeling much better. We had about 100m to climb before spending abut four hours winding down dirt roads and forest trails, through farmland and avoiding mud and tiny tractors. Other than Sam knocking a fence over, it was easy walking (which was good given our feet) and we sang to pass the time.

When we reached Plav, we stopped at the police station to check we didn’t need to register anything. After some language issues and help from google translate, we established we were fine and wandered to the lake for a cooling swim. We bought dinner at the supermarket and walked to the campsite to have lunch. We spent the afternoon playing cards, reading, playing frisbee with some wild local kids and then tried to eat too much sausage for dinner. We finished our book. Agatha got us again!

19/08/19 The Winnebago

We had a lazy morning with bread and spreads for breakfast. We needed to relax. We saw a man, 60m away, firing his pistol in the air from a balcony. This is what they do for a wedding here apparently. We also spoke to Seymore and Betty, an American couple who spend their summers motor homing around Europe in their Winnebago. We taught them about Irish history and then after lunch we walked to our Airbnb which was listed as being in two different locations but we eventually found it and deposited our bags.

Despite having cooking facilities, there were no pots or pans so we knew we would have to prepare our camp meals again. We walked to the lake in Plav to cool off and soak our feet before buying tuna, pesto and pasta for dinner. We also spoke to Harry and Mairi on the phone. They had made it to Georgia and said it was very lush!

20/08/19 Drug Smuggling

We began the day having breakfast in the café below our Airbnb which was included in the price. While we were there, we chatted to an American hiker who was also a researcher in Paris. Our first bus left from a random carpark in Plav and took four hours to reach 35 degree Podgorica (the capital of Montenegro). The time passed relatively quickly with some podcasts to listen to. It was strange to see that the bus seemed to stop for anyone, no matter where they were standing. This included two policemen, who had no issue with the driver being on his phone. Once at Podgorica, the heat necessitated we stayed at a restaurant at the station. We had some sandwiches and chips and waited three hours until our bus to Dubrovnik left at 16:00.

The bus was relatively empty for the first 90min and then it suddenly got very full though one guy at the back was spread over two seats and was very unwilling to move. We listened to more comedy shows and podcasts to pass the time and also saw a massive straight-line route being constructed by a Chinese company with monstrous bridges and tunnels. The other excitement was an unplanned ferry trip that we had mid journey. The drivers trying to get on were crazy, with no system or manners and a huge number of near misses as people tried to force themselves on.

Just before 21:00 we reached the border (15min after we were originally due to be in Dubrovnik). It seemed like we would get through quickly and then two Brazilians were forced to have their bags searched in case they happened to be drug dealers (they weren't). 14.5 hours after setting off that morning we reached Dubrovnik, walked 20min to our Airbnb, showered, cooked soup in our camp pots and went to bed.

21/08/19 The Nosebleed Section

We woke early and left our room around 07:00 to go explore the old town of Dubrovnik. It was a 20min walk and after checking out some options we bought breakfast from a quaint restaurant. The waiter was rather concerned when Sam’s nose started to gush blood but it soon dried up.

We were really enjoying the old town, wandering around, seeing the markets and walking part of the perimeter wall. It was very appealing, but it got hotter and hotter with more and more people, so we headed to the sea to swim and cool off. It was idyllic and absolutely what we needed. After about 40min we headed to the bus stop to the airport. We very nearly didn’t get on the bus due to our unwillingness to shove past other people. We thankfully did get on, got to the airport, bought expensive rolls for lunch and flew to Dublin to be collected by Dad.

The trip was absolutely fantastic with some truly incredible experiences. It had its challenges and low points but that is how we learn and grow as people. I am thankful that we decided to walk our own route rather than following the official one, giving us a more unique experience. Overall, I am extremely grateful to have had this opportunity to see something so different to anything I had done before and to do so with my brother, Sam. I hope it was the best send off he could have had before his next adventure in Canada.