Km 1046 to km 1248, Valbona Valley National Park (Albania) to somewhere between Mojkovac and Zabljac (Montenegro).
By the time I post this I’ll have completed 20%, so we can all go ahead and celebrate that now.
Day 34
27/05/2022 – 43km
It’s great to be back in the mountains, and they’re really beautiful here.
I was surprised by how many other hikers I met here. After a month of not really seeing any one else on the trail, suddenly there are dozens. Hiking around Valbona and Theth national parks is apparently very popular.
On a descent from a pass I got chatting to two American guys who live in Vienna. It was nice to have company for a short while.
The forecast was for storms today, and so far they haven’t materialised, it’s been sunny the whole time. The forecast was even worse for tomorrow, so we’ll see.
Day 35
28/05/2022 – 50km
Another border crossed. I’m now in Montenegro. Things seem noticeably more expensive here (compared to Bulgaria, Kosovo, etc), but so far that’s only based on one town.
I went further than I’d initially intended today. I saw on my map an open ridge that looked like a potentially good area, but upon getting there (around 6pm) it had a lot of sheep, cows and shepherds. So I continued on until I found something a bit more out of the way.
Sometimes campsites are beautiful, relaxing and a joy to be at. Other times it’s just a spot of relatively level ground large enough to fit my tent. This is certainly the latter.
Day 36
29/05/2022 – 40km
Rain and fog all day. After looking at the forecast and looking again at the sky, with little chance of drying things out, I opted to stay in a little cabin outside my next resupply town.
Below are a few pictures that I took when there were breaks in the clouds, but for most of the day I was staring into thick cloud and fog.
I did see a group of wild boar. I think the rain shielded me from their notice until I was very close.
Day 37
30/05/2022 – 44km
Resupplying in Mojkovac, before climbing into a rural backcountry of undulating stony hills.
Every now and again I’d pass rudimentary settlements and livestock. Life up here seems as if it would be very different from the existence I’m used to.
The trail was fun but slower today. Large sections didn’t really have a trail, and navigation was just from marker to marker.
Fantastic photos Ben!
Keep it gangsta!
Thanks for sharing those beautiful pictures ! May be you miss Marseille pizzas, but not the mess in town 😉