Theth National Park

After a brutal early morning, I managed to drag myself out of bed and onto the first shuttle to the starting point of the hike. The shuttle cost €2, but it saved us two hours of walking. Given that we were doing a hike anyway, we were initially keen to cop the extra distance and extend the hike. However, we soon learnt that the two hours was essentially just walking along a road, with very little in the way of views or serenity. So, we were happy with the shuttle.
The hike began by taking us through a riverbed that must flow heavily in spring as the ice melts off the tops of the mountains. It was really cool: white rocks lining the bottom of the path, dense forest surrounding us, and huge mountains rising in the background. This went on for about 30 minutes, all the while we anxiously looked up at the mountain we would eventually have to climb to reach the other side. It was quite cold at this point, so the walk was actually very enjoyable. And, most importantly, it was flat. Just as the sun started to get a bit of bite to it, the landscape changed drastically and we entered a well-shaded forest area. This side of the mountain must escape the effects of the river, as there were small farming properties and little animals scattered throughout the landscape.

This was probably the most enjoyable part of the hike, but eventually the steep ascent began. Although the sun was still far from its full force, it packed a punch. The ascent was relatively short, but quite intense. Although we didn't know it at the time, Erin was suffering from the early effects of pneumonia, so she especially struggled with the climb. We took regular breaks to make sure nobody was left behind.

After a gruelling couple of hours climbing up a very steep and rocky mountain face, we eventually reached the section where you can pass through the mountain and begin the descent towards Theth. However, there was a peak not far from this point, and given the distance we had already travelled, it seemed silly not to experience the full view of the valley from the top. So, we picked ourselves back up and began trekking even further up the mountain to one of the peaks. It was very much worth it. We had 360-degree views of both the valley we had just trekked all the way up, the valley we would eventually descend into, and all the mountains that sprawled as far as the eye could see. We felt accomplished seeing where we had started our journey. We had done all of this by about 9 a.m., too.

The final section was the descent into Theth. I'm normally a much bigger fan of descending than ascending, but this was a particularly rough descent because of how long it was and how loose the material underfoot was. We had perhaps been fooled into a false sense of accomplishment by reaching the peak so early in the day. We thought we were just about at the end, but we weren't even halfway there. The loose rocks and stones made the descent particularly difficult. That being said, the change in landscape provided some distraction. Although it was still heavily forested, this side lacked the shrubbery that existed on the other side of the mountain range, creating an eerie, wooded landscape. Just endless trees rising out of the ground. This continued for what felt like forever, and eventually my knees started to give out on me. I've never had knee problems before, but what started as a small, sharp pain gradually became worse as the constant force through my knees with every step took its toll. By the end, I could barely bend my leg.

Luckily, we eventually stopped for a beer, which gave my knee a chance to rest. It helped in the short term, and although we still had a bit of a hike ahead of us, we considered the beer a celebration of having completed the hike. Once again, we had been roped into a false sense of achievement. It was also at this point that we realised it was barely 11 a.m. and we were already drinking. The early start had completely thrown our sense of time out of whack, but we earnt the drink nonetheless. The hike continued for another couple of hours, with some particularly harsh downhill sections that were crippling me with every step. Eventually, though, we made it to the small town of Theth.

By pure coincidence, the three of us who had organised to rent a car the next day had been given our own guesthouse, as the other one was full. This worked out really well. Erin got her own room to try to recover from the hike and pneumonia, while Lewis and I had a room to ourselves. The place itself was beautiful. It was a tiny, remote little house tucked away in the valley, so wholesome that it was hard to describe. The lady who ran it was incredibly sweet and helpful, and we couldn't have been better looked after. It was exactly what we needed after such a brutal hike. Not to mention, she cooked the greatest meal I have eaten on my journey so far. I was absolutely starving and worried that we wouldn't get solid portions, as had happened at the last place. Instead, she cooked us a feast: chicken, rice, pastries, chips, salad, vegetables, and anything else you could possibly want after a massive hike. I will be thinking of this meal for a long time coming.

There is a photo as evidence, but I can't decide which picture of the hike to remove to make room for it, so that will have to wait until I'm home and can share them all properly. After dinner, we grabbed a couple of beers and went to meet up with the other guys from the hike for some drinks. We played card games and drank throughout the night, and it was a great way to finish the day.Read more