Day 3 – Albanian Alps Adventure

The one with… the cat from New York, the café in the middle of nowhere and the singing on the summit.

Last night we had the thunderstorms of all thunderstorms. Lightning danced over the mountains, the thunder was so loud it rattled the windows, yet somehow it all felt spectacular rather than frightening. Despite the noise, I drifted off to sleep with no issues at all. It must be this mountain air.

7.00am - Morning routine completed. There is nothing better than journaling on a balcony with stunning scenery all around me.

7.30am- Downstairs, everyone is in the queue making lunch. There are bread rolls, cheese, rice, avocados, apples and a whole range of other things laid out on the tables. Breakfast is also a feast. The Albanians certainly know how to eat. Although, I’m not convinced they’ve mastered coffee yet. You could practically stand your spoon up in it, it was that thick and strong.

8.30am (ish) The next adventure is about to unfold.

After a guided yoga session by Maxine (wonderful) we pile into two mini busses which takes us to the trailhead. Calling it a road would be generous. It was more like driving along a rocky riverbed and how we all managed to stay in our seats I’ll never know. I’m just glad I took extra travel sickness tablets this morning.

Beep! Beep! The driver leans on the horn as he attempts to persuade several enormous horned cows to move off the track.

9.27am - The climb begins.

For the first section we are being led by a local Albanian guide called David who speaks no English and appears to be tackling the mountain in jeans and a jumper.

Apparently there are two routes to the summit. The summer route is currently closed due to a large landslide of snow and ice, so we are taking the winter route instead.

David is leading from the front, James is in the middle of the group and I’m tail walking.

It’s a slow climb upwards through boulders, pine forests and sections with dramatic drops into the valley below. And yes, there is quite a bit of hands down scrambling involved.

Suddenly I hear shouting from further ahead.

It’s David.

Then I hear a familiar voice..Kelly joins in.

“It’s not safe!”

“Wrong way!”

“Don’t go that way!”

Someone had spotted hikers across the valley taking the closed summer route and David was desperately trying to warn them. From where we were standing it looked tempting enough, but there was clearly a good reason it had been closed.

10.39am - In the middle of the mountain we come across a café. Yep, halfway up a mountain. How bizarre.

It’s a makeshift wooden shack perched beside a stream. The water from the stream feeds the toilet and keeps a large tub of drinks beautifully cold. They serve tea, coffee, snacks and even beer. Absolutely brilliant. And a very welcome break.

The weather is perfect for hiking. Not too hot, not too cold, with enough cloud cover to make the climb comfortable.

As the technical section is completed, we say goodbye to David. We have reached the point where the summer and winter routes meet, and James now takes over for the final push to the summit.

The mountains surrounding us are part of the Albanian Alps, often known locally as the Accursed Mountains. Despite the dramatic name, they’re some of the most beautiful mountains I’ve ever seen, with jagged limestone peaks rising above deep green valleys.

Summit Time - Wow. I dropped my pack and left it with those having lunch below, while a few of us climbed to a nearby viewpoint. The views were simply breathtaking.
One of those moments where photographs don’t even come close. I breathed it in thinking that my life has brought me here. How bloody amazing.

As we headed back down, Paula and I started singing:

“She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes…”

Two other hikers joined in and suddenly we had a little international mountain choir.

12.45pm - Lunch with a view.

And what a view. Sitting next to me is a young couple carrying a cat.

Not just any cat. A cat called Apollo that travelled all the way from New York. In a backpack. 😂

The young lady looked a little shaken and soon explained why.

They hadn’t known the summer route was closed and had followed a guide who apparently didn’t know either. At one point they were crawling across snow and ice when the surface collapsed beneath them.

She genuinely thought she was going to die. All while carrying Apollo on her back.

The cat seemed remarkably unfazed by the whole experience.

She politely asked if they could follow our guide down the mountain. Of course they could. So we are now a group of nineteen. Plus one cat!

2.00pm - Once past the more exposed sections, the forest trail down was magical. Ancient pine trees, mountain streams and dappled sunlight filtering through the branches.

Then, as if by magic, another café appeared in the middle of nowhere.

Cat lady joined us and we got to know the couple a little better. Unfortunately she had a couple of slips on the way down. In fairness, she was wearing regular trainers rather than hiking shoes and this trail wasn’t exactly forgiving.

If I’m honest, the final hour was a slog. Knees aching and that shaking that you get in your thighs. The sun now beating down on us. One foot in front of the other.

5.30pm - We made it.

While James sorted out the room keys, Ann led a Pilates stretching session in the garden. This was followed by Maxine guiding us through a meditation session.

Absolute heaven!

If only I could book yoga and Pilates teachers on every single trip.

7.00pm - Dinner was another three-course feast. Soup. Salads. Beef and potatoes. Cake.

The conversation flowed, the laughter was loud and everyone looked tired but happy.

Life feels pretty good right now.

8.30pm - I retreat to my room and before long I’m off with the fairies.

What a day.

Tomorrow’s hike is longer at around 15 miles, so a few people have decided to swap walking boots for a visit to the famous Blue Eye of Theth instead.

Whatever they choose, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be another memorable day.

Until tomorrow.

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