After my short visit to Kotor, it was time for some more remoteness and I made my way to the Prokletije national park in the northeastern part of Montenegro close to the border of Albania. Apparently some of the best hiking in the country could be found there and fortunately enough the park was reachable by public transport. Well almost reachable, as I had to walk the last 7 kilometers from the nearest town to the heart of the park. :) That was a good warm up though and I looked forward to two days full of hiking in the surrounding mountains. So this is the blog entry number 50 since I started with "A Viking is Hiking" and the two hikes definitely do this little jubilee justice.
Day 1: Four peaks and some bad weather As the weather forecast for the first day was pretty okay, but much better for the second day, I decided to do the most popular hike of the park on the first day. The hike would lead me over three peaks with an option of adding another one if time would allow it. Getting up not too early for once, I got out of the tent, took a look upwards and could have gone back to my sleeping bag right away. :) Clouds and fog were thick above me and the sun was nowhere to be seen. Well, bad luck I thought and headed out anyway. Hitting the trail at about 9 o'clock, I soon entered the forest and started ascending towards the first peak. For about an hour I walked steadily and gently upwards, never leaving the woods at all, passing the turnoff to the additional Karaula peak about half way. The higher I got, the more the fog enclosed me and when I eventually emerged out of the woods, I couldn't see further than the next 5 meters. :) Well, at least the trail was still visible and as it was marked pretty good, I just carried on. The path kept on leading upwards, alternating between steep and gentle slopes, as well as between woods and open fields. As usual when the views are limited, I focused on the tiny things around me and that kept me entertained until I reached a main junction.
There I took a break and said a prayer that I would be over the fog once the next ascending slope was behind me. Not surprisingly the prayer was futile. :) While the ascent was a pretty steep one, I almost missed the first peak and had to check my GPS if I actually stood on it. :) Thick fog still surrounded me and the only thing I could see was a swarm of birds that looked rather creepy flying around in the enclosing mist.
The sun was pushing though, I could see as much and leaving the peak half an hour later, my spirits were higher than before. A short walk of about 15 minutes brought me to the second peak known as Talijanka, with 2057 meters above sea level the highest point of today. Right when I arrived, the fog around the summit suddenly vanished and ahead of me a superb view of the highest mountains of the Prokletije national park unfolded.
To the other side of the summit, a first peek of Albania was visible and I entirely enjoyed that brief moment, where there actually was something to see. :) As fast as the clouds had vanished, as fast they were back again and I ate my lunch on the peak with no views at all. When after an hour the mist was still there, I was about to carry on, but suddenly heard some voices in the fog. A German couple arrived and while we started to chat, the fog lifted again towards the Albanian side. It was quite a sight to behold, as the ridge I walked along before was a natural blockade and kept the fog out of the valley for the moment.
Prolonging my stay on the summit another half an hour, I had no luck with more views towards the higher mountains and eventually resumed my hike. Descending towards the third peak, it didn't took long and the fog eventually started to vanish. The trail now suddenly could be seen in the distance and a little later the wall of mountains on the other side also made their first appearance today. What an impressive sight and the lifting clouds made it even more spectacular!
Coming onto the third peak called Volušnice, the weather had cleared up completely and I was able to enjoy the views in every direction. To one side the stunning mountains and the valley I was camping in, to the other Karaula and the two peaks that I had scaled before. It was that beautiful, that even though I had taken loads of breaks before already, I just took another one. :)
The German couple caught up with me while I was on Volušnice and we both were glad that we now had some really good weather. Checking the time, there was enough left to scale Karaula as well, but instead of heading to the turnoff in the forest, I decided to take a different way. Descending from Volušnice, the bottom of the plateau where I emerged out of the trees in the morning, was reached soon enough. Taking the same way to the main junction below the first peak, I walked straight ahead this time into the valley on the other side and there turned right after a couple 100 meters. While the way along the valley was marked pretty good in the beginning, it was not so good anymore later on and I actually missed the turnoff towards Karaula for quite a bit. Luckily though, there was another one and walking across country once again I was back on the track before long. The path entered the woods and coming upon another turnoff, there was no chance at all and within a couple minutes I had lost the trail again. There were so many leaves on the ground, it was impossible to see where exactly the way was going. Using my GPS, I just walked somewhere through the forest, up some super steep slopes, crossed some undergrowth and after a while eventually made it back onto the official trail. Due to this unplanned detour, the time started to run out, but as I already made it pretty far, I continued anyway. The path that I had to follow now was narrow, overgrown, at times pretty steep and full of wet roots and rocks. So the going still was rather slow and caused me to reach the peak much later than expected. Nevertheless, I stayed up there as long as possible, as the view towards all the mountains around me was incredibly good. The sun also started to set and together with the clouds that were still hanging around, made up for the hassle to get up there. :)
Eventually it was time to leave though and starting with the descent, it didn't took long until I slipped on one of the wet roots and rather ungracefully fell onto my arse. :) Retracing my steps unscathed to where I had entered the trail, I walked straight ahead this time and before long came upon another junction. Turning left, the path led down in uncountable switchbacks back to the turnoff that I had passed in the early morning. Again this took me longer than anticipated and when I finally was back on the initial trail, it already started to get dark. Luckily it was not far anymore from there and I made it back to my tent safe and sound during the last light of the day. Enjoying a hearty dinner, I let the day pass through my head one more time and already looked forward to tomorrow where it was the plan to go up on the other side of the valley. Hoping for some more sunshine and remoteness, I soon snuggeld into my sleeping bag and left the cold night for the land of dreams. :)
Highlights of the day: the sea of fog and the many different views I got throughout the whole day
This hike is for you if: - you want a panoramic view of the Prokletije mountains - you're looking for a doable trail with stunning views in every direction - you only have one day in the Prokletije national park
This hike is not for you if: - you want the trail all for yourself - you don't like walking in the forest
Day 2: Two peaks and some good weather :) Repeating the same ritual as the day before, a look into the sky in the morning told me that today would be much much better. Not a single cloud was in the sky and compared to yesterday I got ready with a lot more enthusiasm. :) Leaving my tent at a quarter to 9, I was wondering what the day would have in store for me. My goal were the two peaks of Očnjak and Karafili, returning in a loop to where I started from. As I found this hike online without any description, I was not sure what exactly was awaiting me. That was no problem though, as I didn't mind a little adventure. :) Yesterday the first part of the trail could be seen from Volušnice, but the beginning at the bottom of the valley was quite hidden and it took me a while until I found the official track. The path was narrow, partly overgrown and from the few faint markings I could tell that this wasn't a popular trail. Nevertheless the path was recognizable enough and I had no trouble to find my way. Soon the trees enclosed me once more and luckily there were not as many leaves on the ground as the day before. Once again the ascent was steady, alternating between steep and gentle slopes. Making good way, I soon left the woods behind me, knowing that it was not far anymore to the turnoff towards the peak Očnjak. 5 minutes later I turned right and followed another narrow trail leading up towards the peak. Not quite sure where exactly this path would bring me, I continued to walk up a steep slope, turning around every now and then to enjoy the already beautiful scenery around me.
As most of the trail was still in the shade, the ground and the rocks were pretty wet, which made for a not that easy walk. And once the initial slope was behind me, it got even more difficult. The path now started to lead along a steep mountain wall and soon my walking sticks found their way into my backpack as I had to start scrambling over some rocks. Struggling with their wetness, my wet shoes and the super steep slope, it took quite a while to bring this part of the ascent behind me. Coming upon a tiny plateau, I took a well deserved rest to enjoy the magnificent views from there. That wasn't the end though and resuming the trail, ropes and a first little climb awaited me. It took me a moment to overcome this one and continuing onwards, I soon came upon another obstacle, but this time could find no way to climb through it. Looking around, I noticed a way to my right and deciding to try it there, I was past the obstacle within seconds. :)
So far, so good, the real challenge though was still waiting for me. A third obstacle had to be climbed and I just couldn't find a way through or around it. Only when I left my backpack behind and used all the crevices I could find, I was able to overcome it. Lucky me, the rocks in all the climbing sections were super dry, otherwise I wouldn't have stood a chance. After the final obstacle, the way to the peak was free and scaling the summit a bit later, a moment of joy flooded through me. :) This was a tough climb and I was a tiny bit proud that I had made it. As usual though, the struggle was well worth it. The views in all directions were just superb and had to be enjoyed thoroughly. :)
When it was time to head back, the realization that going down was for once easier than going up, came soon. The obstacle where I left my backpack, was overcome within seconds and also the other two represented no real challenge anymore. Soon I was walking along the steep mountain wall again and like yesterday I didn't came far until I slipped on a wet rock and fell onto my left knee. Luckily there was only a minor bruise and I could continue the descent otherwise unscathed. Taking it easier and more careful afterwards, I retraced my steps to the turnoff and rejoined the initial trail. Up it went again on the narrow path from before, the only change being, that it now was under a scorching hot sun.
Coming to another turnoff after a while, I left the official trail and started to follow an unofficial one. It was supposed to bring me to the peak of Karafili and in the beginning the way was pretty easy to follow. After a while though it petered out and what ensued was a wild mix of following some faint traces of trails, walking across country and looking out for cairns that some people had placed along the way. Luckily I knew in the meantime which peak Karafili was, so even though there sometimes were markings on some random rocks, I basically just made my own way. :)
Coming upon the summit, I was hungry and ready to have lunch, but looking at the area around the rather flat peak, the decision to continue already a bit further was made soon. Because the peak itself had no nice spot to sit down, I looked around for a while and finally found a good place for lunch after a little more scrambling over a couple rocks. The view from there was brilliant and included all the peaks of yesterday, as well as an outlook into the valley on the other side of Karafili.
Resuming the trail after a long break, I was supposed to follow the stony ridge I was on, but it soon was obvious that that was not a good idea. Huge crevices had to be climbed over and I also couldn't see if there was a way down at the very end of the ridge. Checking my GPS coordinates, I noticed that the guy who had walked this trail also had made a detour around it. So I did the same and started to look for a way down to the bottom of the plateau below me. Well, basically there was only one and of course it involved scrambling down a steep slope. :) It was nothing too difficult though and eventually brought me down to the plateau. Finding many faint traces of trails along the way, I realized quickly that I wasn't the first one that did this detour. :) Following some of them minor trails, I walked around all the huge rocks in the way and then headed back up again to the official path, rejoining it right after the end of the stony ridge.
From there the way led along a grassy ridge with a couple tiny peaks and viewpoints in between, all of which boasted some nice scenic views in all possible directions. Knowing that from now on it only would go downwards without any scrambling at all, I enjoyed this part a lot. Too soon though it was time to say goodbye to the mountains around me and joining a gravel road after the last minor peak of the day, I never left it again until I hit the main road at the bottom of the valley. Walking along the road for one last kilometer, I soon was back at my tent and a cold beer from my neighbors. :) Today was a fantastic day and so far the best hike on my Balkan trip. My time in Montenegro was at an end though and as a last and final destination, Albania was on my list. Looking forward to that, I left the Prokletije national park the next day with some more good memories and a smile on my face.
Highlights of the day: the climb up to Očnjak and the many different views I got throughout the whole day :)
This hike is for you if: - you're looking for a lot of scrambling along the way - you know how to use a GPS or read a map - you're looking for remoteness and solitude
This hike is not for you if: - this is your first time hiking in the mountains - you're looking for well maintained hiking trails - you don't know how to spot faint trails from other people
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