Theth (Albania) | Valbona Pass - Day 147

The view from above the mountain pass is fantastic today! It would be even more stunning had there not been smoke from the fires in the air. As I look to the green peak on the left, I can see the mountain trail I hiked to get here, cutting across the mountain.

Our motley crew gathers for a photo before leaving the guesthouse. Left to right, Glen (UK), Max (Australia), Laura (Germany), Siem (Netherlands), Celeste (Netherlands), and Jerome (Canada). I laughed the first time I saw this photo and noticed how thin the hair on top of my head is getting! Oh well, this is me today!

Our group decided to leave from the guesthouse this morning, adding 5 km (3.5 mi) to our trek. So the hike will now be about 22 km (13.5 mi), a perfect distance. Our walk started 8.5 km (5.3 mi) east of Fusha e Gjes Hotel. The climb maxes out at 1,759 m (5,770 ft) before descending steeply into Theth, Albania. The hostel told me it would take 6-8 hours to do the hike.

While passing a little farm, I take a picture of a lady knitting in the field behind the cow. She waves to me. I wave back as I put my phone away.

I am glad I decided to start the morning in shorts as I would have been too hot hiking in pants, even though the sky is a bit overcast and smoky. About 30 minutes from the guesthouse, the rest of the group is already starting to shed layers. Most of the group hasn't done much hiking at all.

After walking 5 km (3.5 mi) on the pavement, the trail begins to follow the floodplain of the Valbona River. Then, finally, I turn around and admire the fantastic view! However, I notice that smoke is in the air, making it difficult to take clear pictures.

Several new guesthouses, like this one, are visible around Valbona. It is apparent that there is considerably more tourist traffic in the summer and that this area is starting to add infrastructure to support the volume of tourists. "Makes me sad to know I am part of the problem," says Siem.

Once the trail leaves the pavement, I begin following this marker. Two red stripes with a white line in the middle. This one also has an arrowhead indicating the direction of travel.

The trail is a gradual uphill this morning for about 10 km (6.5 mi), then it begins to climb steeply up the face of the mountains to the left.

Despite the smoke blowing in from the other side of the mountains, I still enjoy the skyline. It feels good to be walking on this trail. 

Leaving the floodplain, the trail ascends through deciduous trees, mostly birch. Jerome and I are ahead of most of the others. Only Celeste is keeping pace. "When I landed in Bulgaria 45 days ago, the airline lost my backpack. I wore the same clothes for 5 days before giving up and buying new clothes," he says. He has trip insurance but cannot file a claim until the airline declares his luggage lost. Currently, the airline is still claiming to be looking for it. Jerome has already accepted that they will not find his backpack, and he must file a claim when he returns to Québéc. You must have brought a bunch of shit you didn't need, as you are getting along just fine without your backpack, I say, laughing.

The climb finally tapers off and begins to sidehill towards the Valbona Pass. I notice the red and white trail marker in the bottom corner of the photo.

The first part of the descent begins gradually through the deciduous forest. Most of the trees have already lost their leaves. I don't usually include pictures taken by other people. However, it appears Celeste, like Otto, enjoyed taking photos of The Rooster. On the way down, I explain to Jerome how to make free calls back to Québéc using his Canadian SIM card and WiFi calling on his phone. "Why didn't anyone tell me about this? I've had a credit card that has been locked since I arrived because I haven't been able to call the bank to resolve the issue," he says.

The view finally opens up before the last steep pitch downhill into Theth.

The view south overlooking Theth is smoky, though the mountains are still beautiful. The temperature is perfect today, about 22 C (72 F).

Near Theth, I pass this enormous all-terrain camper. The massive unit appears ready to go anywhere, though it won't make it far on narrow tight trails. Nevertheless, it is an impressive beast!

As Jerome, Celeste, and I near Theth, I notice some heavy construction. The excavator and workers are building a retaining wall using river boulders and fencing materials to stabilize the bank and prevent the river from undercutting the road. We designed several of these projects when I worked for Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Kevin, our lead engineer, preferred to use an articulated concrete fabric, as we were not as fortunate to have an abundance of river rock.

Dreni Guesthouse, in Theth, is well situated at the southern end of the town. Jerome looks at his phone, "Right at 22 km (13.5 mi), and it only took us 6 hours," he says. That's right where we should have been. But, of course, it helps to have walked so many kilometers this summer. I can usually guess how long it will take me with a fair bit of precision. This was the biggest and steepest ascent of all my hikes this summer and it feels good to have done it in about the same amount of time it took me to walk 22 km (13.5 mi) on the Camino.

After getting checked in, I get cleaned up. I am grateful that Jerome is my roommate tonight, as neither of us snores. We ought to get a good night's rest. About 2 hours later, around 4 pm, Siem, Laura, Glen, and Max arrive. This is Max's first hike in the mountains, and the smoker is thrilled to have arrived before dark. After dinner, all 7 of us gather around the table, play cards, and drink beer until we finally call it a night.