One of the toughest days hiking the long distance Peaks of the Balkans trail was between Kuqishte and Babino Polje due to stomach issues, ironically after having a rest day in Drelaj. What should have taken 6-7 hours ended up taking over 10 hours. Thankfully it was mainly just illness to deal with, otherwise it was perfect weather for hiking and there was some stunning scenery, particularity in the afternoon.
From Drelaj I got a transfer to Kuqishte, saving a lot of uphill road walking, though there was still over 1,000m to climb, which was slow going. It started out in forest and was cool though which helped.
After a 400m steep climb it was a relief to reach the attractively reflective Leqinat Kuqishtes glacial lake.
It was back into the forest then an open area with a grass covered hut.
Further on there was another attractively coloured glacial lake.
There was another 400m of steep climbing to do, past some impressive scenery.
It was a relief to finally reach the 2,275m Jelenka Pass as this meant that most of the climbing for day was done. Flat and downhill were manageable, but steep ascents when ill wouldn’t be much fun.
It was much faster walking on more level land around this lush green landscape.
The third water feature of the day couldn’t really compete with the other two but was in a good location.
It was getting pretty late in the afternoon by now, later than I’d normally be hiking, so it was a long day but the bonus was the beautiful light bathing the landscape.
The final high point to cross was the Zavoj Pass, taking me firmly into Montenegro after skirting the border between it and Kosovo since Jelenka Pass.
It was all downhill from here, with the last rays of light casting big shadows.
There was steep descent through thick wild flowers before finally reaching the road by 8pm. The owner of the Eco Lodge had been alerted by another hiker who passed by earlier on and was waiting with his van to kindly provide a lift, saving another half hour of walking, such a relief.
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