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The start of the hikes with the club
“Why don’t we get out of the city?! Why don’t we head for the mountains?!” That was the challenge that arose among friends over an afternoon coffee in Tirana. That is how the desire to go hiking began. After two or three attempts in two or three places, the challenge found a home with Discover Albania Club, and the inspiration it brought gave me a reason to write here on my blog.
It was on my first climb with the club, in Qafë-Shtamë, that they announced “Mission Korab”. This was what I was looking for! A “step-by-step” journey towards a real mountain, Albania’s highest, at 2764 metres.
The “Mission” brings together 18 weeks of different trips, with difficulty ranging from beginner level to the challenging climb of Korab at the end.
But I will have time to tell you about that each week. For now, I will start with Qafë-Shtamë, my first day of hiking with the club.
The trip to Qafë-Shtamë
Qafë-Shtamë National Park was 25 kilometres north-east of the town of Krujë. I had never been before. The club’s organisation was warm and welcoming.
Plenty of humour. No room for awkwardness or for making us feel bad about not being properly prepared.
On the way, in the minibus, we talked about the park’s history. We were told that the name Qafë-Shtamë comes from shtamba, a fairly large earthenware vessel used to hold water. In the Gheg dialect, shtamba corresponds to shtamë, with a nasal a.
The area has springs that, we were told, local people have used since long ago.
It did not take long to reach the park. The road was good. Winding.
Beyond Krujë, it became mountainous. The scenery, spectacular. We stopped beside the water-bottling factory bearing the same name, Qafshtama, and began our hike.
Here and there, the conversation continued as we walked.
The spring called “Nana Mbretneshë”, or “Queen Mother”, was named in honour of Sadije Toptani, the mother of King Ahmet Zogu. We were told that in the 1930s, water from Qafë-Shtamë’s springs was said to have been analysed in a laboratory in Vienna, Austria, and certified as having healing properties. For that reason, the story went, a truck travelled from Tirana to Qafë-Shtamë every day at the time.
That was the conversation along the hike, which took us through a forest of black pines. Fantastic. Here and there, we found traces of people.
Rubbish, or the two former holiday camps left in a miserable state. That left a rather bad taste. Beyond that, though, the hike was extremely pleasant.
Then it became even more beautiful. Beyond the forest, we began a climb of around 500 metres to a high point with a fantastic view. From there, we could see Bovillë Lake with the naked eye, the northern part of Mount Dajti, the western side of the Tirana lowlands and, beyond, the whole horizon.
The descent, as expected, was easier and more cheerful. The sun accompanied us with colour. Orange.
Full of shades, it reddened and deepened towards sunset. Photographer Fatjon Kapllanaj told us that Qafë-Shtamë’s sunsets were among the most beautiful in Albania. Simply fantastic.
That was my first hike with the club, where I learned that:
-A weekend in nature frees you completely from the weight the city puts on you.
-Shoes were essential. The best possible ones, made for hiking. Because if your feet hurt while you climb, you will hardly be thinking about admiring the view.