Kryeluz to Hasdushk – 2nd July
Distance: 14.1 km – Elevation +400 m -260 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 35 degrees
Finding my way out of the hotel was like being in a maze and I eventually exited via a side door. It was 6.00 am and surprisingly I came to a small bar/cafe on the approach to the village and it was open. There were already a few early morning customers who I guessed were farmworkers. I enjoyed a good breakfast of croissants and coffee and was also able to buy a large sandwich for a later lunch.
Walking back through the village I passed the now closed village shop and a little after the path left the road and climbed out of the village to a ridge with magnificent views on either side. On the east of the ridge there were views of Lake Okshtun and the views extended across the valley floor to the distant mountains. The path became narrow and at times, not well defined. It was just past midday and with the sun now high in the sky I came to an ancient olive grove and rested in the shade of an olive tree. I felt tired and a wee bit queasy and must have drifted into sleep and when I woke it was 4 pm!
I had still to reach the highest point of the day’s track and it was a real struggle across open terrain with little or no shelter from the sun. I stopped a couple of times to cool down in the shade of isolated boulders. The last climb was short but almost vertical and a local man saw my difficulty and came and took my rucksack to the top making it much easier for me. On reaching the plateau I saw the local man who was creating a concrete area had made a tented area and he invited me to rest – it was wonderful and perfectly located to enjoy the mountain breeze. I was able to explain where I was heading and he shook his head and tried to persuade me to take the road to the much nearer town of Rrogozhinë.
Perhaps on reflection, it would have been better but it was way off route and I decided after a good rest and a good intake of water to continue on to Peqin but after walking another 4 kilometres I realised I did not have the inward resources to reach my destination and decided to bed down by the side of the track. It was a warm dry night so using my emergency bivy bag I began to sleep. Thinking I was far from human contact I was surprised by a woman walking along the track. Stopping she was equally surprised to see me. I smiled and showed her the map of my route in my Via Egnatia book which she understood and then she made a phone call and handed me the phone and woman speaking in very good English asked if I needed help – I explained and said I was okay but would like water if possible. I passed the phone back and the woman walked off in the direction from which she had come and returned a short while after with a large bottle of iced water. She made one more phone call and then smiled and said something in Albanian before returning to I guess her home. I bedded down to sleep content in knowing that I had water if needed. Darkness came and as I drifted into sleep I was again surprised by the unexpected. I felt a tap on my bivy bag – it was a shepherd complete with his flock. He beckoned me to get up and to follow him and he led me to a “rough and tumble” building with a few hay bales and I made my bed there.
