May 2026 - (with Gemma) After a simply incredible journey yesterday, mostly by a lake in a canyon to Valbonë, we were excited to get up amongst the summits today. The Valbonë Valley is nestled in the Albanian Alps (Alpet Shqiptare), widely known as the Accursed Mountains or Bjeshkët e Namuna. Forming the southernmost edge of the Dinaric Alps, this rugged limestone and dolomite range features towering peaks and glacier-carved valleys. It was an early start, up at 7am for breakfast, and then a pick-up from a guide followed by a bumpy drive to the start point with several river crossings. Navigating the Valbona Pass (Qafa e Valbonës) at this time requires a guide, as the summer trail is often buried in snow and can pose avalanche risks, and route finding on the winter route can be difficult. Local conditions frequently require taking the designated ‘Winter Gully’ route rather than the summer trail. It was the winter route we took, and our guide’s name was Davide, a lovely chap who carried Gemma’s rucksack for the steeper sections of the climb. There’s a picture of him in the photos and he had no backpack, had jeans on, spoke little to no English however he did have an ice axe. Our hire car and luggage was left in a car park in Shkoder as the hike to Theth is a ‘one-way pick up both ends’ affair. Davide took us to the summit of the pass only but we gave him a nice tip. So, as mentioned, the drive to the start point was ridiculously off-road. The initial climb was through mixed woodland which offered fantastic glimpses of the tops through the trees. In my rucksack, I had our toiletries, chargers, meds and my laptop as well as supplies for the walk. Gemma carried mostly water and food, and spare underwear, in hers. The temperature was absolutely brutal throughout (in the 30s) with the only respite being the occasional breeze and shade from the trees. The winter gully was a bit hairy but ice/snow steps were cut. Once at the summit of the pass, Gemma rested while I headed up to the nearest summit (unnamed) for even better panoramic views. The route down to Theth was extremely long with over 1200m of descent as this village sits in the adjacent valley and is lower than Valbonë. I teased Gemma about possibly encountering brown bears but only succeeded in heightening my own paranoia. We did see several lizards including a big fat green one. Along the route today, we bumped into several folk that we’d met on the way to Valbonë which was great. Just a fantastic day in an area and country I never thought I’d visit. Stunning views and a real wilderness explored.