Gondola Ride to Mount Dajti

On Tuesday, November 16, 2010 we caught, most likely the last gasp of autumn in Tirana. An incredible day to take a ride on the gondola to Mt. Dajti and do a little hiking on the mountain...an adventure with adult supervision. So, Madlyn, Martha, Gary and I plan to take advantage of this beautiful day; that means four (4) cameras rolling as we gently ride up the wire in our gondola car. The trip up takes about sixteen (16) minutes and ends with a slight(read straight up!) vertical ascent to the "landing zone" and the Belvedere Hotel.

Our goal as it is explained to me is to climb up the rest of the mountain to the top by following trails and making our own way through the forest. Now, from a distance that sounds like a workable plan; however, as we get nearer the mountain, I realize that we would be doing some serious hiking through a forest floor littered in leaves several inches deep (read slippery at best).

The forest is deceptively beautiful as I look up at the steep hillside and the deep carpet of leaves. It is not quite the forest faced by Hansel and Gretel, more of a "Never Ending Story" forest...it just keeps on going!

Gary is the designated trail leader for the group; he takes off at a quick pace and the climb is on, with Martha and Madlyn right behind and me lagging in the back(catching up turns out to be a bad plan!!) taking photographs of the forest and fellow hikers.

Madlyn ties her shirt around her waist to be more comfortable and we are marching up the hill.It is quiet except for the light crunching sound of the leaves beneath our feet; absolutely clear and the air so fresh, with a slight nip in it; a reminder winter is not far away as is the annual snowfall on Dajti.We do not spot a single bird or any four legged creature as we climb the mountain; we do spot one local resident and he politely poses for me.

We "discover" abandoned sites where the bunkers used to be located on the side of the mountain; flat trails leading to the large holes in the ground that are slowly filling with the decaying leaves and fallen branches of the forest. At one point Martha motions us quiet and we stop and listen to the falling leaves as they return to the earth; light crinkles as if of paper, as each cascading leaf flutters one last time and then falls to the ground. In the distance Gary is on the move on a man made trail...leading where?

We have been unable to find a direct path to the top, which results in us climbing up the mountain in a traversing fashion, "breaking" our own trail; difficult at best and exhausting for all of us. In between laughing at ourselves and discussing what our kids would think of our behavior, we continue up the slope.

After about ninety-minutes (90), we call a halt to our expedition and try and assess the likelihood of all of us making it to the top of the mountain. Gary is far enough ahead of the rest of us he wants to go on(Gary and Martha are on the cell together); Madlyn and Martha and I will return to the bottom and wait for Gary to come down. he assures us he will be okay and will catch up with us at the restaurant...with a little trepidation on our part he goes for the top(he eventually finds a road after breaking a trail to the top!!) and we head down the steep slope.

The hike down the mountain takes about thirty(30) minutes of following very faint trails that follow the various high points of the mountainside. Through dried up creek beds and fallen trees; one tree that I thought looked like a "dinosaur"; just open your imagination on this one!

We are almost to the bottom; I can see through the trees the Hotel Belvedere in the distance; voices emanating from far below and the smell of meat cooking on a spit. Looking back, the forest is so dense, the leaves so thick, I cannot see where we have just walked...it just goes on and on!

Past the empty Communist era building; the sleeping feral dog and her pups; horses in front of us and just to the right is the Relani Restaurant. This find will prove to be perfect for us; incredible food and price. We wait here for Gary who returns to tell us he has made it to the top and once there discovers an access road; after a few glares we all laugh and get him some water to drink. He tells us about the view at the top and meeting a couple of other hikers and getting his picture taken at the top!

By the time we are back on the gondola, the sun is setting on our perfect autumn day; we are all wondering how this adventure will affect us in the morning...will we be able to walk again!!!A great adventure; next time we take the access road to the top for a picture of all of us.This is a definite must visit if you come to Tirana; what a beautiful view of the city and what an exhilarating ride in the gondola.