Across Mali i Korres

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Across Mali i Korres

Summary: Mali i Korres could be coming out of a novel. It is the backdrop for several villages on an isolated highland plateau. Situated right on the boundary of Tirana and Elbasan regions, it takes a while to get there along winding roads in desolated landscapes.

We chose a round-trip across the summit of Korres. Due to the much eroded hillsides, the trip requires to descend deep into the ravines. Regardless where you start the loop hike, the total elevation gain will always be the same.

We opted to start with a descent of 200 Meter, but other starting points are possible. One of them would be Korres village - but then you have to climb the 200 meters on the final stretch of your return.

The hike follows trail, forest roads, village roads and short sections through farmland, where orientation might be difficult.

The Hike:

Maximum altitude:	1410 meter
Minimum altitude:	602 meter
Cumulative height:	885 meter
Cumulative length:	14 kilometer roundtrip
Difficulty	moderate
Time:	6 hours
Date of this record	November 2013
Download GPS info:	Korres

The Access: The best way to approach the trailhead is from Elbasan, via the road to Mollagjesh

Maximum altitude:	859 meter
Minimum altitude:	310 meter
Cumulative height:	660 meter
Cumulative length:	21.5 kilometer
Difficulty	easy
Time:	1 hour
Date of this record	November 2013
Download GPS info:	Korres Trailhead

Other Information: For shorter hikes, you may opt for an in-and-out hike along the same route, for instance starting in Cerujë.

The area of Bicelle and Branesh, seen from the Labinot road. Elbasan is to the left. The road leads through the quarry on the left, and goes along close to the ridgeline to the right.

The quarry and Mali i Letanit, approximately 930 Meter high

Along the road to Mollagjesh. Mali i Korres provides the backdrop to the the village of Funare.

Mali i Korres from near the trailhead. Before you start to climb, you have to descend 200 meters into the ravine.

Short parts of the trail might be tricky

Korre village, with Priske and Dajti Mountains in the distance

View west from Korre. The white wall is the new dam that is going to create a lake, and hydropower, in the years to come. The canyon of the river Zalli i Korres will disappear. The white cloud is dust from the quarry that is eating into the mountain, which on its right side is home to Pellumba cave.

View across Korres village towards the area of Mollagjesh. Kodra and Kalases (see separate trail) are two summits of the mountain.

View east from the summit of Mali i Korres. The pyramid is Mali i Shen Noi (see separate trail).

View from the summit of Mali i Korres, across the lakes of Funare towards Tomorri mountain.

Panorama from Mali i Korres. To the left is Dajti mountain. Kruja mountain can also be made out. In the middle ground is Mali i Fagut, and in the distance on the right Mali me Gropa dominates the background.

Having crossed Mali i Korres. In the distance, Polis, Gafer and Bukanik mountains (see separate trails).

Mali i Korres, seen during a climb of Mali i Fagut, in winter

GPS and trailmaps: The map and trailinformation is generated by , based on GPS information collected from the actual hike. Waypoints can be downloaded to a GPS device from Wikiloc. If necessary, use GPSBabel to convert GPS data to different formats. For more hike descriptions by Palmtreetreeproduction, browse this website or visit Wikiloc and search for "Palmtreeproduction". You may also find nearby trails from other authors.

Google Earth: You may also view the trail in 3D by clicking "view in Google Earth" when on Wikiloc. You need to have Google Earth installed on your computer.