ShenMarie and Kodra e Luncit

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Two for One and Zhllima

Summary: This is a long trail of almost 16 kilometer, requiring good orientation, river crossings (in winter), and other obstacles. But then, you will be rewarded with many experiences and some good (in)sights into what must be the most remote area west of Tirana.

Our original route-finding experience extended to 18.3 kilometer and more than 1100 meter cumulative altitude gain, and finished while trying to negotiate extraordinarily muddy trails and to cross several swollen rivers (including Zhllima e Madhe) over doubtful makeshift bridges in pouring rain and approaching darkness.

The trail straddles the border between Tirana and Elbasan region, climbing the worthy peak of ShenMarie, and the higher - but perhaps less worthy - Kodra e Luncit with its antennas. Specifically, the hiker will venture into the communes of Baldushk (Tirana Region), Gracen (Elbasan Region) and Berzhite (Tirana Region). Interestingly, dirt roads to the villages close to the these mountains only connect to their districts and their respective district capitals, with few paths connecting the communities across the district boundaries.

Expectedly, views into all directions abound.

The Hike: The hike startes near one of the bridges across the Zhllima River. You have to cross some private property, but the farmers were welcoming and we met several people who were happy to see tourists exercising on their mountains. Because of high waters, the return trip (in the valley, crossing several streams) became somewhat of an obstacle course - in summer when the waters are low it should be possible to return by just following the bed of the Zhllima River (instead across the fields and the road).

Maximum altitude:	758 meter
Minimum altitude:	204 meter
Cumulative height:	879 meter
Cumulative length:	15.58 kilometers
Difficulty	moderate
Time:	7 hours
Date of this record	February 2013
Download GPS info:	Two for One

General location and approach: The trailhead is reached from Tirana by driving to and through Baldushk, until the asphalt road ends. Turn left towards Kocaj and continue to the trailhead. About 25 kilometers from Tirana.

Other Information: It should be possible, without much difficulty, to climb the two mountains separately, on shorter hikes - though then you don't get Two for One. Combining the two is certainly a good training exercise!

ShenMarie (left) and Kodra e Lunçit (right) from Gracen

Kodra e Lunçit (left) and ShenMarie (right) from near the trailhead

Route finding is not easy - there are always several trails to choose from - and some trails are easily overgrown

At the very last corner of Tirana Qark, an old cemetary - similar to those that can be found in Vrap

View from Shen Marie towards Kodra e Luncit (with the antennas), our next destination

Dajti Mountain (the ridge on the left), Priske Mountain (right from center) and Mali me Gropa (right) in snow

View from the summit of Shen Marie. In the distance, Lisec Mountain near Gramsh

On our way to Kodra e Luncit. Bukanikut (see separate trail) on the left in the distance

Spring seems to have begun, in mid-February

On the summit of Kodra e Luncit. Mali i Fagut on the left and the pyramid of Mali i Snojt (right, between the trees) in the distance. Both mountains are covered by separate trails on Wikiloc

Daijti Mountain and Priske Mountain in the distance. In the middle ground, Durishit Ridge. The full-length traverse of the ridge, from Petrele (left) to the right is one of the highlights in the vicinity of Tirana

Muddy boots on trail down from Kodra e Luncit

One of the many makeshift bridges. We crossed at least five or six rivers before reaching our car

You can always try to run fast, before the water seeps into your socks.

Zhllima e Madhe River (the big Zhllima). In summer, it will be easier to find the crossings...

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 when viewing it in Google Earth, which you need to have installed on your computer. The 3D perspective allows a good preview of gradients, steepness, possible views and is generally helpful when planning a trip.