Papingut, Summit of Nemercke

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Maja e Papingut and Mali e Nemerckës

Summary: Papingut has a dramatic east face - which drops 2000 Meter into the Vjosa Valley, near Permët. Ascend from the east is reserved for suitably equipped climbers ready to cope with the reputedly bad rock. But the mountain can be relatively easily scaled from the valley of Zagoria on its west side. Zagoria in itself is tremendously beautiful, and a climb of Nemerckë offers all the views.It is still a long hike (4-5 hours up, and half the time down), with 1400 Meter elevation gain.

Papingut is, after Gramos, the second highest peak in southern Albania. We tried Papingut once, in November, but were repelled by blistering cold, tremendous windstorms, and fierce sheepdogs. On 1st May 2012, snow covered the upper slopes, the sheep and their dogs were in the valley, and the weather was glorious.

Maximum altitude:	2485 meter
Minimum altitude:	1088 meter
Cumulative height:	1400 meter
Cumulative length:	4.8 kilometer one way
Difficulty	easy
Time:	5 hours up, 2.5 hours down
Date of this record	May 2012
Download GPS info:	Papingut

General location and approach: To approach Papingut, leave from Gjirokaster for Libohove and continue through the Gryka e Selckës canyon to Polican. There is guesthouse. From there, continue for about 10 kilometres in the direction of Sopik. On your way you pass through the village of Skore. Further on, note the waypoint, where a sharp turn to left leads to the trailhead, at the bottom of a large field of talus. Make sure you find the trailhead as per the coordinates, as the trail will avoid much of the talus.

Other Information: When snow covers the top, the ridge of Nemerckë has large cornices, and it is not possible to walk to the edge for the view down the east face. It remains a very enjoyable hike.

Nemercke east face, as seen from the Vjosa valley near Permet. Papingut, the summit, is seen together with the amphitheatre

Nemercke, seen in the evening light from Gryka e Selckës, the canyon leading from Gjirokaster into the Zagoria valley. The picture is taken in November, without snow

Papingut, the summit of Mali e Nemerckës, seen from the canyon, in early May. Snow covers the peaks, while plum trees in the valley are in blossom

A view of the approximate route, without snow

The first sun, during our first ascent in November

The first sun on the trail, with a view over the northern part of the Zagoria valley

Still a few hundred Meter up to the summit

Summit shot. Unfortunately, there were no views down the steep cliffs down to Permet, as the summit ridge was covered in cornices

The top of the amphitheater, a particular striking feature when seen from Permet and the Vjosa valley

View from the summit across the Zagoria valley

Leaving from Zagoria to Gjirokaster, in late November

GPS and trailmaps: The map and trailinformation is generated by www.wikiloc.org, 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 viewing it directly in Google Earth. You need to have Google Earth installed on your computer. Activate "wikiloc"in the "Gallery" menu in Google earth.