Bobotov Kuk

What's happy and tired and sore all over? 

This guy. :)  (and I think I can speak for Rosie and Leslie too) 

Today we hiked Bobotov Kuk - the highest peak in Montenegro. 

Hike statistics: 9.8km, 913m of elevation gain

And by "we" I mean 3/4 of our family; Zoe opted to stay home, binge-watch medical dramas on my data plan, have a little photo session of our gorgeous surroundings, pass judgement on the German tourists nearby who apparently don't know how to throw a frisbee, and generally have a pretty zen day. 

That peak way up there is Bobotov Kuk! 

The rest of us hopped in the car shortly after 8am, backpacks full of water and snacks, and headed into Durmitor National Park, and found some roadside parking near the trailhead. After paying our 5-euro-per-person fee to enter the park (Rosie was free), we started climbing. 

Leslie had reservations about this hike, but Rosie kinda strong-armed her into it

This hike doesn't mess around. Straight out of the gate you're doing some steep climbing.  As a bonus, it's a little harder to catch your breath than usual as the starting altitude is 1900m above sea level. To be honest, we considered an alternative nearby hike that was described as a "a good balance of exertion and beautiful scenery" but Rosie was having none of that after she realized that she had an opportunity to climb the highest mountain in the (small) country. 

Those jagged peaks are going to look comparatively small later in this hike 

I knew this hike was going to be a challenge - roughly on par with our hike of Pico in the Azores ~8 years ago (still one of my all-time favourites), and boy did it not disappoint. The hiking path at times was smooth and level, but just as often it required picking a careful path through rough rocks and scree, and often required some steep climbs using your hands. If you check out the All Trails elevatation profile (from the link earlier), you'll see it has stretches of relatively level hiking punctuated by very steep climbs. 

However, the trail was well-marked everywhere so we had zero chance of getting lost. It was also a good balance of being popular enough that we didn't feel completely alone, but not so popular that it was swarming with people. It was also nice and cool for the most part, being so high up in the mountains. 

This hike has its fair share of climbing, not just hiking. Actually more than its fair share. 

We're on the other side of those jagged peaks now

Not only was this hike challenging, but it was absolutely stunning at every turn.  I couldn't stop taking photos. And we lucked out with some amazing weather too. 

Predictably my rock-nerd wife loved these rock formations

After a gruelling initial 4km (it sounds funny to say that, but that was the most time-consuming 4km I think we've ever hiked!) we reached the foot of a steep, steep climb that brought us up to a ridge beneath the peak (for reference, that steep climb is visible in the initial photo of this blog post where Rosie is pointing at the summit from far below) . This was a broad space that served as a good rest/staging area, and many hikers took the opportunity to rest their feet here and drink in the amazing view. 

From the start Leslie had made it clear that she may not climb all the way to the summit, since she has vertigo and the last stretch of the hike is notoriously steep. So when we were approaching this ridge, we agreed that Rosie and I would go on ahead, and she *might* follow if she felt comfortable. 

Taking a short rest at the ridge below the summit

I'm super proud of Leslie for making it way up here! This was a crazy challenging hike. 

After a short rest at the ridge Rosie and I headed onward and upward. After slowly picking our way up a steep rocky path we turned a corner and me knees buckled a bit; we had found the far side of the mountain, and it dropped off steeply! I said to Rosie "if mom goes any further, it's probably here that she nopes out" (I was right). 

But onwards and upwards we went. 

I had told Rosie on the way up "I don't think the view will be much different at the top, so if you aren't comfortable at any point then just say the word and we can pull the plug." 

We continued to climb for a while longer, and eventually reached a spot ~30m below the summit that involved a pretty scary stretch of climbing to move on. Rosie and I agreed that this was far enough, so we gave each other a high-five, enjoyed the view for a few minutes, and then headed back down. There was a small group of people camped out beside that spot who chatted with us and said they had come to the same conclusion. 

What a crazy view. I'm so proud of this girl. 

This kid is hardcore. 

On our way back down we spotted Leslie, rejoined her, and then started painstakingly picking our way down the mountainside again... And so on and so forth through the remaining 4km of trail we had followed on the way in, being careful to lower ourselves down slowly in the steep areas so as not to slip or twist an ankle. 

We also saw these guys on the way down - which we think, upon further reading, are probably Chamois (Rupicapra)?  Rosie loved them, and named the most curious one "Ronald." Don't ask me why. Goalies are weird. 

Overall I think this was the most challenging and rewarding hike I've ever done; the wild, rugged, mountainous landscape of Montenegro did not disappoint. 

To cap off our day we stopped at the market in town, picked up some groceries, and Leslie whipped up a delicious pasta meal for dinner (although anything is delicious when you've just burned 2000 calories!). What an amazing day. :)