Peak of the Balkans 7: 'Vusanje' to Mount Jezercez

This was our big day and definitely most exciting as we were to summit the highest peak in this area. From our camp site we passed Vesanje and headed towards the base of Jezercez. We camped near the last lake on the way to the summit from the north side. Our original plan was to camp the day before and summit the next morning and get to Theth the same day through the south side. However, the elevation loss of 2 km put us off from doing that. So we did the crazy thing to summit the same day. We took a late lunch break and headed to the summit at 3pm (late I know) as the weather was warm and calm. We reached the summit at 6pm with still a great view!

Anyway, for the trail, we continued down to Vusanje (not before stopping to see tee waterfall) and basically followed a dirt road all the way to the trailhead to Jezercez. We made a mistake in taking a shortcut from the road but didn't realize the trail did not join back into the main Jezercez trail so we had to turn back (you see this in the recording). That cost us a bit of time.

After joining back at the main trail and going up a steep pass, you reach the border back into Albania and start seeing the gorgeous lakes and rock formations. Once there, the trail continues south until you reach a snow field. This may be different depending on time of year but it was easy to walk on as it was hard snow (just need good shoes/boots). Alternatively, you can bypass this on the left side going through the rocks. There were other snowy bits we walked on that did not pose any immediate danger. There is a main trail that goes up to the pass on the north side of the summit but you can take any safe path (we found a few). I did not go through the pass but scrambled up through some rocks to get to the summit base. Careful here not to get lost and watch the crevasses.

The last part is probably the most dangerous as it's steep, has small loose rocks and dirt and has some exposed parts. Extreme caution should be taken . Other than that, it's not a very technical summit. Perhaps the south side is much easier.

This was a nice highlight as we could see all the peaks we have seen in the accursed mountains and you can admire a 360 view of the beauty in this area. Definitely a must if you are doing the trek!