The Priskë Enigma
near Murth, Tiranë (Albania)
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Trail photos
Itinerary description
Priskë lies in the shadow of Dajti - it doesn't have a cable car, no restaurants on the balcony, no television towers on top, it doesn't have an interesting shape, it has three hundred meter less altitude than Dajti, and - most importantly - it doesn't have a path to its top. This is, probably, what makes the mountain rarely visited.
But Priskë still looms large, south of Dajti. When looking at Priskë from Tirana (or better from Sauk or Commune Farkë) the summit appears to be clearly in the middle of the mountain ridge. But then, Google Earth and the Albania "Bunkertrail" map put the summit very close to Qafë Priske. The website http://travelingluck.com however seems to follow the visual impression and puts the summit in the middle.
We took two turns to find out. First we tried during winter, when snow was still lingering on the upper slopes. While the weather was glorious, movement was quite difficult, as the summit ridge of Priske is quite rocky. So we tried again in May, just to find that movement remains difficult even without snow, as it amounts to a solid bushwhack. For those wishing to try it out: stay as close to the top of the ridge all the time, from the south summit to the north summit and back, to avoid the brambles.
And for those who won't try: the north summit is higher, by about 8 Meter, according to our measurements.
But Priskë still looms large, south of Dajti. When looking at Priskë from Tirana (or better from Sauk or Commune Farkë) the summit appears to be clearly in the middle of the mountain ridge. But then, Google Earth and the Albania "Bunkertrail" map put the summit very close to Qafë Priske. The website http://travelingluck.com however seems to follow the visual impression and puts the summit in the middle.
We took two turns to find out. First we tried during winter, when snow was still lingering on the upper slopes. While the weather was glorious, movement was quite difficult, as the summit ridge of Priske is quite rocky. So we tried again in May, just to find that movement remains difficult even without snow, as it amounts to a solid bushwhack. For those wishing to try it out: stay as close to the top of the ridge all the time, from the south summit to the north summit and back, to avoid the brambles.
And for those who won't try: the north summit is higher, by about 8 Meter, according to our measurements.
Waypoints
Waypoint
4,432 ft
Middle Bump
06-MAY-12 16:26:12
Waypoint
4,439 ft
Priske South Summit
06-MAY-12 16:56:14
Waypoint
4,469 ft
Priske Summit
06-MAY-12 15:51:01
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