First day in the Galicica Park.

Its Monday, i wake up in my nice quiet spot. however, in daylight, the parking spot 250m away from here looks more like a youngsters sex meeting point, tissues and condom packing all over the ground. Anyhow, it was very quiet and i had a nice night of sleep. Early wake up, picking wild bitter almonds (those the dude at Rainbow said where full of B12 vitamin :). I start my climb up. The bag is too heavy, i got all those useless clothe, books and other stuff...

I bump into a local shepherd with his donkey. He is about 60, white hair, tanned face, big smile and surprisingly speaking English very well. As we chat, the donkey keeps walking the track, carrying his load of wood to destination. He tells me there are 5 more hours up to the hut, so there is a hut! good to know. I start walking again in this beautiful morning setting , on a fortunately almost always shaded and fresh track. Along hillsides, in a low forest, soft ground, white rocks, green hills across the valley. Down in the valley i can see yellowish cultures of corn, the low growing, pale-green cabbage gardens, the rows of brighter green bushes, probably the peppers. Separated by a row of fruit and olive trees, lays a browner parcel of potatoes. I cant see, but i can also hear very distinctly a man cutting wood and regularly swear of his anger and frustration.
The path is well marked but not on the map... can’t understand how they worked this map out... After some hours of walking, it takes me to a plain. The sight is a mix of lunar, deserted and mountainous landscape. The rocky islands in the middle of very yellow, dried out grass are surrounded by higher Mountains. My compass, the highest peak in the distance and a smaller one nearby help me to find my position on the map using the level lines. I should be nor more than an hour from the hut. It is noon, I rapidly walk through the heat, no more shade in this plain and despite poorer marking and numerous misleading jeep tracks in the grass, i find my way to the hut rapidly.
Surprise, it is closed and no one is around. But there is water. Plenty of it, nice and fresh. It is too hot to go anywhere and i use some of the shade to get a rest, read, sleep and relax. So nice and quiet up here.

Not a soul around except the English couple and their energetic, singing kid walking to the small summit for the view on both lakes. We chat a bit and they give me the phone number of the national park office. I call and am told the hut is closed (don’t know why, if not now when does it open???) and that i should not be there without a permit because of fire restrictions... How was i supposed to know... Never mind, we agree that its their fault and that if they would be more organized we would have known and gotten the permit and all other info. I still don't know what i will do, go back, go on, sleep here, sleep further ???
The family walks back down, i remain a while in the see of green grass under the trees. The place, at the boarder between the very contrasting dried out plain and green forest is an oasis of freshness and comfort.

Dirt road through deserted land

Around 5, as it is getting freshener i walk one more hour south, in direction of the old ski resort. There i find shelter and a nice view on the other lake. I cook some delicious pasta with olive paste. The simplest dish is so good when you are in a nice setting, somewhere in the nature after making a bit of an effort (25km after all...)

Shot through communist era info billboard.

Abandoned ski resort, too windy to sleep in, i will choose the hut in the valley.

The other lake, Prespa on the east side of the mountains.

Falling night

The moon light is strong, the surrounding magical, i get some good sleep in what once was the ticket house for the ski resort. I think that actually this place was better used in communist times... Now there are only the years old, falling apart signs from that time and rusting ski installations...