I’m not sure if you’re anything like me, but my belief is a birthday is the perfect opportunity to ask for something you might not normally ask for. For me, I can’t think of a time that has meant a tangible “thing” per se, but more often has meant that I feel a little extra inspired to ask Kev to do something with me that he might normally need a little more convincing of but because it was something I asked for on my special day, he feels more reluctant to outright pass on. While he’s almost always game for anything I throw at him, I can rattle off a number of birthday “adventures” in the recent past that he might not have immediately jumped up-and-down about at first, but ended up loving in the end. **I also have to note that even if parts of the adventure become “type 2″ fun event at some point, that is 98% almost always still the case š** Needless to say, this birthday was no different!
All of this to say, we just spent the past ten days hiking just over 200 km on the Peaks of the Balkans trail, winding through the remote mountains of northern Albania, western Kosovo, and southeastern Montenegro. Though we’ve obviously done our fair share of backpacking and camping, this was our first hut-to-hut trekācarrying everything (other than food!) we needed on our backs, crossing borders on foot, and sleeping in the homes of folks who once lived in these isolated mountain communities.
I learned about the trail a couple of years ago from some folks we met doing pottery in Grand Rapids and have been obsessed with doing it ever since. The trail itself follows paths which, not long ago, were divided by strict borders and Cold War-era bunkers. Now though, thanks to a cool cross-border project that started about 12 years ago, those same paths have been transformed into a shared hiking experience to encourage connection, intercultural exchange, and peace.
And damn, did it deliver! Saying it exceeded my expectations is truly the understatement of the century. We crossed wildflower meadows, alpine passes, glacial lakes, and dense forests that absolutely took our breath away, picked wild berries at every turn and shared the trail with cows.
Day after day, we were absolutely wowed at just how varied and diverse the landscape was. And even though looking at the elevation maps every morning made us ask “did we seriously sign up for this?” and although our knees reminded us of our age, and our “dogs” were barking every night – it.was.worth.it!
On Day 3 after we had been hiking for about 6 hours and were at a particularly rough patch where we it had been pouring rain for HOURS while we attempted a descent of a particularly treacherous section of very slippy rocks, I thought “how can we do this for another 7 days?!” but by Day 8, we both woke up independently and said, “how are there only 3 more days of this?” Such a great feeling.
But as cliche as it sounds, while the hiking was insane, even more incredible was the warmth of the people we met along the way. Seriously, our guesthouse host tucked candy bars into our packs ājust in case we needed a sweet treat….ā A driver gifted me homemade raki (their local spirit) to share with my brothers back home (get ready, boys!). Families opened their homes and hearts to us without hesitation, feeding us until we were set to bust and welcoming us like old friends (serious shout out to Zeki and Guesthouse Lojza!). I mean seriously, who does that? Apparently, they do!
The cherry on top, though? The incredible humans we met on the trailāfellow hikers from all over the globe who became genuine friends in a matter of days. Evenings spent playing new card games (Cambio!) by warm fireplaces, silly word games with a family with two seriously cool middle schoolers, and folks who on my birthday, sang to me in the mountains, gave me handmade cards, wrote me poems, and made me laugh until I cried. I truly canāt imagine a better way to usher in a new decade than surrounded by my love and strangers-turned-friends under these alpine skies.
For memory sake, I also want to remember that we met a random German guy (hi Marc!) in Kosovo who was a foreign exchange student in HUDSONVILLE, MICHIGAN and lived less than a mile from my childhood home in the early 2000s…like what kind of small world coincidence is that?
As I sit near the Tirana airport sifting through pictures and reflecting on our trip before heading back home though, I am overcome with clarity about the real gifts in this life: laughter, kindness, connection, and the grounding power of nature: of how much beauty exists when we open ourselves to the unknown. Of how vital it is to protect wild, untouched lands that give us space to breathe, reflect, and just be.
And while I’m here, Iād be remiss not to shout out my incredible partner who always is looking for ways to support, encourage, and love me through every twist of the “trail”. Even when he’s unsure, he SHOWS UP and I could not be more grateful. And to my family, both chosen and biological, near and far, who continue to inspire me to live with an open heart (and send celebratory champagne to your room at the trails end!), I am the absolute luckiest.
All of this to say, Iāve packed a helluva lot of life into the last 40 years, and I truly canāt believe the joy that is my life! Here’s to the next decade!
