Expedition to Albania 2010

Category: Activities Published: Monday, 30 August 2010

Summer cave expeditions are becoming tradition. Past years we were exploring the Prokletije plateau and last year for the first time members of DZRJ Luka Čeč went to Northern Albanian Alps (Alb. Bjeshket e Nemuna) together with members of Commissione Grotte Eugenio Boegan a caving club from Trieste. There are many unexplored caves left in the Hekurave Mountains and we focused on three major caves (Shpella e Zeze, Shpella e Mark, Shpella e Boshit). The expedition started on 13th and ended on 29th August and despite loosy organization we managed to explore and document more than kilometer of new cave shafts and galleries.

members of expedition:

13.8 - 28.8. Marjan Vilhar, Ivo Sedmak, Matjaž Milharčič (all DZRJ Luka Čeč), Mitja Mršek (JD Rakek), Federico Delponte, Adriano Balzarelli, Piero Gherbaz (all CGEB), Viky (GGB)
16.8. - 23.8. Boris Šajtegelj (Speleos - Siga Velenje), Marjan (biologist from Skopje)
19.8 - 29.8. Matej Mihailovski, Miha Staut, Ines Klinkon (all JK Železničar), Riccardo Corazzi, Louis Torelli (both CGEB), Rok Stopar, Robert Grilc-Čevap (both JD Dimnice), Luca Zini (geologist from University in Trieste)

13.8.2010 We hit the road on Friday evening.
14.8.2010 It took us all night to arrive to Shkodor.
Still a long way to Lekbibai.
Halfway to Lekbibai we stopped for some food. The lodging house was surprisingly tidy.
Most hydro electric power stations were made in times of communism.
Accumulative lake Komani.
The sun is about to set. Let's move on.
15.8.2010 We started Sunday morning by loading horses.
Our equipment required nine horses.
Long way to Querec.
First stop.
Locals have led the water from higher springs to their gardens.
Still ascending, descending...
Somewhere along the way we got separated from horses. This old lady showed us back on track.
Removing obstacle.
Second stop. A deserted home with pleasantly cold rooms.
Nicely carved ceiling in the masters bedroom (24. MAJ 1944)
We arrived to our camp. There is a stream of clean water nearby with only 5°C.
Kitchen and dining room in shadow under the trees. The sun is excruciating
Recharging batteries with foldable solar panel. Works like a charm!
16.8.2010 On Monday we went to 'Shpella e Zeze' (Black cave). Halfway there a view on our camp opens up (down by the river bed)
First thing we did was to cut our way through dense bushes.
Entrance to Shpella e Zeze.
Gearing up for the cave.
Italian team was working it's way through a squeeze in a fossil gallery.
Marjan crawled through the wet squeeze. On the following day they discovered 60m of new galleries
17.8.2010 Boris and Marjan arrived on Tuesday.
Marjan is a biologist and spends most of his time collecting spiders.
In the afternoon we went back to the cave and explored right branch. We measured 120m but the gallery ends with siphon
On our way back we took some pictures.
18.8.2010 Wednesday was a day for filming and photographing.
19.8.2010 On Thursday we went to a nearby village to make sure the horses are arriving. One more look at our camp.
We lost our way across the hill and ended up hacking through nettles and thorny blackberry bushes
Over our shoulders a view of Shpella e Zeze revealed.
We arrived above Curaj Eperm.
Waiting on a team from 'Gruppo Spelologico Faentino', which is supposed to be here according to villagers.
When we met the Faentini we found out that the horses went towards our camp 2 hours ago.
We hasted back to our camp. Luckily Mitja stayed in camp and loaded horses with equipment
20.8.2010 On Friday we went back to Eperm. This time over another mountain pass.
On our descent to village we got stuck in dense bushes.
Faentini offered us a room in the house they resided. We took our time to chill out
Local boy Vittorio, occasional guardian of our house.
Up-kept houses are seldom.
This church has seen better times.
Graveyard. Centenarians are no exception here.
There is a pool with very cold water in the vicinity.
Horses are only form of transport. There isn't a single road to Erpem
For the first time we took a decent HD video camera on expedition. It proved useful and amusing.
21.8.2010. On Saturday we went with Faentini to cave Shpella e Mark.
The path to cave is overgrown.
Our guide to Shpella e Mark was native Mark him self (left)
Gearing up for the cave.
The explored parts of cave have 150m long polygon with a 7m drop in the middle
We pressed on and surveyed the unexplored parts.
We discovered more than 40m deep abyss but unfortunately ran out of rope and time.
We'll be back. Perhaps.
Our way back over overgrown hill sides.
When we reached the village Mark went his own way.
22.8.2010 On Sunday we went to find Shpella e Boshit (a.k.a. Shpella e Mark). Due to demanding aces we minimized caving equipment to just two personal sets plus some rope and anchors.
First stop. The hill side with cave is still far away.
Lunch break
Our guide was Martini (right) who found the cave in the first place
It took us six hours to reach the cave.
Needles to say we were exhausted.
23.8.2010 On Monday we went about to check out hills around the cave.
We found snowfield. In the background you can see Valbona valley.
Making water from stale snow.
In the afternoon Marjan and Adriano went to Shpella e Boshit. There is a strong air current through the entrance. This seems to be tipycal for caves in this area.
Due to lack of equipment they didn't get far. However the cave goes on and needs to be explored
24.8.2010 Tuesday. We are leaving slopes of Boshit.
The sun is about to rise.
There's a long way ahead of us. The more we eat the lighter our backpacks will be.
Pasture on raspberries.
Making our way through the bushes. Again.
Last stop before the camp.
Obstacle race with a backpack.
The camp was looking lively due to reinforcements that arrived on Friday. Among them Čevap and Rok (left and midle)
25.8..2010 On Wednesday we went to retrieve our equipment from Eperm. But before that we had to arrange two horses from closest villager
Of course we had to have a drink or two.
A friendly soccer match.
We didn't spare horses.
In the evening Marjan and I made some pictures in entrance hall of Shpella e Zeze.
26.8.2010. On Thursday the first group took off for the valley.
27.8.2010 On Friday we woke up on a dock and took a boat across lake Komani.
A boat ride is definitely better than the curvy road.
A statue of Mary near the dock.
Riding through Shkodor.
Watch out for the bicyclist.
28.8.2010 Saturday. After the first night slept off in beds we went for a short swim.
Almost home.