Krchin Mountain: A Weekend Destination for Great Memories

The Kajak.mk team has decided to dedicate the months of October and November to the mountains and hikers. That is why we decided to share all stories from hikers in full. For us, everyone who sets foot on a mountain is declared a hiker. Why? Because this way we want to motivate everyone to keep exploring the mountains of Macedonia, and in doing so, strengthen the promotion of our mountains.

Today, we are sharing a piece sent to us by Brankica Anđelevska, who, together with the well-known hiking group I Love Hiking, enjoyed the Krchin mountain.

Brankica says that she enjoyed this experience some time ago, but because the mountain left a special meaning for her, she is sharing her story on the Kajak.mk platform.

We are sharing it with you in full:

“At 6 o’clock in the morning, we loaded into the vans and headed toward Mavrovi Anovi, where we took the first coffee and breakfast break. After a 15-minute pause, we set off toward the well-known Rekanski region. In previous columns, whenever I write about this part of Macedonia, somehow special strong feelings arise in me, similar to the feelings I have when I am in my own hometown. If in March, when I passed here, nature was just waking up, believe me that during the summer it is fully awake and beautiful. If then the Mavrovo River was playful like a child who just learned to walk, now it is a grown child that knows how to run fast to reach the Radika, with which it will together stir the greenery of the forest with its blue color. A beautiful area full of surprises that you won’t experience anywhere else.”

We arrived in Bitushe at the large green meadow. This is the starting point of our adventure. When you take a glance and see where you have to go on foot, panic might catch you, so it’s better to listen to the instructions from the guides Deki, Alex, Harry, and Stefan, and then immediately dive into the depths of the beautiful green forest.

The group split into three smaller teams: the first, middle, and last team. We crossed the wooden bridge, and that’s when the big adventure began. I was in the last group with three friends. Simply put, we were in no rush and wanted to enjoy the uniqueness of nature — colorful flowers and trees full of love. Slowly but surely, we walked along the marked trail to reach the spot for the first break. We were a bit slower than the others who were in the last group. At one moment, we realized we were alone on the trail.

What truly surprised us was the moment when we encountered a wild animal for the first time. Walking along the path, Viki was first, I was behind her, then Ivana and the others. Something caught my eye to the side, so I pulled Viki’s backpack, turned her toward me, and whispered, “Don’t go, don’t shout, there’s a bear nearby.” Believe me, I had no idea what I was doing or if it was the right thing, but I quietly asked them not to panic, not to run, and not to shout. After a few seconds of running, the bear headed into the dense forest, and then we gathered the courage to call the others who were a few minutes behind us on the phone.

When we arrived at the resting spot, everyone was already familiar with our experience, and it might sound like praise, but the panic inside us didn’t really highlight our emotions. After a short break, we headed toward the summit. Along the trail, we came across a hare that was running around us in panic, which made me say at one point: “What a day these animals must be having!”

Finally, we climbed Krchin, exactly 2341 meters above sea level, with a view to remember. Flags were placed on the foundations of the old church Staro Preobraženie. On one side is Albania, on the other side Macedonia, and on the summit, young smiling faces feeding on the beauty of the view. When you are in places like this, binoculars are the perfect tool to take a walk through the entire Mijač region and enter the alleys of Galičnik, Janče, Tresonče, Lazaropole, Selce, and Gari. You can see what’s happening in the yard of St. Jovan Bigorski Monastery and if anyone is on the peaks of Medenica and Karbula. If you look toward the opposite side, you’ll reach the town of Poçest in Albania, but if you look along the border line over Debar Lake, you can also see Lake Ohrid. Simply put, you are in one place, but the view opens up and gives you the feeling that you are simultaneously in ten other places.

It was time to head back down. With chatting and laughter, we descended to the wide meadow from where we started, and from there, on the way to Rostuša, we visited the Duf Waterfall. The scent of wild garlic further relaxed my thoughts so much that I even wished to fall asleep beside the waterfall.

At the end of the day, we headed back to Skopje, boarded the bus, and left nature to rest from us until our next meeting.

What’s your mountain adventure? Share it at [email protected]