So today was a very mixed day which ended quite late with an actual walk. Before that we had visited a 13th century Orthodox monastery at Moraca and then driven alongside an extremely impressive gorge as we followed the Tara River. We stopped to look at the very impressive Djurdjevica Tara Bridge.
Having arrived at Zabljak which is in the mountains between the Tara and Piva canyons we drove to the edge of the Durmitor National Park in order to start our walk. We walked up through a thick forest towards the waters of Crno Jezero – Black Lake, this is one of many glacial lakes in the area, helping to feed the local rivers.
The edge of the lake is quite sandy and it becomes obvious that the water is quite low when we look to our left and see a weir which currently has no water running through it but can at other times serve as a useful overflow. Our path takes us right around the edge of the lake and then up onto a path at the edge of the wood. Although we are walking on an undulating woodland track we are very aware of rocky outcrops on our right.
On the far side we can see waterfalls coming down from the mountains and into the lake, we’ve already been told we can’t do the whole walk round the lake which is a bit disappointing. The walk is pleasant and we continue on, a couple of people have already turned back and then we see a couple of anxious walkers which ask if we have seen the owner of a lost dog? Somebody thought they had and explained where, so we carried on and came across a gathering based around a dog – looking like a husky, stuck up on a crag, clearly unable to get down. Various people were trying to help. After a while we decided we couldn’t really help further so carried on. I should say our group had an old golden Labrador that had adopted us beside the lake.
Two more of the group were lost at the dog incident so fewer of us continued. The going was getting a little more tricky with rocks as well as tree roots. Michael our leader suggested we go back but some of us persuaded him that we should continue round until we came to the first waterfall – there were more than the two we could see- as the lake curved around to the right and formed the ‘small lake’.
Not everyone went on but we continued until we did reach the first place where a waterfall ran across the path, formed from melt waters. Then sadly we did have to turn back round.
The light was wonderful over the lake and it was a bit disappointing not to have been able to go further. It would have been good to have been able to start going round the other way but unfortunately we had started later than expected.
We were really pleased to find the dog, it’s rescuers and the owners as we got back to the start of the lakeside path. The dog had gone of for an adventure in the morning and had been lost since 10 am! Not a husky, something much more complicated but white and fluffy and very relieved to be back with his owner!
We did take a slightly higher path towards the end of the lake and were able to observe a sculpture which hadn’t been as well defined from the other direction. On our left was a ‘Go Ape’ like course which we hadn’t noticed before.
So back down the track to the car park. The dog that had followed our group all the way spotted somebody going towards the lake on a bicycle, and changed allegiances! Not a very long walk at 5.66 km but my only option! And very enjoyable.
Marion's 50 Walk Challenge 