This time we had marshmallows

I went camping with a group of about 20 volunteers in the mountains near Puke this weekend. Karen, our designated G11 master cook, made hobo packets (meat and veggies wrapped in foil and placed in the fire) plus franks and beans (that were good even if the beans were hard!) and two kinds of pasta salad. When we finished even the pot of hard beans, Karen declared that we were all way too easy to please and that she should not try to work so hard in the future. I don’t believe her- I think that she will continue to cook incredible food (and I hope that I get to be around to have some of it!). The best part of the evening was when Jenny, who just returned from a trip to the States to have her wisdom teeth out, pulled out three bags of marshmallows and a box of graham crackers! We roasted up the ‘mallos and introduced some Albanian guests to the magic that is S’mores!

In the morning (after a very early rise- thank you Karen for the alarm, ha!), we hiked back down to town and had a visit with the Puke girl’s friend Peperimi. He is an “alpinist,” as well as a beekeeper and a funeral director and was part of the first Albanian expedition to the Himalayas. He has a passion for showing the beauty of the Albanian Alps and is working hard for the Puke Eco-tourism Association. In the summer he takes groups camping and hiking and in the winter he does snowshoeing and alpine skiing. I think that at some point (if he can get enough money) he would like to build a lift and open up a ski area.

I think that the area around Puke (and Peshkopi too) has great potential for outdoor recreation activities. Coming from Colorado, where most of our economy comes from summer and winter recreation tourism, I see a great potential for development of an industry here. The wilderness is mostly untouched, mostly because for a long time it has been inaccessible and isolated. The roads are getting better, however, and environmental dangers are looming. There is a huge problem with trash all around the country and the mountains are no exception. In a recent trip into the mountains near Peshkopi, a friend of mine witnessed clear cutting of the forests (for fire wood) in what was supposed to be a protected area. The central government has not done much to protect or promote these areas and so it falls on local associations and individuals. The biggest challenge that I see currently is a lack of access and ease for outsiders (this is a problem in the whole country). There are no established hiking, biking or ski trails and there are no campgrounds or services for outdoor travelers. Many of the Albanians I speak to about this think that there is no market for this kind of travel because they would much rather spend their time at the beach in a nice hotel (people think we are nuts for sleeping outside on the ground), but believe me, I know people that love the outdoors and I think that my philosophy is “if you build it (and advertise that you built it), they will come.” I just don’t really know how to build it here . . .