High Scardus Trail Etappe 16 Modrič - Jablanica

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Jablanica

Between Bitushe and Jablanica there is still a break in the High Scardus Trail, so a shuttle service is required here, which takes about an hour's drive. The overnight stop and start of this stage is the North Macedonian mountain village of Modrič at about 1000m above sea level. Modrič is a mountain village which is almost completely deserted. Only the cottage, where there is a beautiful place to spend the night, is lovingly managed. The start of this stage is directly at the cottage and leads first uphill along the village road until it ends at abandoned houses. The further path then goes downhill for a short while and leads into a small mountain valley. Here the path leads along a beautiful stream and then immediately branches off to the left uphill. Now the path goes steeply uphill for quite a long time through the beautiful virgin mountain forests of the Marovo National Park. After about an hour and a half you will come to a forest road. Follow this road until you reach a marked spring (1520m) in a mountain meadow near a large tree. At this spring you should fill up your drinking water supply. Shortly after the spring, the High Scardus Trail turns left again (marked) and continues into a small valley. Always following the creek bed (partly without water flow), it goes steeply uphill at the end. Right at the forest border there is a rustic shepherd's shelter with small huts and tents (beware of the shepherd's dogs). The further path follows the forest border to the left and then leads up over it until you reach a beautiful plateau with open alpine pastures. Now you climb the nearby mountain ridge, cross it and come to an ancient pilgrim's path, the traces of which are still clearly visible. Following the markings, you go uphill along this pilgrimage path to the clearly visible summit (trigonometer on the summit is clearly visible from a distance). Now crossing a wide plateau you follow the pilgrimage path up to the prominent peak (4h from Modrič, peak Strmnica). The view from the top is breathtaking, opening a panorama from the Korab massif over the Jablanica mountains to the Galiciza mountains and the magnificent Ohrid lake. The descent is steep and follows first directly over the rocky southern ridge. The old pilgrimage path is sometimes very difficult to find and also covered by the season depending on the vegetation. If in doubt, always keep to the ridge and descend further south. Finally, the path enters the Jablanica woods and, alternating between woods and small meadows, leads steeply down into the valley. Here you reach a soccer field where a small road leads to the nearby mountain village of Jablanica. Here is your today's stage destination.