From Sarajevo #2

Hello again from Sarajevo! Last time I took you on a walk out of the city and back again. This time we're headed for the mountains. Any guidebook will tell you that you never...repeat, NEVER...do this without a guide. In more than a decade, the country has yet to be cleared of mines, except around the cities, towns, and settlements. In the forests and countryside you will see weathered yellow do-not-cross tapes and red signs bearing skulls with crossbones. But, these warnings can't be totally relied upon because with time and weather mines shift around.

So, when my friend Kit came from London and wanted to hike, we called Green Visions, a local, ecologically minded outdoor group with a special Rent-a-Guide option. We rented Sebastien, originally from France and living here for the time being. Our request: Something in the mountains, not too far from town, 5-6 hours, with stellar views, please. Green Visions suggested Skakavac (SKAH-kah-vahtz) Falls, maybe six miles away. Getting to the trailhead involved taking the #69 bus past the Sarajevo Zoo where we could see a lone black bear circling its miniscule cage, and not much else. The zoo area was the frontline during the war, so any hiking that's done has to take place safely past there. Not long afterward, we were let off at the foot of a dirt road and started walking toward where a real trail would begin.

Just before that, we stopped at a mountain hut where Dragon and his son raise goats and sell homemade herb tea and the famous Bosnian plum brandy. We opted for the tea and it was fantastic. The trail...along mountain ridges, through forests, past springs that were the source of small rivers, and across the occasional snow field...was beautiful and offered the stellar views we had requested. So close to the city, and yet we could see nothing but wilderness.

The highest part of the climb found us at another mountain hut, this one larger and with a small restaurant serving local specialties such as a chicken soup featuring baby okras. From there we headed across a vast snow field and Sebastien noted with pleasure the occasional set of tracks left by rabbits or deer. During the war, most game was eaten by the starving populace, but it is making a slow comeback.

Just before the Falls, we passed a burned down mountain hut. It had belonged to the Serbs when they controlled the area, but as the Bosnians moved in to reclaim it, the Serbs burned down everything they thought would matter. The Falls themselves are long, narrow, and...like everything else around...quite beautiful. Returning to the #69 bus, we stopped again at Dragon's hut, where Kit and Sebastien happily sampled the superb brandy and I was treated to a second version of his tea. And nothing but sunshine all day!