Prokletije translates as the Cursed Mountains. Legend has it that those mountains "gorge" on shepherds and hunters who get forever lost in their wilderness. Indeed. While you might not get physically lost, your heart surely will – for once you find yourself here, you're forever enslaved, enslaved by this rugged beauty, the colours that infiltrate your entire being, the crystal-clear waters that run down the mountains and nourish, the air that intoxicates, the darkness that quietens the mind, and the stars that dazzle.
People here are part of nature – wild as the wind and solid as the earth under your feet. It is here that you find a 12-year-old leading a group of adults on a 25-kilometer hike.
It is here that you meet "the best architect in Montenegro" - Dzemil, the cheeky Pan of Prokletije, who marries the elements together and creates the most beautiful setting to rest your tired yet happy feet after hours of diving into this wild beauty. He built his place in the middle of the sky, facing a pyramid-shaped mountain, laced with the paths that lead you to Kosovo.
It is here that you can pick wild blueberries straight from the mountainside, and taste the most delicious young sheep's cheese, prepared by Hairiya, a woman with fluorescent blue eyes and the smile of a wise fairy – in the valley, at the foothill of the trail that takes you to Triglava, the point where three countries meet: Kosovo, Albania, and Montenegro.
It is here that you find the enchanted lake of Hridsko, a habitat of fairies, the eye of a sleeping giant atop a mountain.
And it is here that you feel humbled by the howling wind and the pine trees that touch the sky, and exalted and empowered by the wild mountains – for here, you feel part of this divine performance, Life, more than ever.