Triglav to Bohinj

Charlie woke Tim at 5:29!

7:22 - Summitted Triglav in the mist.

Although the ridge was protected with steel cables and pegs, we hadn't got our VF kits or harnesses with us (back in our luggage at Bohinj), however we did have a couple of slings and krabs in case we needed to secure ourselves. We were doing a there and back route to the summit and were the first ones on the summit that day. Everyone we met on the way down had kits, but we were comfortable with the exposure and moves, confident that it was never more than a grade 2 British scramble, but it had a handrail when you needed it. It's apparently traditional for every Slovenian to summit Triglav once in their lifetime and we reckoned on a typical warm, sunny, summer's day there would have been masses of people. The route from Dom Planika is said to be the easiest but is still quite committing. We look forward to heading up there again on a clear day up a more sustained and challenging VF route from the north (with kits and harnesses!)

8:30 - Back at the hut for breakfast 

15:20 - After 2300m of descent, a number of kilometres and a quick paddle in the lake, we got back to TIC to collect our bags and catch the bus to Kranj for our final night.

Hostel Cukrarna is superb. A delightfully friendly welcome to a perfect hostel which felt more like a hotel, until we unpacked and repacked our smelly stuff in the room! 

At 5:50 we set off...

Freshly foraged mushrooms in soup

Lake Bohinj

We're going on a bear hunt! Dom na Komni to Dom Planika

The weather was better than expected so Charlie decided we could go on a little tour!!

"Why don't we go to the Triglavski lakes Dom  (2h30 away) and see what we fancy doing from there?" I agreed this was a good idea.

On the way to the lakes we were on the lookout for any evidence of brown bears, especially as there had been reports in Trenta of a mother with 3 cubs but Charlie then said: "Although I'd like to see a bear, I don't think I'd like to encounter one!" We spent a while discussing potential tactics!

After a quick coffee , she said:

"Seeing as we've made such good time, why don't we head up to the col before the next hut?" Again I agreed, a little more reluctant as our bailing options were dwindling! In the meantime, we passed two more huts, and spotted a couple of black salamanders.

At lunch at the col, there were 3 options, but Charlie only really had one in mind: Dom Planika, just under the summit of Triglav (Slovenia's highest mountain). After presenting a convincing case, we agreed to stop the night at said hut at 2400m.

At dinner, Charlie suggested that we get up at 5:30 to climb Triglav the following day. I went to bed quietly confident that she wouldn't wake up at such an early hour...

Water doesn't get much clearer than this

Bohinj, Savici to Komni hut

Having travelled from Klagenfurt by bus (thanks for the early morning lift, N&M!), we dropped off our luggage with the kind TIC and caught the bus along Lake Bohinj to the end of the road! We made a wet ascent of 900m from Slap Savici up an old wartime supply route to Dom na Komni. 

Approaching one of the 40+ hairpins

Arriving at our destination

View from our dining table

We met a really interesting and inspiring English guy who was on day 76 of the Via Alpina route from Monaco to Trieste. We chatted for most of the evening and at breakfast and really enjoyed his company. With a 13kg rucksack, he's camped about 50% of the time. One of his vital pieces of kit has been a water filter. Having forgotten our water purification tablets and paid in excess of €4 for a 1.5 litre bottle of still water at some huts, it's probably worth £40 if it cleanses up to 100,000 litres! We confirmed that a print in the mud that he photographed earlier that day, about 30 minutes from the hut, was in fact a bear's.

Tim refused to wear the house shoes!

Klagenfurt

A couple of chilled out days at Nicola and Mani's. We were SO well looked after - thank you. 

We enjoyed Europapark on Monday while N&M were at work. We had lunch in a big hammock and spent the afternoon lounging on a pier at the the Strandbad and eventually went for a dip in Wörthersee - lovely! 

Papal ice cream anyone?!

Trek with Nicola and Mani

We were thrilled when Nicola and Mani joined us for a three day circular trek from Kranjska Gora starting on Friday. What an amazing weekend!

Day 1 - Kranjska Gora to Vršič

We set off walking after lunch but a storm brought fairly torrential rain which didn't let up, so rather than get absolutely soaked, we bussed up the pass. 

Had a quiet night at Poštarski Dom playing cards and 6 nimmt. Fortunately the mist and rain lifted, enabling us to watch the setting sun and climb up to the top of Vršič peak itself. We also spotted the Pagan Girl (famous rock feature) on the side of Prisank.

The Austrian way of avoiding wet shorts!

View from Vršič 

Our first hut together

A nice collection of knots

Day 2 - Vršič to Tamar valley via Slemenova spica and Grlo

A successful day albeit slightly more strenuous than anticipated. Pleased we phoned the hut from the col to check conditions - on our original descent route via a waterfall and ravine, we would have encountered snow, so we opted for the Grlo col, where we were able to hug one of Slovenia's oldest trees at 1030 years old with a girth of 422 cm! The scree filled gully required a fair amount of attention but a good achievement and a rewarding evening was provided at the hut - fantastic hospitality, entertaining games and loud laughs and jokes from our neighbouring table! 

"Sechs ist immer gut!"

Day 3 - Dom v Tamarju to Kranjska Gora via Planica ski jumps

Awoke to a perfect Alpine morning with Jalovec at the head of the valley. Started our walk by visiting an impressive waterfall and then headed down the valley to arrive at the world famous Planici ski jumps. Had lunch whilst being amazed by kids and teenagers jump what seemed to be the most ridiculous distances. Incredible. Our return walk to KG through alpine meadows was delightful.

Our weekend ended with a chair lift ride, a whizz on the toboggan before going to Italy for tea. We then headed to Klagenfurt to sit with our feet in the lake for a while, explored the park and its new play area for kids (and adults), had a go on some slack lines, started a game of outdoor chess and arrived Chez Benjamim-Leitner at about 8pm. Such a memorable 3 days, for all the right reasons! Thanks guys!

Our second hut together

Well-earned Italian pizzas

Tim embracing the Austrian shorts in Woerthersee