BushwalkBushwalk
Mount Velika and Mount Mala Tičarica near Double Lake
The highest peak of the Julian Alps and Slovenia in south-east Europe is Mount Triglav, 2864 metres. The most beautiful Slovenian alpine valley is arguably Triglav Lakes which extends about eight kilometres from above the steep wall of Komarča above Lake Bohinj to near Mount Triglav, climbing from 1294 metres to 1933 metres.
Triglav Lakes, Slovenia
A spectacular and stormy adventure
Neja Fidler Pompe
10 | BWA August 2018
Black Lake
To be fair, May was not the best month for hiking in terms of good weather. I had so many plans yet realised so few (come check my Facebook for more adventures). Thankfully, sunny and warm June is here, which started off with the bonus that May had left behind – plenty of water and lush vegetation. So, if there’s ever the right time to do the Triglav Lakes trail, then it is definitely now. Hear my story.
As part of our carefully planned annual tickets to freedom (read: weekends without the kids), my husband and I chose a day trek from Lake Bohinj starting from the Savica Waterfall, crossing the steep slope of Komarča and then off to the lakes towards Prehodavci. We would return to spend the night in the Komna Hut and then finally head back down to Lake Bohinj the next day. That means walking for 25 kilometres and climbing about 1800 metres on the first day, and 5.3 kilometres and 867 metres descent on the second day.
If you throw in two bonus thunderstorms, you’ve got a pretty decent adventure in the mountains like we were headed for!
First thing first, our hike began at 8am on Saturday by the Savica Waterfall where we strapped on heavy backpacks. Damn math and the puzzling riddle of how two dozen things, each weighing a few grams, possibly sum up to 12 kilograms! We followed the signs to the first lake that day, the Črno jezero (Black Lake). If you decide to follow our steps, make sure you start an hour earlier to avoid the heat. That said, we exited the south-facing Komarča Wall completely sweaty, so our first stop by the Black Lake 15 minutes later was spent drying our T-shirts and backpacks in the sun beside the lake. No complaints though.
Then we were off to traverse the remarkable kingdom of high-mountain lakes underneath the towering steep walls between Lake Bohinj and the Trenta Valley. Dvojno jezero (Double Lake) is next, two magnificent interconnected lakes, coloured somewhere between intense green and emerald green.
“That means walking for 25 kilometres and climbing about 1800 metres on the first day ...
BWA August 2018 | 11
Double Lake
With altitude the trail from Double Lake to Prehodavci gained more and more snow and the forecast afternoon bad weather slowly started building in heavy black clouds. In fact, the weather above the tree line is predictably nasty and afternoon lightning and thunderstorms are the norm. By the time we reached Veliko jezero (Big Lake), also called Lake Ledvica (Lake Kidney) because of its shape, there was a mostly cloudy sky and wind. However, we stuck to our original plan to hike all the way to Prehodavci since if there's a thunderstorm we could always hide in the winter room in the otherwise still closed Zasavska Hut.
In Australia, remote bush huts have several origins. Some were built by pioneers, graziers and miners, like Four Mile Hut at Kosciuszko National Park. Some were built for bushwalkers, like Cleve Cole Hut on Mount Bogong and the Overland Track huts. Some were part of major works, such as Schlink Hilton in KNP. Older huts are mostly small and often need repairs. The biggest Australian huts are those on the Overland Track, which sleep about 20 people.
Bushwalkers are encouraged to carry and use a tent.
By contrast, in Europe the weather can be quite poor at times, and huts are viewed as essential. Some have room for 1-200 people, while the biggest high-mountain hut in Slovenia, Triglavski dom na Kredarici, sleeps as many as 341 people. When open, usually between the end of June and the end of September, there is always a resident manager, who you can call to book a room in advance. Costs vary between huts, but on average about 50 Euro (A$78) per person for a one-day stay, including meals and drinks. Private rooms either have four or two beds, while the toilet and sometimes a shower is usually shared. A hut that sleeps 341 people is mind-blowing!
The Double Lake Hut was closed
“... the biggest high-mountain hut in Slovenia, Triglavski dom na Kredarici, sleeps as many as 341 people.
12 | BWA August 2018
Lake Ledvica is the largest of the seven lakes
With the Zasavska Hut within sight a few hundred metres and 30 minutes climb away, it started raining lightly. Since it would have taken us at least an hour to get to the hut and then back to where we were then, and since that side of the sky looked far scarier than where we had come from, we decided that the smartest thing to do right then was to run back down towards the Double Lake and leave the storm behind. We didn’t escape the rain though, and arrived there a bit wet.
We had just sat down on a bench in the sun in front of the hut by Double Lake when we heard the first crack of thunder, forcing us to keep going towards Komna Hut and push the pace even more. The thing is that the trail from Double Lake to Komna is below the tree line and offers multiple wide and deep cracks in the walls next to the trail, which can serve as temporary shelters. And so there we were, running away from the epicentre of the thunderstorm, which was moving quickly in the direction from Komna towards the Triglav Lakes Valley, but lightning hit somewhere close by and all of a sudden we found
ourselves in the middle of a hailstorm. We hid in a small cave underneath a rock wall and waited for the worst to pass.
Until next time, y’all, and stay tuned for more outdoor adventures!
Neja is an adventurer, a dreamer, an explorer. A real mountain enthusiast. A blogger. When not on a dusty trail and exploring great peaks, she loves sharing the adventure with her readers. Check out her blog Exploring Slovenia. She is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
A report of this trip was first published at Exploring Slovenia’s blog on 6 June 2018. Check out the stunning photos.
BWA August 2018 | 13