YOU GO SLAVIA! - Part 2: Cows On the Rocks, Aint No Surprise...
Wednesday, August 12th
We woke up around 4AM and ate a hasty breakfast while packing a hasty lunch. Peter, his brother Rok, and I then drove three quarter hours in the dark to the trailhead where we met one of their uncles.
The four of us then set off on a forest trail into the early morning darkness. Where were we headed?
Here's a picture...
That's right, Slovenia's flag. You see the mountain peak in the center of the coat of arms? That's Triglav, Slovenia's highest mountain. That was our destination.
After an hour of hiking by moonlight, a groggy sunrise filtered through the clouds revealing jagged peaks and ridges all around us...
Soon the sun was out in full, making for a beautiful morning. After another hour we stopped by a picturesque mountain cabin for a breather...
We continued our ascent through various terrain and mountain views...
Of course, no trip to the Alps would be complete without a few cows...
We climbed higher...
Passing an ancient face in the rocks, keeping watch over the valley below...
Looking back on our trail we could see that we were level with the peaks in the distance that hadtowered above us only a few hours before...
We climbed over a ridge and entered high alpine territory. The clouds glided by in a hurry and dusted the tops of snow-patched peaks...
Our trail became ever steeper. We found glad respite at this hut sitting at the base of Triglav. The mountain, however was wrapped forebodingly in a passing cloud...
If we squinted we could see hikers along the ridge to the summit, holding on to a rod of iron while passing through mists of darkness... (ok, it was a rope of iron)...
Soon the clouds started to clear revealing old Three Head (Triglav)...
We started up the final and most challenging part of our hike. We were on bare rock now and the trail quickly became a rock climb. We used our hands and our feet to continue up the increasingly steep mountain face. There was an occasional metal stake driven securely into the rock, or the metal rope for extra support...
Always there were, painted on the rocks, a round marker showing hikers the safe path up the otherwise dangerous rock face. You can see one next to my hand below as I paused for a breather with a breathtaking view...
This was by far the most climbing I had ever done on a hike, and I had to keep from looking around (especially down) too much to avoid vertigo. At times I found myself in some extremely precarious-looking positions. At first it was making me a bit nervous as to where I would go next. But it wasn't long before I realized something: As long as I followed the painted markers on the rock there was always a place to safely grab onto something. There was always a place to safely step. When the rock wasn't enough, then there were metal stakes or ropes embedded securely in the rock.
As long as I focused on where I would grab hold next, and where I would place my next step, it was remarkably easy and safe.
And so it is with some things in life. If we look only to the steep path ahead or the precarious cliffs around us then sometimes it can seem too much, too difficult, too dangerous. But if we follow the markers (I'll let you decide what those are) then there is a safe path where we will always have a secure place to grab on, place our step, and pull ourselves higher towards our goal.
Of course I was much too focused on climbing to bother taking a bunch of pictures during the steep parts. I loved the narrow ridges, though, where sheer cliffs went down hundreds of feet on both sides...
The traffic of clouds rushing by both above, below, and to the side of us emphasized our elevation...
And made for some dynamite views...
Finally, after nearly 5 hours we made it to the top of Triglav!
I was happy.
Rok, Peter, and the uncle had hiked the entire way with backpacks full of cans of cola and beer. A friend of theirs actually hikes to the top of Triglav each day and sells the refreshment for €4 a can. So they got paid a bit for being mules. The beverages are hidden in a cache somewhere near the peak and so the cans are always cold.
Here they are...
It was the most refreshing €4 I'd ever spent.
We spent a good amount of time on top resting and taking in the magnificent views.
Man vs. Nature
There is a little rocket-ship looking structure at the very top of Triglav. Good place to flash my gang signs...
A sightseeing plane past overhead... or rather levelhead...
There is a thrill and satisfaction that comes from such a journey combined with such a setting that can be got in no other way. Someday we will miss our physical bodies, I think, at least for a while, and we will look back with particular fondness on those times when we pushed them and felt them more keenly after such sustained exertion.
But I digress...
After enjoying our time on the summit and getting a bit to eat and drink, it was time to head back down. The trail ahead of us looked ever daunting...
But I just followed the markers, held tight to the chain...
...and before I knew it I was at the base of the summit again looking back on the way I had come. (Triglav on the right)...
As with most hikes, the way down turns into a rhythmic trot where one loses oneself quietly in thought.
After several hours we found ourselves in the valley where we were at sunrise...
And our last, half-pipe valley soon came into view...
The timing was perfect as gray clouds started to form around the mountain tops. We had had perfect weather actually, with just enough cloud cover to give some shade and make things interesting, but enough sun to be glorious.
After a full 10-hour hike we got back home tired and spent. I managed to bring a small souvenir back as well. My rock from Slovenia, from the top of Mt. Triglav...
...
Thursday August 13
After a very good night´s sleep I woke up somewhat later than the day before. Peter had to work that day and so I went with his younger three brothers on a car tour through the Julian Alps.
We passed by many sleepy little towns hugging the base of the mountains...
We were on our way! The radio didn´t work and so we had erudite discussions like, "which superpower would you rather have: invisibility, the ability to fly, or the ability to stop time?"
Or I would tell them three stories and they had to guess which one was false. It was fun...
The jagged mountains soon towered high above us. We drove straight towards them.
We drove along a road that switchbacked many times as it climbed a narrow valley. The road was built by Russian POWs from World War I when this land was once a part of Austria-Hungary.
Many of the POWs died due to avalanches and so later a Russian Orthodox chapel was built near the road as a memorial...
Urban and I flashed some signs yo...
And Jakob and I were acting tough...
There was a weeping woman formed naturally in the rock of one mountain. Timpanogos, eat your heart out...
We climbed higher up the switchbacks and had a stunning view behind us...
And then we reached the Vršič pass and had a wide view of the valley ahead...
We drove down into the next valley and stopped for a few photo ops...
A view of the Vršič Pass where we had just come from...
Eventually we came to the bottom of the valley where every few kilometers was a suspension bridge over the river...
We were in the Soča Valley where the Soča river flowed. Urban says hi...
This beautiful valley and crystal clear river saw some of the bloodiest fighting of World War I. The Italians engaged the Austro-Hungarians in many battles among these hills. A young Ernest Hemingway, who had enlisted in the Italian army, was an ambulance driver and had many experiences in the Soča Valley that he later wrote about in A Farewell to Arms.
It was also in this valley where the river scenes from The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian were filmed...
Though I think this was a bit further down river from where we were...
And unfortunately river-god season is March-June so we missed out on that...
In one town we found an old church that was being fixed up after some earthquakes in the 90's and 2004...
Inside was some artwork done by a Slovenian partisan during World War II when the Axis were in control of this area. He hid in the hills and then sneaked into the church to paint the ceiling and walls.
You can see here St. Michael in Yugoslav colors (red, blue, and white)...
And he's standing on Yugoslavia's three WWII enemies, the eagle (Germany), the wolf (Italy), and the serpent (Japan)...
This was dangerous art in those days.
We drove on and came across an old World War I cemetery filled with Austrian and Hungarian soldiers.
We have a lot of exposure to World War II through movies and the US's heavier involvement, but World War I saw some of the most vicious fighting and some of the most appalling conditions. All war is bad, of course, but WWI was particularly senseless and resolved itself poorly. I didn't know it at the time, but a few days later I would be standing in the spot where it all began.
We had some more fun by the river. Jakob floated in mid-air...
And then we came to the old fortress of Kluže just a few kilometers from the Italian border. This fortress protected the narrow pass into the Soča Valley...
Guards still stood at one of the tunnel-bunker entrances...
"Who goes there!?"
After all that sight-seeing it was time for lunch and a swim. So we stopped by a small grocery store and got some meat, bread, and Cockta cola, and then drove to the swimmin' hole, complete with an old mining cave...
The boys had been here before and knew the perfect place to cliff-jump from the rocks into the deep and FREEZING COLD Soča river...
The boys had some fun doing some underwater shots...
The Incredible Hulk...
Occasionally there were a few kayakers but we really had the river to ourselves and it was refreshing but really cold.
Peace out, yo!
So we drove back up the many switchbacks to the pass, over the pass, and back down the other side. We had had a fun day I think. If nothing else all the boys got to practice their English a lot and I got to learn a bit more Slovenian...
...
The next day Peter had to work a bit again and so I relaxed and took a bike back down to Lake Bled again. It was still gorgeous and I had fun exploring the area a bit more.
On Saturday we spent the day getting ready for our big road trip that was only a few hours away. We took the evening train to Slovenia's capital city, Ljubljana (LOOB-ya-na). We dropped our stuff off at Peter and Rok's grandparents' and then Peter and I went into the city to have a look around.
It was a beautiful city, especially at night. I look forward to returning someday and seeing it in the daylight as well...
We got back to the grandparents' place in time before their friend Janez would come to pick us up and begin our Balkan Road Trip. But that's a story for next time...
Here is the map of some of the locations mentioned in today's blog. Zoom in and out and have a look...
View Yugobalkantrip in a larger map
Next time: machine guns, knives, bombs, a new haircut, a new suitcase, Sweeney Todd's parents, James Taylor selling fruit, and a Serbian musical adventure!
...