Climbing the Triglav

Introduction

The 2864-metre-high limestone mountain Triglav has been a source of inspiration and devotion for Slovenes for more than a millennium. The early Slavs believed the mountain to be the home of a three-headed deity who ruled the sky, the earth and the underworld, but no one managed (or dared) to reach the summit until just two centuries ago. Today Triglav figures prominently on the national flag and seal.

As the statue of tour men at Ribcev Laz constantly reminds visitors, Triglav's summit was first reached from Lake Bohinj by an Austrian climber and his three Slovenian associates in 1778 on the initiative of Ziga Zois (1747-1819), an iron magnate and patron of the arts. Under the Habsburgs in the 19th century, the 'pilgrimage' to Triglav became, in effect, a confirmation of Slovenian identity, and this tradition continues to this day. It's rare to meet a young Slovene who hasn't done the trek and even presidents and their ministers are known to do it together, as l discovered one warm Saturday in mid-September.

You too can do the hike to the summit, even if you have no experience in this sort of thing. But first a few words of advice and caution. Do some physical exercise for a few days before setting out - bicycling, walking, or swimming - and don't ignore some mental preparation; that's usually more than half the battle.

Triglav is inaccessible from late October o early June. June and July are the rainiest (and sometimes snowiest) summer months so August, and particularly September and early October, are the best times to go. Weather can be very unpredictable at altitudes above 1500 metres, with temperatures varying by as much as 20' C and violent storms appearing out of nowhere.

Under no circumstances should you make the trek by yourself. If you are travelling alone, hire a guide through the Triglav National Park office in Bled or through a travel agency in Bohinj, or join a group that is setting out. Do the GRS (Gorska Resevaina Sluzba) volunteer rescue teams a favour; they have had to save dozens of people each year who went on their own, ignored the trail markings and weather warnings, or tried to so something beyond their experience. Keep to the track marked with red-and-white circles and rest frequently. Remember that people die every year on Triglav simply because they did not follow these basic rules.

What to bring depends on personal preference but you want to travel absolutely as light as possible. Leave most of your kit down below, but wear sturdy hiking boots and warm, waterproof clothing. You might also consider carrying a compass and a torch (flashlight). Food, except for snacks like nut bars, is unnecessary as the mountain huts are well supplied. You should bring some water, but tea and other hot drinks are better for thirst.

There are some 52 mountain huts in the Julian Alps, most of (hem open between June and September. Others may extend their season a month in either direction and many huts at lower altitudes are open all year. Huts are never more than five hours apart. A mountain hut (planinska koca or planinski dom) almost always has accommodation (usually costing between 1000 and 1500 SIT) and food, with hearty dishes like enoloncnica (hotpot), Segedin golaz (goulash) and jesprenj (barley gruel). You'll never be turned away it the weather looks bad, but some huts on Triglav can be unbearably crowded at weekends, especially in August and September. Try to do the trek mid-week and phone the hut ahead if it has a mobile telephone, which is the case with about 20 of the huts. Some huts take bookings.

There are about 20 different ways to reach the top of Triglav, with the main approaches being from the south (Bohinj, Pokljuka) and the north (Vrata, Kot). All the routes offer varying degrees of difficulty and have their pluses and minuses. Experienced hikers tend to go for the more l forbidding northern approaches, descending via one of the gentle southern routes. Novices usually ascend and descend near Bohinj. The route from Trenta in the Soca Valley is steep, but not impossible, and is less travelled due to its relatively remote start. Most treks require two overnight stops in the mountains.

Before you begin, arm yourself with a copy of How to Climb Triglav, a superb booklet with a dozen of the best routes and published by the Alpine Association of Slovenia (Planinska Zveza Slovenije). This 65'page publication, available everywhere, also has a useful illustrated section on Triglav's remarkable flora. It sure beats lugging around the 332-page pictorial Flowers of Slovenia. The much slimmer (and older) An Alpine Guide also includes Triglav trips among its other hikes.

Several maps to the area are available. Freytag and Berndt's 1:50,000-scale Julische Alpen Wanderkarte covers the whole of Triglav National Park. The Alpine Association publishes a two-sheet 1:50,000-scale map of the Julian Alps; for Triglav and the park you need the eastern part (Julijske AIpe - Vzhodni Del). They also publish some more detailed maps (1:20,000 scale), including Julijske AIpe — Triglav and Julijske AIpe - Bohinj.

Climbing Mt. Triglav from Pokljuka

The shortest - but hardly the most enjoyable - way to reach the summit of Mt Triglav is from Bled. But you must drive first to Rudno Polje (1345 metres) on the Pokljuka Plateau, 18 km southwest of the lake. From the Sport hotel a trail leads west below Mt Visevnik (2050 metres) to the Jezerce Valley, where it then turns south-west, zigzags over the Studor Saddle (1892 metres) and crosses the southern flank of Mt Tosc (2275 metres). Within three hours of setting out from Rudno Polje, you should be at the Vodnikov Dom na Velem Polju mountain at 1817 metres. It has 53 beds. The 62-bed Dom Planika pod Triglavom, another hut at 2401 metres, is two hours' walk north-west from here. You can reach Triglav's summit in an hour from Dom Planika.

The very fit might attempt to do this trip in a day (Slovenian teenagers seem to manage), but most of us mortals stay at one of the huts overnight. For a more leisurely way of climbing 'Old Mr Three Heads', see the following section on Bohinj. You can also reach Triglav from the northern approaches described in the section on Triglav National Park at the end of this chapter.

Climbing Mt. Triglav from Bohinj

That statue of four climbers - one of them pointing northward - may get you to think­ing about higher ground: Mt Triglav, in fact. There are several ways to reach Triglav from Bohinj, though many prefer to use these paths to descend after scaling the mountain from the north or the east. They include routes from Savica Waterfall and Stara Fuzina. One good route is to ascend by the former and return by the latter.

From the Savica Waterfall a path zigzags up the steep Komarca Crag. From the top of this cliff (1340 metres) there's an excellent view of Lake Bohinj. Farther north, three to four hours from the falls, is the Koca pri Triglavskih Jezerih (1685 metres), a 104-bed hut at the southern end of the fantastic Triglav Lakes Valley where you'll spend the night. If you want a good overview of the valley and its seven permanent lakes (the others fill up in spring only), you can climb to Mt Ticarica (2091 metres) to the northeast in about one hour. An alterative - though longer – route from the waterfall to the Triglav Lakes Valley is via Dom na Komni and the Komna Plateau, a major WW I battlefield.

On the second day, you hike up the valley, which the immortal chamois Zlatorog is said to have created, past the largest glacial lakes then northeast to the desert-like Hribarice Plateau (2358 metres). You descend to the Dolic Saddle (2164 metres) where the Trzaska Koca na Dolicu (2152 metres) has 60 beds. You would have walked about four hours by now from the Koca pri Triglavskih Jezerih and could well carry on to Dom Planika pod Triglavom (2401 metres), about 1h.30min to the north-east. But this 80-bed hut is often packed; it's better to stay where you're sure there's a bed.

From Dom Planika it's just over an hour to the summit of Triglav (2864 metres), a well-trodden path indeed. Don't be surprised if you find yourself being turned over to have your bottom beaten with a birch switch. It's a long-established tradition for Triglav 'virgins'.

You could return the way you came, but it's far more interesting to go back to Bohinj southward via Stara Fuzina. This way passes the 50-bed Vodnikov Dom na Velem Polju (1817 metres) less man two hours from Dom Planika. There are two routes to choose from between Vodnikov Dom and Stara Fuzina: down the Voje Valley or over Uskovnica, a highland pasture at about 1100 metres. The former takes about four hours; the route via Uskovnica is a little longer but affords better views. The trail to Rudno Polje and the road to Bled branch off from the Uskovnica route (see Climbing Mt Triglav from Pokljuka).

If you decide to do the trip in reverse -starting from Stara Fuzina and returning via Savica Waterfall - count on walking about seven hours to Dom Planika through the Voje Valley and eight hours via Uskovnica.

Climbing Mt. Triglav from Mojstrana

Mojstrana, 13 km west of Kranjska Gora, is another gateway to Triglav, this time via one of the northern approaches. Without going into all the details, which can be gleaned from How to Climb Triglav or An Alpine Guide, the easiest route ascends through the Kot Valley, which is accessible by road three km south of Mojstrana. The road (and then trail) goes essentially due south past a meadow called Lengarjev Rovt, a spring and a big bowl called Pekel below Vrbanova Spica (2299 metres) before reaching the Dom Valentina Stanicev at 2332 metres and it takes about five hours to reach. The hut has 78 beds. Triglavski Dom na Kredarici, the main hut serving the northern routes, and at 2515 metres the highest accommodation in the land, is an hour away and the summit still another hour. While Triglavski Dom has 126 beds, it is often full; the best idea is to spend the night at Stanicev Dom and make the ascent in the morning.

Side trips from Stanicev Dom via marked and secure trails include Begunjski Vrh (2461 metres; 30 minutes walk), Cmir (2393 metres; two hours), Vrbanova Spica (2299 metres; 1h.30 min), and Rjavina (2557 metres; two hours).

A more difficult ascent is possible via the Tominsek Trail through the Vrata Valley, passing Aljaiev Dom v Vratih, a 180-bed hut at 1015 metres. The hut can be reached by car from Mojstrana (11 km) but the gradient is very steep in parts. Walking should take about three hours, including a look at Pericnik Waterfall. You'll probably want to spend the night here as it is among the most beautiful sites in the park, with a perfect view of Triglav's north face. Nearby is a 10-metre boulder called Mali Triglav (Little Triglav) where you can practise your ascent of the Big One.

From Aljazev Dom, it's a 3h.30min walk via the north-west flank of Cmir and below Begunjski Vrh to a spring with excellent drinking water. From the spring you can choose whether to walk to Stanicev Dom, 30 minutes to the southwest, or to Triglavski Dom, an hour to the south.