European Road Trip Day 8

Friday 8 July 2022

Today we woke up in Austria, where we had parked as closed to the border as we possibly could on a rest area. In typical Kim and Lukas style we slept a little bit longer, 45 min, than we had intended before we got going.

We drove into Slovenia in darkness, and due to a blocked road we had to take a detour. After following a winding road up into the mountains. We found a parking spot quite close to Hotel Center Pokljuka and parked there. We knew the parking machine only could take cash, but what we didn’t know was that it wouldn’t accept just any cash. So we had enough money, just not in the right size. We were supposed to pay €20, and we had a €20-bill, but the machine wouldn’t take that. And of coins we didn’t have a lot.

So while we freaked out and didn’t know what to do, we at least decided to pay for 24 hours for a car, at least we had enough to pay for that. From the beginning we had thought we would go up and down Triglav in two days, because that is what everyone recommends. We had just joked about trying to do it all in one day. But now we didn’t have much choice. Either that, or risk getting a fine. Oh well.

Before we left we had some breakfast at the parking lot by the car, then we started the hike uphill at 06:40. Lukas was surprised that so few people were there. Except for one other couple we seemed to be basically alone on the parking lot, and we would also be alone for the entire morning on trail as well.

First we were hiking uphill on a nice, wide road. Then the trail soon became something more like an actual trail, and was going steeply up through the woods, with “stairs” built into the trail that was quite tough to walk up because they were high. After that it became flat again, and we walked on flat ground for a while. We talked and enjoyed the view.

Then it started going uphill again until we reached what looked like a lawn. Here it was nice and flat for a little while. We hiked up a hill consisting mostly of sand and gravel, and got boiled in the sunny weather. Somewhere around here we also saw our first people, which felt weird when we had been completely alone for so long. They still weren’t very close though.

After passing the top of the hill, we got a nice new view. After the hill, the trail winded its way down a bit, and we went down into the mist. After keeping the same altitude for some time, almost rounding the mountain, both of us started nagging about how we should be able to see the cabin soon. And suddenly, it showed up. And it was huuuge. Since we have never been to anything else than Swedish and Norwegian mountain huts, we didn’t know what they would be like in the Alps.

At the cabin (Vodnikov Dom) we took a break and used the toilets. Before leaving we also got to see a horse! From our spot by the cabin we could also see the next cabin, but it looked tiny, and Kim wondered how all the people would be able to fit there… We also wondered how on earth we would be able to get there.

And so it was time to continue. Now the trail started to become slightly more technical with rocks that we had to climb over, and sometimes even having a wire to hold on to. We also started to see more and more people, and we also came to a little valley among the mountains, filled with sheep.

Next up was even steeper, full of rocks and gravel and lots of people. This part was the toughest so far and Kim had to stop and breathe a lot of times.

We finally reached the next cabin (Dom Planika), and yeah… It was of course really big too. Here there was quite a lot of people too, but not as crowded as we might have expected. We boiled water on our gas stove here, and had a freeze-dried meal. We also talked a bit with another couple that was from Germany that was also going up to the summit of Triglav today.

After the break it was finally time to get going again. We noticed there were two ways up to the summit, and we were stupid enough to not decided to go for the route that everyone else takes, but the less trafficked route…

It seemed like a good choice at first, we didn’t meet anyone and quickly made progress. But soon, we realised why no one else was taking this route.

Before the Via Ferrata even showed up we had started a very exposed scrambling uphill. When the Via Ferrata then finally showed up, it only lasted a few meters before disappearing again. By now, the scrambling/climbing was also too exposed to turn around, we only had the option to continue. The Via Ferrata kept showing up and disappearing throughout our climb, and climbing without was very uncomfortable and you had to focus really hard not to become dizzy. One look outside of the rock you were holding gave us vertigo, and then none of us is even afriad of heights. After probably at least two hours (but felt like forever) we finally reached the top, and the relief of being at the top was almost unbearable, and we both started laughing.

At the top, we also met the German couple again and talked a little bit with them again. They took the other route but came up almost at the same time as us. They asked us about the route we took and we tried our best to explain to them - and warn them. They wanted to take another route down that had the first maybe 100 meters same as the route we took. Hopefully it turned out fine for them.

We didn’t spend too long at the top before beginning our descend. We had a long way to go after all and were just halfway now. We took the other route down, hoping it would be better. It turned out to be better actually, but it was still rather scary in some parts, but it had more Via Ferrata which was really nice.

On our way down we met a guy dressed in rather regular clothes on his way up, without a harness or anything. We were also passed by an older couple that took another route down than us. We didn’t immediately notice that though, so at first we followed them on the wrong route, but Lukas noticed and we turned around, went up and took the correct route. While there, we also met the guy without harness and he joined us on the way down. He was from Brasil and was on vacation, and would also continue to Sweden later. Really nice guy to talk to, and it was nice with some company.

He of course was going to spend the night in Dom Planika though, so at the cabin we said goodbye to him, took a short break and continued down. The sun was already beginning to set, and we wanted to spend as little time in the dark as possible, so we had to hurry. But when we walked from the cabin though, we soon met the sheep being on their way up the hill, so we had to stop and wait for them to pass, which took some time.

Quite soon we reached the other cabin again. We took a longer break here because Kim was in some pain and was really tired. Inside the cabin you could hear people being happy and maybe having a little bit of a party as well.

We continued along the trail, and it got darker and darker. By now we were completely alone on the trail. Just before reaching the gravel hill after “the lawn”, we had to light our headlamps because it was getting so dark. We were joking about the oil lamps from Eisriesenwelt, and what it would have been like to have them here, now. Maybe it was like that back in the days?

Sometime here, the time had started to pass slower, and when we reached the forest it was like the time was completely frozen. Everything looked identical, and going from one spot we remember to the next one took forever, and we started to joke about how we might be walking in perfect loops, and would never reach our car at all.

We think it just took us two hours that last bit through the forest, but it was probably the longest two hours in our lives. But finally we reached the car and we were so relieved and exhausted. Our bodies hurt so bad, and we just through our stuff in the car and started driving, because we didn’t dare sleep in the car. But it might have been smarter though, because after 17 hours of hiking you are FINISHED.

We tried to find somewhere to sleep for the night, but the GPS was messing with us, and we took the wrong turn somewhere. Kim was even so tired that she fell asleep in the passanger seat looking for somewhere to park.

We then ended up in the wrong toll queue going out of the country, and we couldn’t find any way to get back in the right one, so we had to turn around and go back the other way on the highway. Finally we found a gas station where we could park, so we just immediately parked and fell asleep in the bed.

Start: Kleinberg, Austria

End: Jesenice, Slovenia

Via: Triglav, Slovenia

Countries passed: 2 (Austria, Slovenia)

Distance hiked: 27.92 km

Time: 17 h 2 min

Ascent: 1939 m

Descent: 1925 m

Drive time: 2 h 4 min

Distance driven: 116 km

Toilet fees: €0

Parking fees: €6

Toll: €7.6

Total drive time: 29 h 30 min

Total distance driven: 2 123 km