Saturday, August 30, 2014

One of my circles in Slovenian Alps

The mountainous world, as Slovenians say it... is wonderful. After 25 years, I completed the circle atop the Logarska valley, in Kamniske & Savinjske Alps of northern central part of Slovenia, with a climb to the highest top there, Grintovec. Starting from Logarska, as I was usually doing, Grintovec was always too remote for my short climbs. This time, thanks to the good company, I headed for it from the Kamnik side and finally completed this of my circles. The story begins with a short but steep climb to Kokrsko Saddle at 1800m, which is quite evident here:
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At the top we are welcomed by the pillars of the cargo lift:
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Looking down-yes, this climb is quite steep:
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Cojsova house stands here about 110 years (this is a new house, the first was at a nearby location):
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It's not really about one man, but about two brothers Zois who first listed the plants in this part of the 
 Alps and financially assisted first ascents in the Julian Alps, even before the 1800s.
  The house is beautiful, with a little more water and a few more toilets would be even better. Be sure to take all the water you need
from the valley below, up there water is scarce.

The primary goal of our ascent was Grintovec, which was the first peak in the Slovenian Alps of such height (2558 m),
  which was climbed, because of its accessibility. From Cojsova house it took 
 about 3 hours of easy hike. The only problem is that you need to choose a good time to catch the top cloudless and have a view around. 
 Clouds from the valley of the Kamniska Bistrica rise very quickly.
 For us it showed good to start a bit later, as during the otherwise slightly cloudy day, the top
 cleared around noon.
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To complete this of my circles, it was necessary to reach the Turski groove, which is why I suggested a walk to 
 Kamniško Saddle. The next morning we headed down the path toward a beautiful bivouac
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which is very interesting, it should be nice to sleep there...i na a good weather:
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Above us was all the time Skuta, an impressive top, just a few meters lower than Grintavec:
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Note the exclamation point in a triangle, it is a sign for a "Very demanding trail":
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This means that it will look like this:
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and you'll have to use your hands quite a lot:
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It is nicer when not in the cloud, one can see where one goes:
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We climbed the top of Turska mountain:
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After quite a rugged walk in the cloud, it was an easy hike below top of Brana:
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Finally, after 5 hours altogether, house on Kamnisko Saddle, the most luxury place in the Slovenian Alps:
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Those alps for me were, during my student days in Zagreb, the closest target for my first solo walks through the stone. 
This is why visit to them is always special for me, like visiting old friends, a pure pleasure.

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