Kredarica to Zasavska koča na Prehodavcih
Day 3 started out with spectacular views of rugged mountain peaks jutting up through an ocean of clouds. The undercast truly made us feel like we were on top of the world. The only problem was that they were so fluffy and inviting, I just wanted to go hopping from one puffy cluster to another like Care Bears.
This day’s route was extremely fun with so much variation in terrain and landscape within the 7.7 miles we covered. Just within the short mile it took to reach the first hut of the day, Dom Planika, we had already walked on packed dirt with scattered loose rocks, climbed up a scree field of gray granite slats the size of my hands, clambered atop some big boulders and traversed our first set of cables.
After a quick restroom break at the hut, we followed the trail down the other side of the mountain and found ourselves in a totally different landscape dominated by bright gray granite and brilliant green ground vegetation. This combination immediately brought a smile to my face and a spring to my steps. The day just felt so fresh and full of zest!
Bolstered by the uplifting spirit of the unspoiled nature around us, we couldn’t pass up a chance to have some fun and leave our mark in the field of rock messages. Luckily, “Buu” is short and easy. Any longer of a message, we would have had a hard time finding enough rocks nearby.
One of my favorite parts of the trek was the section after coming up from the bowl of rock messages. We walked atop large flat rocks all the while with an amazing view of the lush valley full of evergreens down below. Giddy from frolicking amongst the rocks, it really felt like we were hopping around on a giant outdoor playground.
Taking full advantage of the huts on our route, we stopped at another one for lunch and a restroom break. The view from the hut looked out to the backside of Triglav. Cut into the side of the mountain was the switchbacks of a more challenging route up to Kendarica Hut from the valley on this side.
We definitely needed the fuel recharge. Our next obstacle was a steep incline to the top of a pass.
At the junction on top of the pass, we saw for the first time the name of our destination for the night, Zasavska Koca na Prehodavcih. Whoa. What a long name! Sandy’s pronunciation sounded so much better than mine, but it was still way off. When we got to the hut, I asked the young worker there how to say the name of the hut…and what came out of his mouth was a slurred mash-up of sound. Let’s just call it the Z hut.
From the pass, we descended into such an unexpected landscape compared to that of the valley we had just left behind. This basin at first seemed so barren and hostile. It didn’t look as if any living thing would call this place home. But as we walked a little deeper down into the basin, a whole family of ibex was stationed right beside the trail.
At first, we tiptoed quietly ever closer to them afraid we’d scare them off. They eyed us but remained right where they were, even as we got just a few feet away because they were that close to the trail.
This smiley face trail marker was so encouraging, especially since the trail went upward and out of the basin right after that.
Life will always find a way. And we even found a few clusters of flowers here and there.
Emerging from the basin brought us into a whole new side of the national park. Our first view of this valley sparked excitement for what was to come. This valley is considered one of the most beautiful regions in all of Triglav National Park boasting clear alpine lakes glistening between formidable mountain ranges.
Our destination within sight and with lots of daylight ahead of us, Lyle decided to take a break to record a time lapse. Sandy and Phong continued on ahead of us. As we sat embracing the beauty about us, a couple of day hikers crossed our path. We made small talk and discovered the girls were from the United States, San Diego and Colorado. After some more inquiries about their experience in the region, we learned that they were advised to exit the park via the same route Igor had suggested to us. Up to this point, we were still unsure of how exactly our last day in Triglav NP would look like. We had drawn up a couple of different routes that would put us down on the west end of Lake Bohinj for a celebratory swim, but Igor told us our routes were too treacherous and outlined a different way for us. It seemed more and more likely that Igor was correct and wasn’t just being overly cautious...Igor the insightful!
The snail became our official trek mascot, as we were hiking at a snail’s pace.
It was a perfect day for a long mountain walk. The sun was shining gently. The skies, blue as blue can be. The clouds were in constant motion, endlessly merging and changing forms. And just over on the next rise, our next hut glowed golden each time the sunlight shone upon it through the breaks in the clouds.
We wrapped up the timelapse and followed the narrow trail towards the hut. The path down to the first lake was clearly defined, but AllTrails had a few alternative routes to the lake. For no good reason, we decided to take the road less traveled and found out firsthand why it was less traveled. Trail markers were few and far in between. Squeezing through tight passages between giant boulders, sliding down a wildly steep slope of scree and scrambling over humungous boulders, we finally arrived at the most picturesque, crystal-clear blue lake covered in sweat and dust only to find Phong and Sandy just relaxing and enjoying the view just a football’s throw away from us.
We all had soup and rolls for dinner. For Lyle, it was another bowl of sauerkraut soup. He doesn’t even really like sauerkraut that much. But that’s the thing about trekking isn’t it; the most horrible food could almost taste gourmet after a long day on one’s feet.
Perched at the edge of a cliff, the Z hut offered incredible views far into the north. Countless layers of mountain ranges stretched as far as the eyes can see. We’re pretty sure we were looking right into Austria.
We were hoping for another majestic sunset, but thick dark clouds rolled in right around golden hour and blocked much of the view. The hut was consumed and at some points hidden within the gray mist.
Z Hut was the most “rustic and basic” of the huts we stayed in. The sleeping arrangement was dormitory style with 32 bunk beds stacked in one room. Each bunk came with 2 extra blankets. Lyle and I used our 4 blankets to build a fort around our beds effectively keeping out light and noise. Surprisingly, even with that many people in one room, our false sense of privacy and the general appreciation for common courtesy shown by most hikers in Slovenia afforded us a pretty good sleep.
During the day, Z Hut has no running water and the outhouse, pit toilet style, is a pretty decent walk down the slope from the hut. Luckily, from 10PM-6AM, the one bathroom with a flushing toilet and electricity within the hut was open for our convenience.