Triglav National Park Day 1 - Pokljuka to Kredarica
We stayed overnight at the Hotel Center in Pokljuka at the trailhead for the start of our 5 days/4 nights trek in Triglav National Park, the main reason that drew us to Slovenia.
We set out at dawn following the red and white target trail markers through the pine forest. It was a quiet morning. No other hikers were around.
The toughest day of the whole trek, the stats for Day 1 had us hiking over 8 miles and climbing around 4,500 ft. in elevation to get to Kredarica Hut at the base of the tip of Triglav.
The packed dirt trail was very well maintained, soft on the feet and easy to follow. It was a quiet morning with not too many forest noises competing with the sound of rushing water from a waterfall somewhere nearby. Off in the distance, the clinking of cowbells and the moo-mooing echoes from down below reminded us that these mountains were home to farmers and shepherds long before it was designated a recreational venue.
Not long afterwards, the trail brought us to a lookout with a clear view of the small farming community set upon large swaths of green pastures entertaining happy cows milling about enjoying their freedom.
A long steep incline pushed us above the forest into a more rugged landscape and to the top of our first mountain pass.
Big views across the valleys into layers upon layers of mountain ranges opened up before our eyes, the reward for our laborious efforts. At just 6000 ft. and 3 ½ miles in, we knew that as we climbed higher, the views would just become more spectacular as the day continued.
However we didn’t mind at all that the next section of the trail was a flat, easy traverse along the side of the mountain.
Right at about halfway in, we found a bench purposefully placed with a panoramic view no doubt for trekkers to enjoy as they took a break. And so encouraged, we set our packs down to break our fast that morning with food packed for us from the hotel. We spotted Lake Bohinj far below us and spied yesterday’s paragliding launch point across the valley.
Hobbit house?
After a beautiful section of cliffside trail, we rounded a curve and spotted Triglav for the first time on the trek. This picture is deceptive...although the foreground peaks looke enormous, Triglav is the barely-visible tiny one at the very back and is much higher.
We walked through the first mountain hut directly on our trail and saw for the first time the name of our destination spray painted on a rock.
Shortly after we came upon our first set of via ferrata. Although easy to traverse, just the sight of the iron bars and chains ignited a spark of excitement as we drew closer to Triglav.
Luckily the day had been overcast but dry, helping to make the steep climbs more bearable. But as the hut came into view, we noticed large banks of clouds quickly floating our way carrying with them the threat of rain and lightning.
Even though a sense of urgency was starting to brew within us, the sensual draw of the land overpowered reasoning; we couldn’t just blindly walk through this incredible landscape without savoring its beauty. We stopped for a quick refueling on snacks and to snap some flora and fauna pictures. We also managed to take a few group photos, which we’re not very good at getting. That’s probably because we usually don’t walk neatly in a tightly pack group.
The hardest and steepest incline was saved for the ascent to Krederica hut. There were two routes, and we chose the longer but less steep approach. Now above the tree line, the trail was all sorts of rocky. One section was covered with large, loose rocks followed by cumbersome scree. The next section required some high stepping and a few places had me using my hands to help pull me up larger boulders.
One can hike these trails with a very light day pack laden with just clothes, a sleeping bag liner, some trail food and toiletries. Of course our packs were a little heavier as I also carried my own sleeping bag, and some of us carried extra weight associated with camera necessities. Wilderness camping is not allowed anywhere within the park.
Just as we crested the landing to the hut, the clouds caught up to us. In a blink of an eye, the world was lost in an ocean of gray. Little drops of rain fell upon our packs and softly kissed our hair as we quickly found refuge in the hut, just in time before the rain came pouring down.
One of the benefits of hiking in the Alps is the abundance of huts nestled in the most scenic spots on the mountain. These huts provide lodging and meals for day and overnight hikers. Depending on the location, the amenities provided at these huts range from just a mere bunk bed in a dormitory with dozens of others, an outhouse and no running water or electricity to private rooms with hot showers, flushing toilets, and electricity for part of the day. During our trek, we stayed at three different huts that offered from the bare minimum to the most luxurious of mountain comforts.
A hot cooked meal was the perfect way to finish our first day in the mountains. We retired to our rooms. We opted to stay overnight at Kendarica hut for two nights just in case weather prevented us from summiting the first morning. On the first night, with 5 in our group, they gave us separate rooms. The second day, Lyle and I moved into Phong and Sandy’s snuggly room with 4 bunk beds.
That evening, we met our guides for the summit climb. Stipulations restricted each guide to only 4 clients. Therefore, Anh Vu was assigned to another group. Igor was our guide. After going over safety rules and signing waivers, Lyle asked him to look over the routes we had chosen for the rest of our trek. He was very helpful and took his time (as he was waiting for his dinner to be prepared) explaining to us why he thought we should change our route. We took Igor’s advice, adjusted our path for a couple of sections and were thankful that we did.