7/31/2022
Daily Miles: 10
Total Miles: 218
We ended up with a late departure this morning, because we were trying to figure out our lodging for the next section (which will be the last section we will be hiking). As the trail goes south from Triglav National Park, the hut options diminish greatly. One lodging option recommended for the next section is a private guesthouse but they were full. So, instead of having three reasonable days, we will have two long days. But at least we have our spots reserved.
Today it felt like we were walking through a museum as much as hiking through nature. This area of the Julian Alps has a lot of relics from World War I including old military buildings and barracks (just the walls standing now) and remnants. It was really interesting to see this stuff out in an area that feels so remote.
Because of the former military presence, the trail (especially the first half of today) was really well built with retaining walls and nice switchbacks…it seemed like the trail we were walking on had been a military road in the past. The walking was so good and it felt easy to gain elevation to a saddle.
About halfway through the day, we took a detour to another hut (our first stamp of the day) and had a snack of plum dumplings and apple strudel. The hut was way more popular than we would have expected, with us passing about fifty people in the ten minutes of walking between the hut and our trail. We realized that they must all be there for the nice alpine lake just a bit further down the trail.
The lake was really pretty with deep blue water. Once we got past the near edge of the lake, we didn’t see anyone else for awhile. We had a bit of climbing before the trail leveled out and we walked past a hunter’s cabin. It was in a pretty idyllic spot with a meadow and the rocky peaks surrounding it.
Our final climb today was a long ascent to our hut, which was right below the peak of Krn. The climb was pretty good and well switchbacked. We saw multiple people coming down as we went up. It was a bit cloudy, so it didn’t feel too warm as we walked. As we got higher, the views were really dramatic again. We got good views of Triglav and could even see out to the Adriatic Sea!
We made it to our hut by 4pm. There were quite a few people hanging out in front of the hut…presumably folks who had just come down to the peak. It was chilly and windy, so a lot of people were drinking coffee and hot tea.
We sat outside for awhile enjoying the views down to the valley. While we were sitting at the picnic tables, two glider planes went by…one of them really close overhead. We have seen gliders on multiple days, but it was extra cool to have one come so close to us.
This hut is pretty small and only has two bunk rooms. The room we are in has space for 12, but is very small and cramped. We are actually in a double bed, which is still a bunk bed. Beardoh has already managed to bang his head on the bed above us several times in the few minutes we’ve been getting settled into bed.
Latitude/Longitude: 46.23561,13.79321
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