Irreverent guide to Triglav National Park
A chamois watches from above, but it is not white nor does it have golden antlers, at most, plated by the sun that is beginning to warm the morning. Watch with curiosity as the first hikers of the day set out to conquer the Triglav. It is the highest peak in Slovenia and its 2,864 meters you have to climb at least once in your life to be a true Slovenian; it is a matter of national pride. He said that Milan Kucan , the first president that the republic had. Every year thousands of his compatriots listen to him.
Men were forbidden to pass, and if any unwary dared to enter their mountains, Zlatorog he was expelled by throwing avalanches of stones down the slope.
The legend of Zlatorog permeates the Triglav
They go up equipped with heatsinks, harness and helmet, just in case. Tombstones of deceased climbers on the sides . The via ferrata is fully equipped with iron ropes, rings and shelves. narrow passage; anti-vertigo carabiners . Fall on either side of the edge; stop to look up from the ground. Sky torn by blades; queue to get to the top. To the south rushes the planika shelter (2,401m) ; to the east, that of Kredarika (2,515m) ; at Vodnikov (1,817m) and to Koča (1,685m) they have been swallowed by the rocks. Helicopters of the Armed Forces supply them with basic provisions: beer, beer, goulash and… beer. In the evening, party. An accordion plays alpine polkas; drunk with something more than joy they shout; happiness is evacuated outside, in the latrine. Snoring overbooking; It's the sleeping bags in the hall. June to September is high season , more on weekends, and more if it coincides with the anniversary of the Aljazev Stolp , the tower that Jakov Aljaž placed 120 years ago at the top of Triglav.
A single mortal was able to penetrate the prominent realms of Zlatarog without arousing the anger of the chamois: The Trenta Valley Hunter , because he was so pure of heart that the White Ladies -nymphs of the mountain- offered him their protection. He lived with his mother, a blind widow, in a typical house with a wooden roof; he knew all the ways of the mountains and when he went hunting he always returned with a bouquet of flowers for his beloved, the most charming and beautiful tavern keeper in the region.
Queues to access the top
Jakov Aljaž was in love with the Julian Alps . He was the priest of Dovje , a village in Kranjsca Gora close to the Austrian border. Worried that the Germans would take over the Triglav, he bought sixteen square meters of the top for one guilder and, in 1895, he planted a metal and zinc tower there. Geodesic point 1.90 meters high and 1.25 in diameter which changed color depending on the historical moment: schwarz-rot-gold, verde-bianco-rosso, communist stars in Tito's Yugoslavia... Until the belo-modro-rdeča flag proclaimed independence. Today it belongs to Ljubljana–Matica Mountaineering Club , emergency sovereign refuge. There is also a crevasse nearby in case of a storm; eight people fit, sixteen if squeezed together. On clear days, those in which you can see as far as the Adriatic Sea, a souvenir street vendor displays t-shirts for 10 euros, 6 for beers, 5 for soft drinks.
Rings, bracelets and pearl necklaces were enough for a Venetian merchant to seduce the beautiful innkeeper. Desperate, the hunter set out to recover his love no matter what, that's why he listened to a bad friend when he recommended him to kill Zlatarog and win back his beloved with that treasure that the golden horns guarded.
Aljaz Tower
Pam, pam, pam! It is a solemn ritual, that of hitting with a climbing rope the buttocks of whoever climbs the roof of Slovenia for the first time. To compensate for the suffering, then you can make a wish.
The hunter shot and badly wounded Zlatorog, from whose blood Triglav roses began to sprout. The animal ate them, it was weak and exhausted, but it regained all its vigor thanks to the balm. The horns of the chamois gleamed more than ever. Blinded by the miracle, Trenta's man took a wrong step and fell into the abyss down the ravine. When the snows melted with winter's end, the waters of the river Soča dragged his dead body to the village.
The impossible blues of the Soca River
Canoes go down. Canyoning and rafting through emerald garanta where marble trout swim until they fall prey to a reed and are fried in batter. Ten kilos can weigh, and they are the official mascot of the So a Trail, a 25-kilometer trail that runs to the city of Bovec . The bridges don't seem to be trusted; the woods – when there are any – wobble when passing. It was the place chosen to shoot a battle of Chronicles of Narnia . The eternal struggle between good and evil; many soldiers died in this valley during the First World War; maneuvers on the Krn (2,244m), offensives on the Mangart (2,679m); the pagan woman camouflages herself on the wall of the Prisank (2,547m); trenches, cemeteries, chapels and monuments recall military barbarism on the ** Paths of Peace ** themed route.
The bad behavior of the humans greatly upset the Ladies in White, who left the Julian Alps. Zlatorog, for his part, was very angry, and unleashed his anger by leaving only limestone in fields where grasses used to grow green and fresh.
In the absence of white chamois with golden horns protecting Slovenia's natural wealth, in 1924 the Triglav National Park began to be created, one of the oldest in Europe; in 1981 and in 2010 it was expanded, and today it covers 4% of the country, with 839 square kilometers.
Ascent to the summit in Triglav National Park
IRREVERENT GUIDE TO VISIT TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK
WHEN TO TRAVEL: if you are not an expert mountaineer and it is the first time you read “crampons” and “ice axes”, climb Triglav before the first snow falls; although in summer it is when there are more people. You can also take advantage of the Hiking Festival, which takes place every year between September and October.
HOW TO GET : Triglav can be reached on foot, of course. Right now I don't have a map handy to explain it to you, but just follow some red and white circular markings. To access the top, Zlatorog would tell you that climbing equipment is not needed.
WHERE TO SLEEP: there are several refuges where to spend the night before attacking Triglav: Vodnikov, Planika, Koča and the largest, Kredarika. It works as a weather station and It has 300 beds, between communal and private rooms. In summer all the lodges fill up and if you don't have a reservation you will more than likely end up snoring in the corridor or in your sleeping bag under the stars. Remember to take a notebook to seal all the shelters you pass. And, after a few days without showering, in Bled, Bohinj, Trenta, Bovec and Kranjska Gora You can clean up in real hotels and spend hours in a spa.
A natural bath in Bohinj
WHERE TO EAT : the diet in the high mountain refuges is not very varied: goulash, pasta with goulash, polenta with goulash... But after a good walk, anything with goulash tastes like heaven.
WHAT TO VISIT: The Triglav Of course, it is the highest peak for a reason. Although in the National Park there are more than four hundred mountains to climb; all with more than two thousand meters of altitude, like the Mangart, the Krn, the Jalovec or the Prisank , on whose walls is carved naturally the face of "The Pagan Woman" . They say that she hid there when a rumor reached her that a hunter wanted to kill Zlatorog.
Ajdovska Deklica, the woman carved in the rock
FOR GASTRO-EXCURSIONISTS: the cheese route, an itinerary from farm to farm to go blind Mohant, Bovški sir and Trni.
FOR THE AQUATICS : rafting, kayaking, canyoning, fishing… and a new one (at least for me): the hydrospeed, an individual plastic boat where you go half lying down and control the rapids with your feet and hands. Water sports are also practiced in the glacial lakes of Bohinj –the largest in the country– and Bled . Here many get on a pletna – a traditional wooden boat – to reach the only island in Slovenia. If you ring the church bell three times you can make a wish; Now, no one guarantees that it will come true.
Lake Bled, one step away
WHAT TO PUT IN THE BACKPACK: energy bars and chocolate bars to bribe bears with dirty tricks. Although they have assured me that there are none in the Triglav National Park, that they are all to the south, in the karst forests , it's better to prevent than to cure.
A SONG TO CLIMB MOUNTAINS: Oj, Triglav, moj dom (Oh, Triglav, my home), composed by the cassocked mountaineer Jakov Aljaž.
A SOUVENIR: you can buy a t-shirt from the Triglav street vendor or keep a Slovenian fifty-cent euro coin as a souvenir, where the emblematic peak with its three heads appears.
BASIC SLOVENIAN-SPANISH DICTIONARY: it is good alpine manners to greet the mountaineers you meet along the way. dober dan vale for “hello” and “good morning” (if you feel short of breath on the way up, you can shorten it: "give, give" ) . "Beer" is pivo, and "thank you" hvala . Sometimes the pronunciation can be complicated at first sight. A couple of tricks: his j is like our i and his v is like our u . I haven't figured out how to pronounce it yet trg (market) nor the peak krn.
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