There are not many countries thinking enough of their mountains to emblazon them on their national flag. Slovenia is an exception. Triglav, the highest, represents the strength of the Slovene soul. On a summer weekend, the goal of every Slovene seems a whack on the ass – the reward for a climb of Triglav. “Thank you sir. May I have another!” Afterall, Milan Kucan, the first president of Slovenia said, “It is the obligation of every Slovene to climb the mountain at least once in one’s lifetime.

THE MOUNTAIN

To climb Triglav there are from several options. All of require a helmet, an element of physicality and maybe a set of via ferrata gear – two slings and a chest harness. The helmet is a bit of protection against the clumsiness of other. The via ferrata gear protects against one’s one clumsiness. The physicality is obvious when one attempts a climb of 1,800 meters – slightly over 5,900 feet.

Most people do the peak in two days staying at the Kredarica Hut which can resemble a circus on the weekend. From the hut, the ascent comes the following day with the long descent afterwards.

I did not have two days.

THE PLAN

I originally joined the Virtual Tourist website for a trip to Slovenia in 2001. There was not a lot of information on the internet concerning the relatively new country at the time. Tolars were still the currency, the country had not yet been accepted into the European Union. The tolar was one of those currencies like the Italian lire. An immediate evaluation of cost in dollars – or euros, for that matter – was only available to mathematic majors.

The only travel guide I found at the time was a slim first edition volume from Lonely Planet with a nice picture of Lake Bled on the front cover. Through VT, I was actually able to meet some locals who could advise me further on Slovenia and its mountains. One of those folks was a young man who had a holiday apartment complex in nearby Dovje, just north of Triglav. Marko was very experienced in the Julian Alps. One day climb up Triglav? Kot is the path, he told me.

Three deeply glacially incised valleys come off Triglav to the east – Vrata, Krma and Kot. Of the different routes up Triglav, the path leading up the Kot valley is the shortest – 7 kilometers.

Without a car, Marko offered to get up early on a Saturday morning and dropped me off at the Kot trailhead. Off I went.

UP THE KOT TO HELL – TRIGLAV CLIMB BEGINS

You start relatively low at a little below 1,000 meters deep in the forest. Not that you can see much at the early morning hour I began – ok, maybe not so early as the day lightened up quickly enough. The route went up inexorably, something to be expected when you have 1,800+ meters to gain in 7 kilometers. Daylight marched on by the I climbed into Hell – Pekel – a scree basin at the top of the valley pinched in by huge mountain walls. The hike was finally getting interesting.

What lies above Hell? The Dom Valentina Stanica hut, of course, at an elevation of 2332 meters. It was here the summit of Triglav finally came into view. I knew it was the summit because people were already yodelling non-stop off the top. It seemed awfully early in the morning to get so excited.

From the Dom Valentina Stanica hut, the route up goes to the left climbing onto the top of the Kredarica ridge wandering beneath the slopes of Rž.  The views had been getting better all the time once I had ascended from Hell.  At the top of the ridge was the large Kredarica Hut. Here it seemed a good proportion of Slovenia decided to weekend.  It was also along the ridge I got my first glance at what really is the main problem with a climb of Triglav in one day – its popularity.

Rž is the peak on the left and Begunjski vrh on the right.

WHAT LIES ABOVE HELL? TRIGLAV CLIMB CRUX

There are three main routes up the upper part of Triglav – two of those come together up high and the three become two.  All the routes are via ferratas meaning iron pegs hammered into to cliff walls along with steel cables enabling non-alpinists to gain heights not meant previously for mortals. 

Here was the crux of the climb.  It was not the inherent difficulty of the route.  It was the popularity and speed of climbers above.  The route up from the Kredarica hut was easy to pick out.  There was a long line of people who hardly moved.  An ascent of Triglav takes a minimum of 6 hours and 30 minutes.  So, far by the time I reached the Kredarica, I was on target.  But I also needed to get back down and across the Sava valley to Dovje. 

I had a beer and waited.  The lines above became longer, simply refusing to move. Looking around at other mountain peaks, it seemed each one had a group of yodellers atop mocking me from.  I slowly came to the realization a Saturday climb of Triglav needs to be started much earlier in the morning.  Or better yet, do not try it on a weekend!  It was late in August. The week I was there, the weather had been wet, leaving me with this small window of opportunity.

THE BEST LAID PLANS

Oh well.  I bit the bullet and decided Triglav could wait.  Not wanting to head back the same way I had come up, I took another route. I decided to walk around the peak to Dom Planika hut and descend the Krma valley.  This gave me the opportunity to explore one of Triglav’s most magical valleys. Think of a Slovenian version of Yosemite without the waterfalls.

Past Dom Planika, it seemed like the other half of Slovenia that was not on the path above Kredarica were walking up from the Konjsko Sedlo, many with their helmets already on, just in case.

The path leading into the Krma was beautiful, I have been up the Krma a couple times since climbing Debela peč.  I have to say by the time I descended the thousand meters into the valley, the day had grown a bit long.  It got even longer by the time I had reached the meadows of Radovna. Here, I had to climb up the road leading over to Mojstrana and on up to Dovje.

NEXT TIME?

I did not get to the top of Triglav.  Without masses in front of me, I could have, but would have missed out on other adventures.  Not being a Slovene, I can rest easy by not having made the upper part of the climb.  I enjoyed experiencing the Julian Alps learning the old saying that “highest is not always best”.  Ok, so that saying is related to real estate appraisal. But some also say “the best friends of the highest mountains are only the clouds …” – Mehmet Murat Ildan – and “ideas come from the highest happiness or the deepest sorrow.” – Kahlid Masood.

My best memory of Triglav, besides the early morning yodellers, was looking off over the Krma valley and seeing hiker-climbers atop what seemed like every peak fringing the valley.  Here lay the true heart of Slovenia.

KEY TO SUCCESS FOR A ONE DAY CLIMB OF TRIGLAV

The Kot path is far from the only way up to the top of Triglav. Anyway you try it, a long day is promised. Hiking up the Kot and onto Kredarica is the quickest non-technical path to take. You do not need your helmet and possible via feratta belay device until the final push.

Do not choose a Saturday early in September like I did. The weather had not cooperated with rain during the week leading up to my walk. It was my last chance. It was also the last chance for what seemed like the entire country of Slovenia to get out on the mountains before the end of summer.