The Road North to Slovenia’s Sacred Peak
It’s the 4th of January 2020. We are somewhere in the middle between Mount Olympus and Mount Triglav. Where to go, south or north, was the question that forced our brain cells to produce highly conscious decision. Both Dejan and I chose the colder one. Triglav is a wonderful mountain. As part of the Julian Alps, a tail of the actual Alps, Triglav is the symbol of the Slovenian Alpsnism. I have read books about Triglav’s north face and dream that one day, I will experience moving through the shadow of the face. It was my first time going to Triglav, and I was sure that it would be another great story and experience.
The journey to the summit of Triglav started at the traffic light early in the winter morning, 4 days after we entered the new year. We had enough time until the light turned green to decide if we would go to Mount Olympus or Mount Triglav. I was impressed by how I think under the pressure of the traffic infrastructure. Dejan was solid, too. Driving 12 hours to the valley of Karma, we parked our car and went to sleep, at least for a couple of hours. I thought the stars came down to me, as I felt its light very close. It was like a dream before I realised that the lights were people with headlamps passing by our car. Still, it was dark, and people were moving like it was 4 pm on Thursday somewhere in the city. I slowly opened the door of the car and felt the cold. We got our stuff, turned out our headlamps and joined these people. I was feeling that we were all going to some holy place. Triglav is a holy place, indeed. The Slovenians are very proud of this mountain, and there is a saying that if you haven't climbed Ttriglav, you are not a Slovenian.
The route goes through the logical canyon and right up to the hill, from where you enter the first snow fields. Our pace was fast enough, so we didn’t feel cold anymore, but the opposite. On the way up, we saw old mountain cabins and huts, huge stones that sometimes fell from the rock faces, and finally, the sun. As the sun showed up, Triglav was within our eye vision, standing high and appearing very serious. We know that Triglav is quite an exposed summit to climb in winter. There are one or two spots where one needs to be very precise with placing the crampons and the body's movement. After we reach the mountain hut of Kredarica, the summit is 200 hundred meters in elevation, far from us. Climbing through a steep snow field, then traverse to the left. After the traverse, there is a little climbing up and another traverse. Here, I found the section very exposed and icy, without any place to put protection, although we were without a rope. I took some fast and confident steps in this section, which led me to the much safer ridge. Once we climbed on the ridge, the summit was 15 minutes away from us. The weather was perfect. No wind, a bit of clouds and several people on the summit. After less than 24 hours, starting from Skopje, we were at the summit of Triglav. We took our pictures, made fun of our way back home, and congrats both for another adventure in the books.
Triglav is the most climbed summit in Slovenia, even in winter. People there are going all the time, but, unfortunately, because of that, many people have died on this climb. Triglav in winter is definitely not a climb to underestimate. We are glad to climb this mountain fast enough so we can descend into the valley when the sun is still high in the sky. After any mountain climb, I feel satisfied with myself. I like it when I am tired and sunburned when I feel heavy legs and arms, hungry and cold. I count all of that as proof that I still have the will to live and explore. In a world where freedom is sacrificed for comfort, I ate my sandwich and started driving back to Macedonia.