Triglav


At 2864m, Triglav is the highest mountain in the Julian Alps and also in our country. It dominates clearly above the Julian Alps range. Many marked trails lead to the top and there are several starting points to choose from. The easiest trails lead from south. Good spots to start from there are Pokljuka above Bled and several places in and above Bohinj: Voje, planina Blato, Uskovnica and Hotel Zlatorog. Whichever path you choose, plan on at least 5 to 6 hours to the top. Many trails can actually be longer than that. It's not a bad idea to split the hike into two or possibly three days, as the round-trip will require at least 10 - 12 hours.

This picture shows Triglav in winter, as seen from Debela pec. The mountain at the front right of the picture is Rjavina. Climbing Triglav in winter is quite a serious affair and demands good skills and proper climbing gear.

Trails from Voje, Blato, Uskovnica and Pokljuka lead to a hut named Vodnikov dom while the one from Zlatorog (and also the one from Blato, you can be choosy there...) will lead you through a very scenic place: the Seven Lakes valley. In my opinion, the Seven Lakes valley is more suitable for a return path rather than for going up. You need around three hours to reach either Vodnikov dom or the Seven Lakes Valley hut.
The trails from north start in the Vrata valley. These are a bit more difficult as they partly lead across the North face of Triglav, an almost vertical drop of more than 1000 m. So these are recommended for experienced hikers only. The trail across Plemenice is especially worth a mention! A very nice one, but quite tough.

This picture shows the summit of Triglav as seen from the trail to Skrlatica. Kredarica is on the left on the seemingly flat area. The upper part of the magnificent north face of Triglav can also be seen.

Most trails, northern and southern ones, lead to either Kredarica or Planika hut. Planika is at slightly lower elevation than Kredarica, but the summit is just 90 minutes away from either one. The final part is not that easy: it gets pretty vertical here and there. Also, do not go up there when there's a chance of thunderstorms - which is not rare on summer afternoons. You will be a very easy target for lightning. Many people have died up there due to lightning stroke. The trail from Kredarica to the summit is filled with memorials to those tragic accidents. So it's worthwhile to get up early and plan to reach the summit in the morning. In addition, you will likely get a clearer and better view.
The trails from Planika and Kredarica can get very crowded on summer and autumn weekends; and it's not always easy meeting people on those narrow ridges up there. It pays to be extra careful.

This photo shows the south face of Triglav. Planika hut is just a little dot at the base of Mali Triglav.

Here you can see the Kredarica hut. The summit is just above Kredarica, shrouded in clouds. On a clear day, a view from Kredarica can be very rewarding. The hut is open almost at all times, as there is a weather station just nearby and people working there can always open the door for you. Kredarica is the highest mountain hut in the Julian Alps and also one of the largest. To reach it, plan on spending 4 to 5 hours from either Pokljuka, Voje, Uskovnica or Vrata. Many people stay for the night up here, which is not a bad idea at all. The sunrise will be spectacular on a clear day and you can make it to the top early in the morning: sunrise on the summit will be even better.

Here we are, just some 30 minutes below the summit. The shot was taken from a spot named Mali Triglav. The ridge leading to the top can be tricky, so better be careful. It's rather narrow and the drops to either side are almost vertical in some places. Strong wind can be a problem here. If you look closely, you might be able to see the ridge is quite crowded on this picture. Many climbers are making their way up or down the ridge.

This is how the summit looks like. The gliders from nearby airport Lesce can often be seen above the Julian Alps. The tiny metal tower is named Aljazev stolp. A 19th century priest from Dovje has purchased the area on top and had this tower erected here. It's supposed to be a shelter in case of a storm. It can accomodate up to three, possibly four climbers.


The hut behing Jure's back is called Trzaska koca (na Dolicu). It's a pleasant stopover on the way down towards the Seven lakes valley. The hut is about two hours below the Triglav summit. For the first hour or so, the trail will not be easy and you will have to be very careful. Remember, by this time you will probably have come a long way and it's so easy to make a wrong step when you're tired. Luckily, you will reach much easier terrain after an hour. From that point on, it's basically just a (long) hike with not much climbing all the way to the Seven lakes valley.

From Trzaska koca, there are several ways to the Seven lakes valley. The easiest one leads on the south side of a peak called Kanjavec. Another one will lead you across the summit of this peak. And the toughest one leads across the north face of Kanjavec. North side of the mountain is very vertical, so it's quite a challenge and only suitable for experienced people.
On this picture I'm on the southern trail with Kanjavec just behind me.

This is a nice view of the Seven lakes valley deep below. The spiky peak on the left is called Vrsac. A hike through the valley is an extremely scenic conclusion of the whole adventure. But remember, it's still a long way to go. From this spot, you will need around 4 hours to finish the hike.

There are more than just seven lakes in the valley, but people have used tricks to come up with this rather poetical name. Some of them are very tiny, so they don't count. Then there's a double lake, actually two occasionally separated lakes (depending on water level), which always count as one.
The photo shows the largest one, called Ledvica (Kidney). It's a bit too large to fit into my picture... You can swim in the lowest lake, Crno Jezero (Black lake); but Ledvica is too high and too large for water to warm up enough. The water temperature never gets much higher than 7 degrees C. Only suitable for tough people.

I've climbed Triglav many times, but it is still a great experience every time I go up there.

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