14 minute read
WILL’S WALKS
WILL’S WALK
A long way from Lincolnshire
There is one sure way to fall in love with Slovenia, as Will Hetherington discovered last summer on this ascent of the country’s highest mountain.
IN THIS TINY but beautiful country they say you are not a true Slovene if you haven’t been to the top of the 2,864m mighty Mount Triglav. It might be a bit of an old chestnut, but this mountain and the National Park surrounding it are intrinsic to the identity of this young nation, which was part of Yugoslavia until independence in 1992. In fact Triglav was the highest peak in the whole of that once vast state, and today the imposing lump of rock is so enshrined in the Slovenian psyche that it even features on the flag.
With a population of just two million in an almost identical area to Wales (more than three million people) this is not a densely populated country. Apart from Ljubljana, the pretty little capital with its fairytale castle, and drop dead gorgeous Piran down on the Adriatic coast, the main draw is the Triglav National Park in the north west. Up here in the Julian Alps the meadows are greener than England in May and the water in the rivers runs a mesmerising mix of topaz blue and iridescent turquoise. Here the twin lakes of Bled and Bohinj sit like precious jewels embedded in this green and pleasant land, as if it wasn’t easy enough on the eye already.
Bled is famous and popular and rightly so because it’s pretty, Hollywood pretty, with its clifftop castle and tiny island adorned with a suitably cute church. But Bled is also commercial and busy, so it’s worth a night or two but a 20-minute drive west to Bohinj opens up the real outdoor adventure playground.
WHEN IDYLLIC BECOMES GRUELLING
The northern shore of Lake Bohinj was our starting point for the ascent of Triglav and it was here we were deposited by Life Adventures (a guiding company in Bled). We were given instruction on how to use the via ferrata equipment, a rudimentary map and told which direction to head. At this point we were at 550m above sea level and set off at 9.30am. We knew we had to make it to the Dom Planika mountain hut before nightfall.
In retrospect I think I blanked out the plain truth that this meant 1,850m of ascent in the one day. As we were to discover at 2,400m this hut is a very long way, in every sense, from the sleepy start point on the verdant shores of Lake Bohinj more than a mile below.
Apart from the two of us there were four younger Belgians also setting off from the same point. We wanted to get started so we bid them adieu (resisting the urge to crack any Hercule Poirot gags) and started strolling on a gentle incline through some low alpine woodland with a river to our right.
This is the Mostnica gorge and in itself is one of the must-see places in the National Park, so we made a quick detour to a lovely waterfall before returning to the most idyllic alpine meadow. Now anybody who has been up a few mountains will know that words like ‘idyllic,’ ‘meadow’ and ‘gentle gradient’ don’t normally spring to mind when you have to ascend more than one mile in one day. And so it proved here. Once we had cleared the last of the wildflower meadows and left behind the occasional stretch on the tarmac road, we were suddenly faced with an exhausting series of steep straight climbs divided by hairpins going up through the woodland. It felt a bit like rugby training 25 years ago to be honest, and was quite a long way removed from anything I would describe as fun these days. Bear in mind we were also carrying our own kit, water and lunches for three days and all the via ferrata equipment. This was hard going and, while the Slovenians may be weaned on these sort of gradients, us incolnshire folk find them a long way from the flat fertile soil of The ens.
JUST AROUND THE NEXT CORNER…
However, perseverance and sheer determination got us through this first woodland assault. Apart from the odd person heading down the hill we were the only people in this peaceful corner of middle Europe, and if it didn’t hurt quite so much it would have been more wonderful. Of course in retrospect I can smile about it. ur first target was the odnikov om, a mountain hut which had already taken on a sort of Elysian image in my mind long before it was a realistic prospect ‘just around the next corner.’ At 1,800m this is recommended as the place to eat your packed lunch on the way up to the lanika om, because it’s well over halfway and has running water and spectacular views.
But it’s not that simple is it? Yes it’s more than halfway so that makes sense, but equally you have to get there without completely running out of energy and temporarily mislaying that all important sense of humour. I will hold my hands up; after the initial onslaught uphill through the woods and then another couple of hours of intermittent ‘very steep’ and just ‘oldfashioned steep’ terrain I needed odnikov om badly.
And each time we thought it was ‘just around the corner’ it wasn’t, so eventually I caved in and found a lovely rock to rest my weary body on and enjoy some necessary sustenance. on’t forget that once you get up to 1,500m and above the air gets noticeably thinner and it’s harder to get the oxygen into the lungs. There is a reason long distance runners train at altitude.
As we enjoyed our lunch purchased from the bakery in Bled that morning the four young Belgians from the start point emerged on the woodland track behind us and passed by with a cheery nod. It’s not a race you know
Refreshed, nourished and invigorated we took up the trail again and what did we find around the next corner? You guessed it – odnikov om, perched on the side of a scree face with incredible views over the bowl below. It may be remote and high but here they have running water, facilities and plenty of food should you need it. So we took another 15 minutes before donning backpacks and striding out again.
UK
France Germany
Switzerland
Italy
Mount Triglav
Austria
Slovenia
THE IBEX AND THE GIANT ‘HUT’
By now we were above the treeline more than ,000m and traversing the slopes along single paths with fre uent evidence of landslides. ithin a mile of odnikov om we met a different type of walker on the path as an ibex casually plodded along the trail and almost tipped his antlers to us as if to say rom the sweat and the swearing I’d say you are British are you not In that case you’ve done well to reach this point but don’t forget you are in lovenia now. These are our mountains.’ It was a lovely sight. ventually at about pm we arrived at the lanika om after another hour of walking through a moonscape. To me a mountain hut suggests a tiny wooden shack with a roaring fire and a hot stew cooking in a pot above. ere the two of you take peaceful shelter during the hours of darkness, ready for the assault on the summit in the morning.
Maybe I’m deluded.
The lanika sleeps 0 people in two dormitories and a few other rooms, and on this night in late uly it was full to brimming. aving seen very few people on the way up, this came as a surprise to us, but there is more than one route and clearly we had taken the toughest at least I was happy to believe that. aving been shown our two top bunks in the dorm behind the main building, we found a corner in the foyer area and enjoyed two or three of the most expensive beers in lovenia with a limited meal of meatless stew and bread. Most of the supplies are brought in by helicopter so I’m not complaining it’s just not the idyllic mountain hut experience I naively had in mind. I’m not going to even describe the facilities, except to say with no running water they were best avoided.
ALONG THE RIDGELINE
ne of the perks of uncomfortable accommodation is that it’s not di cult to get up in the morning. In fact the real challenge was waiting until am for breakfast a chunk of bread, ham and fried eggs. After that we were ready to take on the final 50m climb to the top. The sky was blue and there was almost no breeze which made it even easier to just get cracking. Most of the final ascent from lanika om involves using the via ferrata e uipment which includes a waist harness, ropes, carabiner clips and a helmet. There are long sections of steel wires pegged into the rock on the way up, and for inexperienced climbers like me this safety measure provides welcome peace of mind. I saw two or three people on the way up who looked like they were out for a casual stroll, but I suppose to them they were. And as for the one person running up I don’t know where to start.
The final 300m or so is along a very narrow ridgeway and if there had been more than a breath of wind or even a drop of rain I would have been terrified. But with stunning blue sky all around I was fairly confident and concentrated hard on not looking down until we reached the very summit with the famous Aljaz Tower constructed in 1 5 proudly overlooking all of lovenia. n this perfect uly day there were 30 people gathered around the summit, and the weather was so good it was all too easy to sit there for half an hour and enjoy the achievement, the view and the rest.
A RITE OF PASSAGE
However we knew we had a long way to go, so at 10am we began the descent the opposite way from the ascent. As we cautiously made our way down from the summit we encountered a few people (not Slovenians) who had given up which goes to show that, while it’s no Everest, it’s still not easy either. One thing we observed from our position in the slow lane on this national treasure was that Slovenians are really good at going up and down steep slopes. Apart from the four Belgians, we were generally the slowest movers on this mountain. And on occasion we were passed by families including children younger than 10-years-old. They were clearly earning their Slovenian credentials early in life and evidently ascending the titanic Triglav really is a rite of passage.
About 45 minutes from the summit there is a section that involves traversing a small cliff face which is probably the trickiest bit of the whole climb because one slip and you would be hanging by the carabiner. But after that it’s pretty much walking all the way, with a lunch stop at the Dolic Hut, nestled into a panoramic pass.
After Dolic it’s a long, long walk via the Hribarice plateau (where we found some snow even on July 26) and then a neverending valley path to the Triglav Lakes Valley mountain hut at 1,700m. This place is a lot lower down the mountain and has the feel of a more established hostel than the bleak Planika Hut of the night before.
We arrived at 5.30pm after an 11 hour hike, so we were pleased to discover it had running water and flushing toilets inside the building. Although we missed the shower window it was a pleasant place to relax with the Belgian quartet – after all that is a nation that really appreciates their beer. I’m sure they loved my inevitable ‘little grey cells’ gag too.
The following day another five hours’ walking brought us most of the way back down to Lake Bohinj (via Dom na Komni) to the Savica waterfall, restaurant and tourist spot which was our pick-up spot and looked like a lovely place to spend the night. But a return to Bled awaited us, having scaled the highest peak in the magical little land of Slovenia, even if we did do it at a British pace.
After 25 hours on foot, more than a mile up and more than a mile down, and two nights in the mountains I don’t qualify as a Slovenian but I’d like to keep trying.
ActiveBody
EDITED BY KATE MAXIM
Whoopsadaisy
Falling can literally take you off your feet forever; physio Sarah Babbs recommends ways to stop this happening
IAM BEING asked to see an increasing number of mostly older people who have fallen and for whom life may never be the same again. Over lockdown many lost condition through lack of activity resulting in poorer balance, strength and increasing vulnerability.
About 5% of falls in those over 65 cause fracture and admission to hospital. I have seen a number of these people who were active and independent until the fall being sent home from hospital unable to stand independently and requiring carers to lift them in a hoist from bed to chair; a very distressing situation for everyone. Only with hard work and a lot of support do they get back to living independently.
The terribly sad statistics are that following vision affects balance enormously.
Simple work to improve what is called proprioception - the body’s awareness of its position in space - can make an enormous difference. ne way to do this is to sit and place bare feet on a textured surface such as a doormat. One foot at a time, keeping the foot flat on the mat, move the pressure around the outside of the foot, a few times clockwise and then anti-clockwise. Follow this up with practicing standing up from the chair without using hands. Do this ten times and repeat it a few times a day.
The ankles are important as the small muscles, tendons and ligaments around the joint help sense when we are walking on uneven surfaces and feed back to the brain which muscles to contract to balance ourselves for the next step. Stand near a wall or worktop and with fingertip support raise and lower yourself up onto your toes, again try ten times at first.
Standing on one leg while cleaning your teeth is a very simple way of improving balance. Walking across the room as if on tight rope, one foot in front of another, is a good way to challenge the balance and the brain. All of these can be made more challenging by closing the eyes.
I love a squat and working a few into the day helps strengthen the legs which is vital to help you get back up again if you do fall. Practicing getting up and down from the floor is a superb way of taking the fear out of falling. Have a sturdy chair nearby to help!
It may seem like I’m offering sticks rather than carrots but of course not only does better physical health prevent falling, it also helps to bring better quality of life in general, something we all want.
a hip fracture there is an increased risk of dying of between 18% and 33% and that’s not even taking into account the less dramatic, but equally vital, negative impact had on daily living such as shopping and walking. And a review of long-term disability found that around 20% of hip fracture patients entered long term care in their first year after fracture.
Getting the basics right such as checking that balance isn’t adversely affected by pain, medication, vision or inner ear problems is important. Comfortable feet are key, so regular toenail and foot health checks as well as making sure that hazards such as loose rugs and slippery floors are kept to a minimum. And I’m a huge believer in having a small nightlight to help at night as our
vision affects balance enormously.
Simple work to improve what is called proprioception - the body’s awareness of its position in space - can make an enormous difference to everyone and especially to those who may struggle with sensation in their feet from things such as diabetes. One way to do this is to sit and place bare feet on a textured surface such as coir matting or a doormat. One foot at a time, keeping the sole of the foot and the toes on the mat, move the pressure around the outside of the foot, a few times in a clockwise direction and a few times anti-clockwise. It is almost as if you are connecting the brain to those nerve endings To contact Sarah ring 07780 900201.
