Kamnik Alps - Day 1

When the weather stabilized last week after a rainy and cloudy spell, the decision was made: time for some more mountaineering! My friend Sandi and I had a look at the map and made a plan to traverse the whole range of the Kamnik Alps in three days, conquering most of the peaks along the way.


Day 1 began with a traffic jam in Menges, but we soon managed to reach our starting point: Planina Ravne in the eastern part of the Kamnik Alps. The first two hours were a pleasant and not too demanding ascent to the plateau of Korošica during which we could already admire our first goal, Mt. Ojstrica.

We passed the old Kocbek hut and an adjacent chapel.

When the Korošica plateau opened up in front of us, we turned right and started climbing the slopes of Ojstrica.

By 11 a.m. the weather started to act up a little and the peaks got enveloped in clouds. No problem, clouds are good for drama. :) Standing on the Ojstrica summit, we could see the trail leading up Mt. Planjava, which was our second (or third, if you count Mt. Mala Ojstrica) peak of the day.

The Kamnik Saddle and fog.

There was a lot of photographing and posing going on the whole day. Two photographers on a hike surrounded by beautiful nature - what else would you expect? ;)

The trail between Ojstrica and Planjava went down and up and down and up and down and up ... forever.

Finally, the main Planjava peak. We had been fooled by other, smaller peaks a few times.

The views from the top were ... interesting. They changed all the time as the clouds rolled in and out of the valleys below.

For a few second we could see Korošica and Ojstrica and all the peaks that we'd climbed on the way to Planjava.

We had the place to ourselves. Gorgeous. On the whole it was surprising that there weren't more people around. We only saw four hikers the whole day.

The last stretch of the hike was the descent to the Kamnik Saddle. We caught the last sun rays before plunging into the fog.

For a minute the fog cleared when we were below the mighty Planjava rock face.

At the Kamnik Saddle our legs, and especially feet, were grateful for a strenuous day of climbing to be over.

More photos here. Or see Sandi's post.
To be continued ...

Day 2 here.
Day 3 here.

More about Brana

As promised, a few more photos from my recent hike to Brana. The weather wasn't great and neither were the views, but the climb was enjoyable.

The last stretch towards Kamnisko sedlo.

From the saddle I could see the Logarska valley in fog.

As I started the ascent to Brana, clouds started to gather around Planjava ...

... and even around Brana.

At one of the climbing sections I reached the fog.

The sun was trying to penetrate the fog.

I was alone at the summit for a while ...

... only one other hiker followed. For a moment Skuta and Rinke appeared from the clouds.

Back at the hut on Kamnisko sedlo I had jota before heading down. In fog.

Larches at Pastirci are still green.

More photos here.

Brana (2253 m)

Just a quick post about my climb to Brana yesterday. I wasn't sure about the weather but my hiking shoes needed some more mileage to be broken in, so I chose Brana as a suitable hike. It was only sunny early in the morning, and by the time I reached Kamnisko sedlo at about 8.30 a.m., clouds had begun to envelope the surrounding peaks. No great views from the top this time, but the exercise was fun. I was home by 1 p.m.




More photos when I get back from a three-day hike in the Kamnik Alps. I'm all packed and ready to go! :)

Another face of Kamniski vrh

No words necessary, Kamniski vrh again. Just a few photos from another (very) late afternoon hike.








More photos here.

More of Kamniski vrh

The whole summer I was hoping to get some serious mountaineering done in September, but dang! the weather just wouldn't cooperate. It's been miserable for quite some time now and even if it doesn't rain, there's not much joy in conquering summits enveloped in fog. Besides, it's been snowing at higher altitudes, which means dangerous, even icy trails. So in the meantime lower hills have to do. Kamniski vrh is ideal for short exercise, plus it has great views as the trail only goes through a forest in the beginning.
Some basic info: I usually leave the car all the way down in the valley near the Bistričica creek. It then takes me less than an hour to climb to the top at 1259 meters, gaining about 650 700 altitude meters. Return trip is about 30 minutes. That's without a heavy backpack. :)
To make matters more interesting, my hiking boots fell apart on my last hike in the Julian Alps, so I had to buy new ones. Buying hiking shoes has always been a hassle for me. I have sensitive feet and getting blisters even in sandals is the norm for me. After one hike to Kamniski vrh I got blisters on my heels alright, but I'm hoping to break the shoes in soon!

I climbed Kamniski vrh twice last week, both times in late afternoon. It was sunny the first time, and the second time I wasn't sure I'd get back dry. ;) I only had a small compact camera with me.






Velika planina from Kamniski vrh.

Views from the top are really great.



It was almost dark when I got down, but the section of the path leading through the woods was still in front of me.

Last Sunday I was waiting for the rain the whole day. When it never came by late afternoon, I decided to try my luck and headed to the mountains. It did look quite ominous.


It was probably raining on Krvavec.

It doesn't look the weather is getting any better until the end of the week, not for any longer hikes anyway, so I might bore you with Kamniski vrh again soon. :)