It was wild, adventurous, unforgettable, wonderful. And at times stressful. It was the real disconnect from the screens. Here we were 100% theirs. There to encourage them, guide them, trust them and show them all the beauties of this world of ours. Because we set our path in such a way that we progressed slowly, I noticed in myself that I had much more patience than I have on our one-day trips ( oops, guilty ). That's why it went without a hitch. Slowly but steadily. With storytelling, snacks and all the rest. How to motivate children to walk in the mountains I recommend that you read my Handbook for parents of little mountaineers.
What is the purpose of this post? To encourage any of you parents to take your kids to the mountains. I promise it will benefit everyone: you and the kids.
The ages of the children when we did this mountain tour? 5 and 3.5 years old.
We started our mountain adventure in Lepena. We left the car at the home of Dr. Klement Jug. Around 7am we set off towards Lake Krn. This was our goal for the first day. The estimated walking time is two and a half hours. It took us four hours. The path is shady and slowly climbs. You walk on mule tracks the whole time. It drags a bit because the bend is like a rut. But once you are at the upper cable car station, well then you are already on horseback. From there it is still approx. 30 minutes to the lake. But you go past the hut and Dupeljska planina (animals, children love animals and their feet are more enthusiastic about walking).
We arrived at the lake during the hottest part of the day and found shade and rested there. Gathered our strength for the next day. We spent the night in a hut. We also took a shower there with hot water: all four of us in three minutes. We had our own room, no. 19. Bunk bed and two chairs. And good night, while it was still light outside.The next day started at 6am. Breakfast, putting on all possible layers. Start towards Krn at 6.45am. After the morning sun and dew, past the lake. Then past the hunting lodge and up the zigzagging mule track to Krn saddle (2058m). On the saddle, the bunker was the only option for shade and therefore the most suitable place to rest.
Another detail that we will not forget. An afternoon rest on the boards and all possible rags from the backpack. We continued the journey around 2 pm. We still had almost 200 heights to overcome to the top of Krn. We already had 670 behind us. The path up here is completely safe and carefree. From the saddle up, on the grassland, it is more for confident mountaineers and mini mountaineers. Above all, I want to say that it is not for scared parents. We were chased by sheep again and the fact that the shelter can be seen from afar. Gomiščkova shelter was our goal. After we had a little rest, we jumped to the top of Krn. Then quickly went back down because the storm was already preparing.
We spent the afternoon in the clouds, fog and wind. The children got some indirect screen time. Because we were joined at the shelter by three more children who just wanted to play a few games after a full-day hike. They can't be blamed. They came from Bohinj to Krn, I think it was well deserved.
The Gomiščkovo shelter under Krn is, as the word says, a shelter, small, without water, with an outdoor toilet. It offered us a pleasant place to have dinner and spend the night. And the breakfast was more than excellent. There were countless concerns about how and where to continue. In the morning at 5:15 a.m. a storm was raging. Around 10 a.m. we were deciding what to do. The car in Lepena. If we go down to the village of Krn, how do we get to the car?! In the fog and wind we decide to go to the saddle and then make a decision.
The fog cleared a little on the saddle. The children were choosing between the two, let's go direct to the lake or go see the bunkers on Batognica, of course we decided on Batognica. Only brave parents can take their kids to Batognica. A short climb takes endwaters because this is the top riddled . Really riddled all the way through, full of bunkers and remnants of the Isonzo Front. In good weather, one of the most beautiful viewpoints, which you can explore for hours and hours. From here on, the weather improves from moment to moment. The further we descend, the more the fog blows away. We decide to take the path under Peski, past the pyramid, to Prehodce and down to Krn. lake.
Three hours of descent follow. Three very stressful hours for me because clouds were gathering from all sides. Since I didn't know the route, I felt even more helpless. Somewhere in the middle, I no longer knew if we were going the right way, even though we were following all the markings. The pressure was at its peak. Luckily, we reached Prehodci and recognized a clearing and the path towards the barracks behind Lepoče. I took a breather. Adrenaline subsided. Hunger! The clouds were still threatening. The two boys picked flowers the whole way, walked easily, and apart from the occasional "come on, come on, it's raining, we have to keep going," everything went smoothly. Finally, we had lunch more than two hours back below Batognica. We trudged on, reached the Duplje mountain and the first drops fell. "Let's go, quickly, quickly to the hut." We sat down under the tent, pulled out our snacks. We grabbed our food and the rain started pouring down. A real mountain storm that we escaped by just a minute.
Yes, you have to be prepared for the highlands. Even if you go in the middle of summer, it's a good idea to have everything with you. Because the conditions are sometimes really bad. Rain, wind, cold - expect everything. A tape for ear in the backpack even in August.
After the storm, the clouds are still playing and having fun, but we decide to take one last trip to the lake. We meet a strange frog, who lets Klara pet it. I ask her: "And Klara, what does a frog feel like?" she answers: "Green!". We meet cows and a snake. We enjoy it relaxedly without a signal. That's it. Infinitely proud of all of us. That we dared, that we succeeded. That it went (almost) like clockwork. That we made unforgettable days in the mountains. We promise them ice cream in the valley. And we're already thinking about where to take her next time.
Finally, we shower, brush our teeth. Again, we squeeze four people into three minutes of warm water. We eat buckwheat porridge, sausages, and cabbage. We snuggle under synthetic sheets and dirty blankets and fall asleep before dark. The next day is just a descent into the valley. That's it. More days like this, please.