Day Two: Soča River Hike
Today I would hike from the village of trenta to the source of the soča river.
Then, the trail would leave me up and over the vršič mountain pass where I hoped to stay in a mountain hut for the night. The kind man at the campsite in Trenta assured me it had just opened.
11.3 miles / 18.1 km
AND THEN, i JUMPED IN THE RIVER…
First things first, I needed to get my body in this river. I cannot resist a cold body of water and just 20 minutes down the trail and I came across the perfect little beach. It wasn’t deep enough to swim and the current was quick so it wasn’t much of a swim, more a dip or sit.
A sweet little beach
In love with my Hoka One One
bRIDGE OVER THE SOçA
a FRESH WATER SPRING
a sweet alpine garden
And then, I arrived at The Source…
I had no idea what I expected the source of this mighty river to look like. It was a more touristy destination, but in a very tasteful European way. There was a simple little restaurant offering lunch and ice creams with outdoor seating right next to the roaring Soča.
From this little restaurant a trail beings and leads steeply up to the source. The end of the trail converges with the end of the Soča, tracing along a thin edge accompanied by a cable handrail, making it possible to traverse safely.
I expected the source to be a forceful waterfall pounding out of this mountain, but it was not at all. While a waterfall paralleled the trail, the end of the trail met a peaceful well of epic blue water.
The Source:
Unexpectedly serene compared to the attitude of this river, the mountain was birthing this mighty river with such subtlety and grace, in a reminiscently female way.
It was quite emotional. I stood on this little rock thinking of all the beautiful water I have seen in my life: the Great Lakes, Norwegian mountain streams & sea, Laguna 69 in Perú, and glacial lakes in Patagonia. Now this beautiful river who had been my companion in the last few days. Many people in the world have no idea this is water, that water is delicious to taste, sweet to small, clear and brilliant in color.
To know this, to have swum in this water and drank generously from the springs on its banks, I am very thankful.
and then, i stopped for some lunch in the shade…
Across from the sweet restaurant and parking lot below the source of the Soča is a beautiful picnic area. Ready for some lunch I found a little spot right by the river and with quality people watching views.
First I filled my water bottle with river water. It was ice cold, which felt lovely as the day had heated up nicely, and I added lemon. It is funny how some things taste when hiking and camping, for some reason this ice lemon water was magical.
In my lunch spread below you can see my favorite Slovenia ingredient, sauerkraut in a pink bag. I think this bag was made from aluminum or some very thin metal because it kept the kraut very cold, perfect for the top of a sandwich.
add avocado
add cucumber
add Slovenia sauerkraut
and then, I headed up the mountain pass…
From the source I hopped back onto the trail and began climbing up and over the Vršič pass. On the map the switch backs look really intense so I kept a slow and steady pace, but I don’t remember this climb being so bad. I went through beautiful forest and was pumped for when I would break out of forest and be rewarded with views of the surrounding mountains.
and then, I made it to the top of the pass…
At the top of the pass there is a big lookout area where lots of people touring by van and motorcycle had pulled over to enjoy the views. I headed straight to the mountain hut, ready for a beer.
As I drank my beer, I watched a group of three men hike up a trail right in front of me. It started just behind the little hut at the lookout and traced up the mountain in front of me. I watched them meet a patch of snow (just north of the arrow’s head in the image below) and after ten minutes or so they turned around.
I wanted to go up there too. After finishing my beer, I booked a room in the dorm room for the night, left my pack by my bunk, told the caretakers of the mountain hut where I was going so that someone knew, and trotted off feeling light as a feather with no pack on.
and then, I hiked just a wee bit farther…
Hiking up a little higher offered insane views of the mountain hut and lookout below, and mountains in every direction. Half way up and I was stopping every few meters to take in the new perspective, admire the mountains, I was very happy.
here you can clearly see the pass right in the middle preceded by two large patches of snow
and then, I faced a little snow-dilemma…
note the tiny little people on the ridge
To cross the snow, or not…
Since arriving in Slovenia several people had warned me about residual snow in the mountains, all referencing the same recent accidents that resulted in injury and one death. Everyone said to be careful and take the snow seriously. Since I was hiking solo, I heeded their advice.
From back at the mountain lodge I had seen a group of three men reach this snow path and turn around. What I didn’t know was why. Was there something about this snow patch that deterred them, or were they just on a schedule or happy with the views from here?
From the trail I could see a couple up on the ridge who must have crossed this snow patch, and another patch higher up in the pass. One group had turned around and one group had crossed the snow. Wanting to take this seriously, I sat on a nearby boulder to contemplate.
Three thoughts lead to my decision. A path of old footprints frozen and compacted into the snow pioneered a safe way across the snow. I wouldn’t have to forge my own way across snow. Secondly, I had my hiking poles for extra security and balance. Thirdly, I felt safe. Out in the mountains I listened to my instincts, and they confirmed that this snow was stable and safe to cross.
Right before my first step across the snow I noticed a tiny new moon in the sky, a good omen, and I felt sure I was safe. I took it slow and had no trouble crossing the snow. Right before the top of this pass (left) there was another patch of snow. This one was much deeper than the first, but I found another set of footprints to follow safely across.
I don’t believe that this was a particularly dangerous situation, but when hiking alone it is always best to be overly cautious than overly confident, and make sure if you are hiking up something that you can also get down.
sweet alpine flowers
The view at the top of this pass was a huge reward. I could see all the mountains to the west and could see how this trail kept going up and over the neighboring mountains. I followed it a little ways, wishing I had another day here to explore this way a little more.
In the center of the photograph below you can see the trail (for scale) and below it lies the second patch of residual snow I had traversed. In the shadow of the pass it would likely hang around a while longer. You can also see a path of older footprints cutting straight across it, though I didn’t see them when I was coming up. I skirted around the left edge, the side catching a little sun, and tried to climb around it. On the way back down I followed the footsteps and was thankful for the person who had made them.
AND THEN, I made it back down to the mountain hut…
I made it safely across the snow on the way down, along with a stretch of sketchy, scrambly rocks that were gravel like. But once on the trail I was back to the mountain hut in a flash. I considered a piece of apple strudel, the menu was a fascinating intersection of Slovenia, Austrian and Italian food and everyone in the dinning room was speaking a different though regional language.
They were out of strudel, so I watched the sun set until it was too cold to stand outside.
Then, I went to bed. Good Night.
