| katty20. 08. 2012 15:52:12 |
Pleasant, sunny and especially hot Sunday invited us again to the heights . Also those that exceed the "magical" 2000 m by just a few meters.
So we decided to "assault" the easternmost 2000er in the Julians this time. But not the "tourist" path, but the quieter one requiring more fitness, and much harder than the one rising above Pokljuka.
The morning drive to the starting point already told us that the parking lot under the sheer walls of Debela peč and its neighbors would be packed. The path to the start leads past Zasipska planina, named after its owners from Zasip near Bled. The planina is one of the few in these parts where livestock still grazes; it has two operating huts: the alpine one at the beginning, the shepherd's at the end of the valley, where the path to Staničeva koča and Triglav becomes vertical. You can visit it anytime in summer.
Most hikers ascend towards Kredarica and Triglav, only we march towards Debela peč. At the beginning we hear the buzzing of iron horses below, the higher we go, the more we only hear the scurrying of mice here and there, and chamois hopping on the steep wooded slope ; we even surprised a fox... well, more like she surprised us . That we had the chance to observe chamois is probably due to the fact that only those truly seeking silence, peace and tranquility ascend here. And above all, that genuine contact with nature. The path we're on was supposedly built by PD Javornik in 1952. The steepness doesn't let up at all, so the heart muscle and thigh muscles work quite a bit . At some places you have to grab pine and larch roots, as they allow you to ascend normally. Short legs are often an obstacle, and it's a real mini-project to make a step forward. The path leads us to well-maintained steps. In a few minutes we reach the torrent gully, where at one spot there's a high risk of slipping. The rocks are still quite slippery here, so we have our eyes "on stalks". After crossing the gully we enter the forest, where the steepness is considerable. Apparently someone ran out of white paint, as only red circles are painted instead of the usual markings . The path leads us for a while along steep smooth cliffs, then under them. They are really impressive. Here two older "guys" overtake us, the only ones besides us who entered this direction at that time. We exchange a few words, then continue. Our gaze constantly rushes towards Triglav, Kredarica, Rjavina and Luknja peč, as it's truly fascinating from here. Especially as if on the palm of the hand. After a while we reach a few meters long wire that helps with crossing. We ascend an increasingly scenic path, mostly through dwarf pines and larches, of which there are really a lot here. The path in moderate ascent through wet grass brings us to Lipanska vratca, where we can continue first right towards Lipanski vrh or left towards Brda and Debela peč. A slight ascent follows, then on the ridge the path joins the usual one from the Pokljuka direction. So we first continue like countless others to Brda, from where we observe the crowd of visitors at Debela peč, where we continue too. Just a slight descent and ascent through pines and we're at the summit. There are unbelievably many visitors, as due to easy access the summit is suitable for everyone. We enjoy the sunshine and views for quite some time, like everyone else. The cloudless sky offers views far away and not so far around. Thus Rjavina and Luknja peč are so close as never before, Triglav shows a completely different appearance than from Tosc, where I was the previous days, and the view of the vertical sheer walls of Draški vrhovi and Tosc is really impressive from here. Amid all this enjoyment, we're faced with the problem of how to descend back to Krma. Due to slight knee pains, we couldn't imagine or want a descent in the ascent direction. As if on cue, young alpinists arrive from the climbing route. I ask them if they'll descend towards Krma. They nod. So I arrange with my friend that she gives me the car keys, so I can pick her up at Pokljuka later. But I hurried (almost ran) down so much that I missed the turn-off for Brda, Lipanski vrh and Krma and continued towards Blejska koča  . So I had no choice but to slowly start ascending back and maybe catch up with the companions I was supposed to descend with. That's how I ran into my friend, who saw me all teary-eyed and convinced us to descend towards Lipanska koča. At the small saddle we "flop" onto the grass, where I clear my thoughts and head. Hoping that someone will give us a hand and drive us at least to Bled. And indeed, we ran into an exceptionally friendly couple from Lj, who drove us to Zgornje Gorje, where the path to Jesenice and Blejski Vintgar branches off. So with the help of a third person, around 20h we finally arrive at our starting point, which at that hour is emptier than full.
Today, with a cooler and calmer head, I can say that the tour to and from Debela peč was a real proper adventure. Which ended happily and well. It could probably have ended tragically quite quickly with carelessness (read: fast descent on the same path).
In short, Debela peč will surely imprint itself in my memory, especially because of all the events I witnessed. On this occasion, I'd like to thank the friendly couple and also Silvana for the transport help.
Happy trails!
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