With a dog across Pohorje – anything but friendly
Pohorje is a popular hiking and mountaineering destination and part of SPP - Slovenian Mountain Trail or transversal, which leads from Maribor to Ankaran. Due to not too large elevation differences and lower altitude (highest point at 1540 m), this part of the Slovenian transversal is considered an easy and undemanding trail. Many mountaineers and hikers therefore decide for a multi-day crossing of Pohorje from Maribor to Slovenj Gradec, which amounts to approximately 68 km distance, over 2000 m of elevation gain and loss.
Pohorje is covered with rich forests of fir and spruce, hayfields, pastures and meadows, peat bogs and peatlands, marshes and lakes. There are practically no settlements. There are 8 mountain huts or stations on this trail.
The trail is relatively well marked, only the distances between individual points could be debated a lot, as they are at least between Ruška koča and Rogla very inaccurate, almost misleading.
Pohorje invites mountaineers, hikers and excursionists with the slogan that we will be enthusiastic about the exceptional natural and cultural heritage, hospitality of locals and culinary delights in friendly stations.
Multi-day crossing of Pohorje and overnight stay with a dog in mountain huts on the trail from Maribor to Slovenj Gradec can be anything but friendly.
Slovenes are known as dog lovers. Many people have dogs for various reasons: love of animals in general, for guarding and security, for fun and socializing. Many dogs are equal family members, attend dog school with their owner and are socialized. Responsible owners take care of dog socialization, health, vaccination and hygiene. Dogs are not just pets, some have special tasks: they are rescue dogs, service dogs in the army and police, guide dogs for the blind. Somewhat less known but increasingly established in the world and also in Slovenia are therapy pairs that perform therapies and activities with the help of animals. Dogs with therapy dog status at the Ambassadors of Smile association are trained, well-bred, friendly and groomed. Their target groups are elderly in nursing homes, people with special needs, preschool and school children, users with behavioral disorders and similar. Their therapy method is very simple: drawing smiles on the faces of those who have no reason to smile.
"My therapy is very simple: I wag my tail and lick your face for so long until you feel better again." (source: Ambassadors of Smile Association)
Dog lovers probably agree that there is nothing better than going with a dog into nature, for a walk, to the hills, to the mountains. For a solitary hiker, the dog is a companion and friend on the trail, especially if they go together on multi-day hikes and mountaineering.
So what do Pohorje, dogs, Ambassadors of Smile association and mountaineering have in common?
With my four-year-old cocker spaniel Vilijem we are a therapy pair in the Ambassadors of Smile Association, where we completed demanding training to function as a therapy pair and we regularly do this work as volunteers. In free time we are also very active otherwise. We don't climb two-thousanders, but we hike lower hills. We are inseparable.
Together we have also walked 1,000 km of the famous Spanish pilgrimage trail Camino del Norte to Finisterre. And for three years in a row we go with a group of hikers on various multi-day hikes in Czechia.
Ten years ago, as a very avid mountaineer, I walked the entire Slovenian mountain transversal. I enjoyed the rocks between pitons and slings and slept in carefully maintained huts. As a vegetarian, I encountered problems everywhere back then because they cooked jota and barley stew with sausage, and buckwheat mush was seasoned with cracklings. Ten years later, I can only praise the managements and cooks in mountain huts as they now offer tasty veggie menus everywhere.
In the middle of this summer, I set out with a group of friends and of course dog Vilijem to hike the popular trail from Maribor to Slovenj Gradec, which I can describe with one word – DISAPPOINTMENT. It is true that I have experience of pilgrimage with a dog on Camino, where dogs are not very welcome but there was always a roof over our heads in Spain. In Czechia, a dog is welcome in all accommodations on European walking trails. Without problems and usually without extra charge, the dog can sleep in the room with the owner. In Switzerland, dogs with obedience certificate have access to all mountain huts. Similarly elsewhere in Europe. I planned to hike the trail from Maribor to Slovenj Gradec in three days, but then circumstances forced me to do it in two.
I inquired at PZS and found out that there is indeed a regulation titled "House rules of PZS mountain huts", which states among other things: "It is not allowed to bring dogs and other animals into mountain huts." The house rules do not foresee any exceptions, neither for rescue, police and military dogs nor for guide dogs for the blind.
However, there are huts where you are welcome with a dog and usually the caretakers of such huts also have their own dog.
All well and good, because paper covers everything. But when a mountaineer and hiker actually needs rest because they have already walked many kilometers that day, they encounter complete lack of compassion and willingness to help from hut caretakers - feeling angry, disappointed and helpless. With Vilijem as a therapy pair, we enter kindergartens, schools, sterile hospital environments and nursing homes. We have presented our program in the mayor's office and many other places. But into mountain huts, where mountaineers enter even in muddy and dirty boots, the dog has no access! My pooch Vili is a healthy, groomed and trained dog and on top of that a therapy dog. I am willing to pay extra for his overnight stay in mountain huts, but so far I have almost always been refused. At the same time, we hear complaints from caretakers that mountain huts are emptier than years ago.
For hikers and mountaineers with dogs, the doors of mountain huts are open abroad, but at home we were left in front of closed ones and therefore I am extremely disappointed. Let me mention those huts where I gained this experience and which is the result of this post:
From Maribor to Slovenj Gradec you are welcome with a dog only in Ruška koča on Areh, where they allow the dog to sleep in the shared dormitory room as long as the dogs do not disturb other people and do not damage their property.
In the hut on Klopnem vrh dogs are not allowed because they have new parquet.
In Koča na Pesku a poster on the bulletin board already awaits you informing that the dog will wait outside.
In Ribniška koča we stopped only for tea, due to unfriendly staff I didn't even dare ask about the possibility of overnight stay with a dog.
Grmovškov dom under Velika Kopa is run by a friendly young guy who had a free room until he learned that a dog was waiting outside for me. The hut suddenly became full. He directed us to the nearby hotel, where I would pay 40 euros for one night with a dog. Of course, they do not consider Planinska zveza membership in the price.
Partizanski dom Kope is unfortunately closed, locals say it was dog-friendly.
The last attempt for sleep is the hut under Kremžarjev vrh. The caretakers offered a room, but the dog was supposed to sleep in the woodshed. To my explanation that the dog, not used to sleeping outside alone, would howl all night, I received only mockery. I wanted to sleep with the dog in the woodshed then, but they did not allow it. The caretakers mentioned the president of the Alpine Association of Slovenia who signed the decree that dogs are not allowed in mountain huts.
Koča na Osankarici was off the trail this time, so I don't know how dog-friendly or not it is.
I don't expect everyone to love my dog and for us to be welcome everywhere. However, I think that PZS should consider that many Slovenian families have a pet dog with which we want to spend free time and walk with it for several days on foot around Slovenia and hike in Slovenian mountains. After all, Slovenes are known for our love of mountains and hills.
I believe that changes will happen in this area too, as they have for other cases:
A few years ago it was unthinkable, now it is reality that smokers have found a smoking area in public bars. Young parents have the opportunity in bars to change their babies' diapers. Mountain huts have adapted their menus for vegetarians. Why not think about each mountain hut offering overnight stay with a dog, for appropriate payment of course. Mountaineering and hiking are healthy and popular ways of spending free time. Multi-day wandering around Pohorje is wonderful. Many would happily sleep with their four-legged friend in mountain huts if such option was available. Are we capable of moving forward with time?
Let this article be food for thought and not just criticism. Especially I did not intend to criticize only Pohorje, because the attitude towards dogs is the same in all mountain huts in Slovenia. On Pohorje I just recently experienced such attitude very intensely and painfully. This is just my experience and impressions from the trail. I sincerely hope that conditions in this area will change and that in a while I can praise the changes that mountain huts are friendly to hikers and also their four-legged friends.
Nika Weiffenbach