Autumn tips for safe mountain visits after an exceptional summer season.
Wonderful autumn is, in the opinion of many, an ideal time for hiking, but this season also has its pitfalls, which we warn about every year in the Alpine Association of Slovenia. In mid-autumn, we look back at this year's summer hiking season, which was different in many ways from previous ones: in terms of the number of overnight stays in mountain huts, it is comparable or even slightly better than the record year 2019, consequently there was great pressure from mountain visitors on the environment, and the summer drought took care of an additional problem, bringing high-altitude huts to water shortages.
By the end of September 2022, there were 120 thousand overnight stays in mountain huts, which is comparable or even slightly more than the otherwise record year 2019. "The most overnight stays were in the Julian Alps, especially in mountain huts in the wider Triglav area. In some huts around Triglav, the share of foreigners exceeded 75 percent. Overall, the share of foreign overnight stays in Slovenian mountain huts has already exceeded half, in 2022 it was as much as 58 percent," explained PZS expert collaborator Dušan Prašnikar.
Above-average visits in the high mountains, no excesses in the mid-mountains
The most overnight stays were traditionally recorded in August. This year's July was special, as it lagged only 10 percent behind August in terms of overnight stays, June also had the most overnight stays in recent years, while September was below average due to poor weather. "Regardless of the very successful season of hill visits, there were no excesses in the mid-mountains and the summer season was otherwise good, but not above average, except for some exceptions."
A peculiarity of this summer season was mostly nice weather without precipitation and consequently water shortages mainly in huts supplied by rainwater. Therefore, these huts were forced to implement certain measures.
"In the huts, they limited, and in some cases even closed water for personal hygiene of visitors, on Kredarica they reduced the number of beds for a certain period, huts limited water use for hut staff, in some places they used paper/cardboard disposable containers instead of washing bowls. In most cases, hut visitors patiently accepted these measures," added Prašnikar.
Despite years of raising hikers' awareness about reducing the amount of waste and taking waste to the valley, there were still many cases where visitors left their waste in the huts, which means additional burden for the huts. Due to new groups of mountain visitors who lack knowledge and attitude towards the mountains, a slightly higher amount of waste is noticeable in this environment. Therefore, our recommendation remains relevant: Take your waste to the valley!
Peculiarities of autumn high-mountain visits
Nature has gifted us with a wonderful autumn and the days are perfect for pleasant hiking, long walks, exploration and seeking peace. Many of us use this time for the last serious ascents to the peaks, of course with a good dose of experience and knowledge. In any case, when planning a hiking trip, it is necessary to consider that autumn days are shorter, an October day is 4.5 hours shorter than a July one, and mountain huts in the high mountains are closed, lower ones are open in winter mode. Our hiking backpack should always contain all the necessary equipment, adapted to the difficulty of the trip.
"An extra piece of warmer clothing should not be superfluous, as the sun can quickly hide behind clouds and it quickly gets cold with it. If the wind is blowing, the feeling of cold is even greater. At this time, especially in lower sections of hiking trails, they are hidden under a blanket of autumn leaves. The step should be slow and sure. Under the leaves, wet roots and stones are hidden, which can tip over under load and we can suffer an unpleasant leg injury. We recommend the use of hiking poles for better balance and probing the terrain ahead," reminded PZS expert collaborator Matjaž Šerkezi.
Stick to marked hiking trails. Plan the route in advance using newer editions of hiking maps, as nature in the mountain world changes rapidly and a path that once existed may now run elsewhere or no longer exist. You can always check the condition of hiking trails on the PZS website (
https://stanje-poti.pzs.si/). During the trip itself, the maPZS app with drawn hiking trails, which we regularly check and update, can be helpful.
Some peaks have already been whitened by snow. Around 1500 m and on northern slopes there are icy snow patches, above 2000 m there is snow. It applies that we ascend to the peaks only with appropriate equipment and knowledge of its use. We adapt the tour to our physical abilities and weather conditions. "Be especially careful on the way back to the valley, as most accidents happen then. The high mountains at this time require primarily a lot of individual experience. Do not let the desire for 'instaphotos' blind you," concluded Šerkezi.
To spread broad hiking knowledge in various ways among hiking enthusiasts, this year we have published an interesting and original quiz Planinci. With its help, you can learn many useful contents for everyday mountain visits. A special section is dedicated to safety in the mountains.