nejcf - Recent messages

After successfully completing the 2nd year, my colleague Filip and I did a well-deserved 12-day loop around Egypt in September. We started in Cairo and past Luxor, Hurghada and Dahab after a good week arrived at the last point of the trip - the Bedouin village of Saint Catherine in the middle of the Sinai Peninsula desert. For the ascent to Gebel Katherina (which at 2642m is also Egypt's highest peak) a guide and permit are mandatory by law. Mohamed, the owner of the accommodation we were in, helped me arrange both.

At seven in the morning after breakfast the guide Shabban came to pick me up and we headed up through the dilapidated alleys of the village. We turned into a rocky valley below Mount Sinai (or Jabal Musa as the locals call it) and climbed up to a small saddle in a few switchbacks. On the other side a descent into a narrow wadi awaited us, where the Bedouins have their gardens due to a few springs. After a good hour of walking we first spotted the still quite distant peak. Past more gardens and also a small marijuana plantation we reached its foot. Then followed a long ascent on rocky terrain that dragged on and on towards the end. The weather was a bit unpleasant too: the sun scorched mercilessly with very strong icy wind. Despite applying cream 3 times it still burned me well. The mountain has 2 peaks; the lower (more touristy) one with a little church and the three meters higher one with some old military installations. First we climbed the first one, where we rested. Shabban also brewed excellent rosemary tea on the fireplace. Then we quickly conquered the higher peak too (I'm not entirely clear if that's even allowed or not).

We descended for a short time along the same path, then turned into a dry river valley with very interesting rock formations. Under one of the rocks Shabban cooked us a Bedouin lunch with Egyptian bread, tahini, vegetables and canned tuna. Lower down we rejoined the ascent path and returned to the village along it. We only met locals with camels, no other foreigner besides me.

For the ascent including rest we needed just under 4 hours and for the return 3. Elevation gain was around 1000 meters. It was truly an unforgettable desert hiking day.

We completed the garland of three-thousanders around Sestriere with Monte Rognosa, which is actually the house mountain of Sestriere. We parked at one of the numerous parking lots in the town, which are free at this time of year. Sentiero dei Rododendri led us straight into the little valley and ended at Lake Chisonetto. It's a small but very beautiful lake in a pure alpine setting. Behind the lake the path went steeply uphill, the steepness didn't ease up until the summit ridge just above 3000 meters. Despite the good forecast, it got very cloudy on this section of the path, at the same time a strong icy wind started blowing. From the ridge the summit seemed very close, but the ascent via switchbacks dragged on and on. Due to the cold we quickly started descending, first 15 minutes on the same path, then continued along the ridge. The little path along it isn't marked, but it can be followed without major problems. This way we descended to Passo San Giacomo, from where a crumbly ascent to Monte Querellet followed. We followed the ridge further to Monte Sises, where a nice view of Sestriere with all the ski slopes opened up. Since it even started drizzling lightly here, we quickly descended back to the car via the ski slope.

andi2, your 30km "flat" trail on Pohorje that you posted recently was equally sickening to me. And otherwise you like to stomp around various off-trail paths. So no need to be loud about moral compass and self-reflection.

Trobec, no, at the entrance there's the same PZS sign as you can find at any hut. Also on the PZS website the hut is still listed as theirs. So obviously no one has updated that for more than two years.

Drago, my post was by no means direct criticism of path markers, but of the umbrella organization that works very poorly in many areas. Given that Slovenes are considered a mountain people, obviously also in attracting new path markers.

This time I unfortunately have to write criticism about PZS myself. With a colleague we did a two-day tour along the Ponca ridge this week, sleeping in Tamar Mountain Hut. Shortly after arrival we learned from the staff that the hut no longer falls under PZS (despite at least apparently very new, still shiny red sign at the entrance) and therefore claiming PZS discount is no longer possible. So the price for two beds in dorms and 2 dinners was 93 EUR. I last slept in the hut 3 years ago and since then absolutely nothing has changed (food portions, room appearance). So apparently the owners want to charge three times the price for the same quality.

Card payment in the hut of course not possible. This year I did quite a few mountain tours abroad and there it's arranged very differently everywhere. In the hut below Sweden's highest peak (about 90km from the nearest place) card is even the only possible payment method. Even in Romania in the Carpathian wilderness it was possible to pay by card, the hut even had WIFI. On the other side of the Ponca ridge in Zacchi hut of course also possible to pay by card. Not to mention the food and drink offer, which is much more extensive than in Tamar.

Finally, I'd like to mention the trail from Tamar to Srednja Ponca. I realize this trail is not very crowded and therefore narrow and overgrown in places. But no excuse for the poor condition of the markers on the trail.

A mountaineer thus gets absolutely nothing from PZS on this tour.

Not experienced it, but heard personal stories from many. Unless of course you have a better insight and knowledge than everyone else and your stories count more.

But obviously you don't know what's happening today, if you write that there's no more sharing rides, help and I don't know what else.

This last comment is completely off. Nonsense has been happening in the mountains since forever. From releasing fish into Double Lake, ski competitions on the glacier under Škuta, senseless forest cuttings and building forest roads in many places to the destruction of the Krn Mountains during the war. Then the main problem is some youtubers who enjoy walking in the mountains and film it. Probably with this they attract many from younger generations to the mountains, which are anyway often unfairly called crazy, spoiled, always on phones... In my opinion someone who pushes through some offpath alone (and thereby breaks bushes, tramples grass and plants, maybe even builds a cairn) does no less damage than someone who fries eggs in the morning on the summit after a night spent there. Anyway, nowadays due to social networks and internet it's much easier to follow such behavior and consequently condemn it. I agree that lately there are (too) many mountain visitors, but I see this mainly as a consequence of higher living standards and general tourism promotion, rather than some influencers. The solution to unpreparedness and numerous accidents can only be prevented by hefty fines, which for some reason we still avoid somehow.

The world is constantly changing and novelties bring a lot of useful things too, even in the mountaineering world. Maybe someone who refuses to keep up with the times sees everything black.

After 2178 pages of this thread you can't expect Grintovec, Triglav or Krn on every riddle anymore. Even though that's probably the range of some.

Thanks everyone for the praises! That gives me so much more drive to write all subsequent posts.

On the second picture is Hochalmspitze, on the third Grossglockner. I don't know the first one.

I have to say I totally disagree that most young people play games or are on TikTok. Social networks in my opinion have already peaked and are now (albeit very very slowly) declining.

For me finding guys and girls for mountains currently poses no problems. Many are attracted just when I tell them how my trips were. Of course success depends a bit on how good you are at "networking" and how you come across to others. I checked your FB profile and because of some posts I see why it might be a bit tricky for you.

For better connectivity with our mountains you could consider studying in Ljubljana (which according to your posts gets on your nerves a bit). I also sometimes take the bus towards mountains and mostly no problems with that. At our university almost every faculty has a mountaineering club. How it works on the coast unfortunately I don't know.

Hope you don't mind what I wrote. I wish you lots of luck in conquering desired peaks, even those much higher and farther!

Majda, you've totally gone wild this summer. Congrats on all feats!

Good luck to you too!

Last week with my colleague Rok we roamed around Austria and our first goal was the queen of the High Tours, Hochalmspitze via Detmolder Grat. A little after Malta we turned left and along the narrow steep asphalt road arrived at the end of the road under Gösskarspeicher lake. When there's been so much talk about parkings lately - in the middle of nature we were surprised by a fenced parking with toilets, moreover free. In the afternoon sun we climbed the shortcut to the hut where we overnighted. Despite the hut being quite full at night, next day only one more ascended Hochalmspitze besides us.

In the morning we started at four and in pitch dark crossed the streams the path goes over (two of them quite watery). A little below Lassacher Winkelscharte dawn started, here icy wind blew over the ridge. In mists we ascended granite slabs until we reached the 20m snow section under the start of the secured path. Snow already very soft so crampons not needed (ice axe would still come handy!). In a good hour along the cable we reached the fog-wrapped summit, so no views this time sadly. Due to fog and cold wind we soon started descent and stopped once more at the hut en route. Then we drove to Lienz where we spent a few days and did a couple more ascents.

Cook at the hut told us the path over Steinerne Mannln is officially open but ascent strongly discouraged due to falling rocks. Path over Detmolder Grat excellently secured, for ascent and descent huge arm strength needed.

I have to say about you, that for 90% of the topics you open, I have no idea what they are supposed to be about

Today on descent from Dedec to the valley I walked right along the road and checked its condition. The right serpentine before the Konec-Jermanca junction and the first left serpentine after that junction have quite deep potholes. The rest is ok.

A month ago it was perfectly drivable.