These three days felt like a condensed image of the whole trip: Moments of lightness and wonder alternated with physical exertion, unpredictable weather and little surprises. While in some places I almost seemed to be flying, other passages demanded full concentration and patience. Again and again, new perspectives opened up – on the landscape, on myself and on what is important to me.
The days slowly blur into a rhythm of walking, looking, marveling – and yet every section of the high alpine trail brings new surprises. Sometimes the path leads over rugged stone slabs that seem hard and angular underfoot, then again over springy forest floor that fills the senses with the scent of coniferous wood and damp moss. Peace and variety alternate almost every minute between quiet stretches of forest and expansive views.
In search of my next adventure, I ended up in Slovenia.
I had often heard how beautiful and pristine the nature there is – green forests, rugged mountains, crystal-clear lakes. And as I wanted to get out into the mountains again anyway, preferably on a long, continuous route, I ended up on the Slovenian High Alpine Trail.
You can’t find much about it online – at least not in German. That made it all the more exciting for me. The High Alpine Trail, or Slovenska planinska pot in Slovenian, is the longest long-distance hiking trail in the country and runs for around 600 kilometers right across the Slovenian Alps – from Maribor to Ankaran on the Adriatic.
This time I wanted to take it a little easier: without a tent, with reduced luggage, from hut to hut. I was in the mood for the mountains, but also for a little more spontaneity and lightness on the road. No meticulously planned stages, just see how far I get – and how it feels to just keep going day after day.
Such adventures always sound brilliant when you think them up late at night over a glass of wine. The reality was … a little different. We’ll talk about blisters, burning muscles and a pizza surprise in a moment – but let’s start at the beginning.
And so it was again and again on this hike. We often conquered more than a thousand meters of altitude and thus overcame the bad weather.
