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Hiking around Komna and Lake Krn
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After a two-hour ascend from Lake Bohinj we arrived at the Komna hut at 1520 meters above sea level. We just caught the last sun rays washing over the surrounding mountains.
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The night was short. We got up at 4.30 to start the hike early, but before we set off, the view over Lake Bohinj enveloped in fog left us with our mouths open.
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Looking towards the east - the Kamnik Alps with Kočna and Grintovec on the left and Kalški greben extending towards the right.
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Layers of orange. If you peel your eyes, you can see the TV tower on Mt. Krvavec.
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One more look at the fog in the valley and at 5 a.m. we started walking.
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After a 15-minute walk there is another hut, Dom pod Bogatinom.
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The trail to the Vratca pass led up the right side of the valley and was lined with flowers! What a sight!
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Looking back towards Komna we saw the opposite slopes bathe in the morning sunlight.
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We stopped too many times to take photos. There is the Vratca pass in the middle.
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If you look closely, you can see the Komna hut in the distance.
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Almost at the pass. The light was to kill for. As usual at such an early hour. :)
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By now we were out of the shade and already started peeling layers of clothes off.
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This part of the valley is called Gracija. I think I now know why.
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At the Vratca pass (1803 meters above sea level) we had breakfast. Sitting in the grass we admired the views over the surrounding mountains.
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Komna hut and Bohinj beyond.
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Layers in the mists.
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From the pass we started descending towards the Krn Lake.
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After a few turns there is a hollow with remains of former Italian barracks and checkpoints built in the 1930s. Definitely an impressive sight!
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The biggest structure lacked the roof - and everything else, for that matter. There are only bare walls left. But the building is huge!
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Windows.
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On this trail there was some kind of grass that was blooming and the air was filled with pollen. As we both have allergies, we started to sneeze and snivel like crazy.
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It only got worse as we were nearing the lake. Luckily we had lots of paper tissues with us.
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Krn Lake (1391 meters above sea level) in all its glory. There is Mt. Krn (2244 meters above sea level) in the background.
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Reflections.
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A panoramic view.
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More flowers. Any way you look at the lake and the mountains, it's spectacular.
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Another reflection at Krn Lake.
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It's fantastic to just lie on the lakeshore, but swimming is not recommended.
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A butterfly landed on a backpack and was willing to pose for a while.
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Lake Krn one more time.
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Deep blue skies all around.
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We said good-bye to the Krn Lake and headed back the way we came, towards the Vratca pass.
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More flowers, more grass. Incidentally, we weren't the only ones with the allergy. Quite a few people at the lake were sneezing too.
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Back at the barracks I decided to play with my fisheye lens and the HDR technique.
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Door frame and little else.
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Three colors.
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The sun was bearing down on us by the time we almost reached Vratca again.
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A panoramic view of the valley below the Vratca pass.
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At the Vratca pass we had lunch. There is one checkpoint in ruins there too.
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The ruin is quite dilapidated.
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The view from the Vratca pass: Komna hut in the distance and Mt. Bogatin on the right.
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No, we weren't going back to Komna, at least not straight away.
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From the top of Mali Bogatin we could see the trail that we had taken early in the morning.
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This was our highest destination for this hike - Mt. Mahavšček at 2008 meters above sea level.
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Layers of rock are clearly visible.
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And finally, the summit! There was Mt. Tolminski Kuk which we had optimistically considered climbing that day, but realistically, it was way out of our reach.
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The opposite slopes of the Krn range.
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From here you can see directly to the Triglav Lakes Valley with Mt. Triglav itself in the bakground.
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A panoramic view from the top of Mahavšček.
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Me enjoying the views.
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Tolminski Kuk on the left, Tolminka valley on the right, from Mahavšček.
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On the way down from Mahavšček, looking towards Triglav.
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Is this the Alps or Mars?
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One of the pleasanter sections of the trail back to Komna.
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The meadows at Dolniki, looking towards the Triglav Lakes Valley.
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Descending the steep, dwarf-pine-covered slopes towards Planina Govnjač was a bit tiresome, but the occasional view made up for it. More ruins in the distance at Planina Govnjač on the right.
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After a large bowl of jota (potato-sauerkraut-beans-sausage casserole) and beer we looked at Lake Bohinj for the last time before heading back to the valley. It was a long, but fantastic day!
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