As we were driving towards the mountains, the soft morning light, caught in the forested slopes of the Karavanke mountains on the right and the craggy peaks of the Julian Alps on the left, added to the vibrancy of a beautiful autumn day. The contrast between the freshly covered snow-capped peaks and the explosion of colors in the forest lower down was mesmerizing. Anything from virgin white to bright green, red, yellow and orange-brown, all set against a clear blue sky with an occasional streak of fog still lingering in the fresh air. The kind of perfection that can only be seen right after a good long downpour.
Check out our guided hike here: Fairytale hike in the Karavanke Alps
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We were heading to Srednji vrh, a small village at 950 m where 28 inhabitants still lead a genuine countryside life. That would be our starting point to reach the incredible Karavanke mountains. It was my fifth time in the area in the past month, yet my enthusiasm to see the ever changing autumn landscape never ceased to exist. On the contrary, I think I found my new favorite corner in the Slovenian mountains where I can always return and allow myself to get overwhelmed by its immense beauty.
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A few cars were already parked in a small parking lot at the beginning of the village, but not many people were to be seen. Our goal was to reach the top of Mojstrovica, a rather low but scenic 1,816-meter peak. From there we expected to find the most beautiful views of Triglav, the highest mountains of the Julian Alps, with the vibrant autumnal forests right below.
During the past month I had already explored much of the surrounding mountains. I had tackled anything from a 20-km loop hike with a long walk along the ridge and four peaks on the way, then a bike ride back to the first peak for an amazing sunset, to a quick sunset hike to Mt. Trupejevo Poldne, as well as a 17-km loop in the fresh snow.
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Mt. Mojstrovica would be a new peak altogether when I visited the area again with a good friend after the second decent snowfall in the week. We set out on a long forest road which was now frosted with virgin new snow. The higher we went, the more wintry the nature around us turned. Even though just three days before, I was wandering about the same lonely road in boosting autumn colors and the snow adorned only the upper 400 meters of the hike, the sudden low temperatures brought the winter wonderland all the way down.
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We left the comfortable main trail at around 1,550 meters and continued our hike on a wild stretch of the snowy forest. With no signs and no tracks in the snow, we continued going upwards following the natural lines of the forest and double checking with the track that someone had added in an outdoor app. Soon enough we left the route in the app, which didn’t seem to make much sense, at least not in the snow, and instead followed our instinct up a very steep slope.
It was a choose-your-own adventure as we zig-zagged towards what seemed to be the top of the first peak of our planned day hike. We reached the sunlit top of Tišlerica, 1,755 m, which surprisingly enough opened up to beautiful views of Mt. Kepa and some of the highest peaks of the Julian Alps.
We dug snacks out of our packs, and basking in the warmth of the mid November sun, enjoyed one another’s company. We looked at Mojstrovica, our desired peak of the day which was just a stone’s throw away, yet it seemed impossible to reach. There was no actual trail on what looked like a very steep slope down Tišlerica, and even if we somehow managed to find a way across, we would be faced with an even steeper and more exposed slope to the scenic open top of Mojstrovica. Yet, there at the top of a completely arbitrary peak, which probably even half of the locals don’t know of, we lounged in the perfection of an autumn day.
Eventually we returned back down Tišlerica and even added an extra cute loop to the beautiful Grajščica meadow. We decided we would be back there soon and give Mojstrovica another chance. Perhaps not so much because we didn’t find beauty on that hike, which we sure did, but more so to finish what we have started being the good old stubborn selves. Until next time!
Offered guided tour here! Fairytale hike in the Karavanke Alps
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