Another climbing day in the Slovenian Alps

annnna8888

Mt. Prisojnik was one of the mountains in the Julian Alps (Slovenia) that I hadn't conquered yet, so when I was deciding where to go on a warm October Saturday, it wasn't hard to choose. There are at least five marked trails leading to the top, all involving quite a bit of climbing.

Setting off from one of the huts through a larch forest my friend Sandi and I approached the north face of Mt. Prisojnik.

1.



Soon we reached the rock face and started to ascend quickly. The first difficult section was soon behind us.

2.



And then we saw her. The pagan girl. Staring into the valley. (Can you see her?)

3.



By that time the sun rose high enough to illuminate the peaks on the other side of the misty pass.

4.



Higher up there was another demanding stretch of the route, and a few mountaineers were already there.

5.



Steel rope and lots of iron pegs helped us climb.

6.



Iridescent clouds above us.

7.



We changed places all the time to be able to shoot up and down.

8.

And then there it was, right above us - the mighty Front Window. Can you guess how big it is?

9.



One look back towards the valley before we began the last ascent to the big hole.

10.


11.



The narrow and very steep ravine was hard to negotiate but at least there wasn't any snow.

12.



The very wide view from the bottom of the huge cavern.

13.



Of course, the only way up and out is to climb.

14.



And so we climbed. If you haven't guessed the height of the cavern before - it's 80 meters (260 feet). :huh

15.



And on the other side: the sun! Looking back into the hole we stripped one more layer of clothing.

16.



The ridge trail to the top which looked deceptively close. Mt. Triglav (the highest Slovenian mountain) in the background.

17.



18.



19.



And finally at the top of Mt. Prisojnik at 2547 meters (8350 feet)! The views were fantastic.

20.



The Kamnik Alps in the distance.

21.



Beautiful Mt. Jalovec.

22.



23.



Ah, the clouds...

24.



The south trail down the mountain was very warm and sunny.

25.



Only a few larches were really yellow. The prime time was yet to come.

26.



Mt. Prisojnik shows a completely different face from the south: friendlier and more approachable.

27.



Back at the car we couldn't help but observe that some mountains look pretty much unconquerable from afar, for mortals anyway. Did we really climb that almost vertical rock wall? :ivar Our trail is marked with a red line.

28.




I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I did taking them!

Ana

hawkeye978

Unbelievable set, Ana. So many shots I just love. Numbers 4, 10, 14, 15, and 26 really stand out for me. Great details, contrast and perspective.

ian408

Wow! I love the last shot with your route on it! That's a beautiful place!

kdog

Great pictures and looks like an awesome trip. Great colors. Those fisheye (at least I think they were) shots are really cool. #14 and 15 are good examples of what I'm talking about.

Cheers,
-joel

jamesl

Beautiful! Looks like it was a great hike.

Mitchell

Great series. Thanks for taking us along with you on your climb!

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

TreyHoff

WOW! Amazing shots throughout the day. The photos of the window/holes are very cool.

coldclimb

Awesome work, and it looks like a cool trip too! We don't have much over here, but from what I've heard, Via Ferrata can make for some really cool climbs!

Sam

Great post!! Thanks for all the photos. Looks like a beautiful area.

Sam

Icebear

I think there are only two proper vias ferrata in the US. I noticed that you didn't use leashes and harnesses to clip to the cable. So you just used the cable for progress, and not protection? Very beautiful route, and your narrative made me feel almost like I was along with you. Thank you.

Nikolai

Stunning pics, awesome trail/climb! bow

a110p0

Wow! What a great set. Thanks for sharing your amazing
journey. I guess you have no fear of heights.

Awesome.

Alvin

Wicked_Dark

Amazing. Gorgeous. Jaw-dropping. You are a brave woman and a terrific photographer.

GOLDENORFE

amazing! great series really like #10 & 24

Doug Solis

wow, what a beautiful set of images. they all go so well together to weave us your story. love #1 with the jet trail mimicking the trail through the woods. #26 beautiful trees, it must be absolutely gorgeous during the peak season. also beautiful job with your last image to show us the route. You really thought this out completely. well done.

bryanj87

Fantastic images and story, as always.

ront

WOW, I really did enjoy these Ana!!!! Beautiful area!! I am wondering about your processing in some of these pics. Pics #3, 10 and 15for example look to have some type of treatment to them similar to HDR. They look real nice and just wondering what you did.

Thanks, Ron

Jonnyyaya

Nice set felt like I was there for the journey. Thanks for sharing.

Alpha_Plus

Great shots. Number 1 is brilliant!!

annnna8888

Thanks everybody! It was indeed a beautiful hike/climb and the last one before we got the first snow in mid-October.

coldclimb wrote: »

Awesome work, and it looks like a cool trip too! We don't have much over here, but from what I've heard, Via Ferrata can make for some really cool climbs!

I should have been more specific, yes, and state that this is a via ferrata. I'm no climber, just a hiker who likes more demanding trails.

Icebear wrote:

I think there are only two proper vias ferrata in the US. I noticed that you didn't use leashes and harnesses to clip to the cable. So you just used the cable for progress, and not protection? Very beautiful route, and your narrative made me feel almost like I was along with you. Thank you.

No, I didn't clip myself to the cable. I find it too awkward and it slows me down. It would come in handy while taking photos though so I wouldn't have to worry about keeping the balance.

ront wrote:

WOW, I really did enjoy these Ana!!!! Beautiful area!! I am wondering about your processing in some of these pics. Pics #3, 10 and 15for example look to have some type of treatment to them similar to HDR. They look real nice and just wondering what you did.

They are indeed HDRs, taken without a tripod (there's no room for one in the middle of a rockface! ). I try to post-process them to look as natural as possible. I'm glad you like them.

Ana

schmoo

Ana I don't know what to say! I am so jealous and that looks like so much fun. I wanted to know about the cable too, if you were climbing-climbing (the way our infamous Alaskan Duo does it) or if that bar with pegs is kind of a semi-permanent "trail" for adventurous travelers. If so, I would totally do that!

Thank you so much for sharing your journey. What an incredible trip! (And that whole route only took a day?)

ront

annnna8888 wrote: »

They are indeed HDRs, taken without a tripod (there's no room for one in the middle of a rockface! ). I try to post-process them to look as natural as possible. I'm glad you like them.Ana

Thanks Ana. I think your HDR processing is very very nice!! I also like to keep mine as natural as possible.
Again, all are very nice photos!!

Ron

zoomer

Thanks for sharing your adventure.
Great job on the photos and amazing scenery .

eMOJO

Simply breathtaking... so many favorites in that series, well done

dlplumer

Fabulous series, Ana, and an amazing climb. Congratulations. clap

Llywellyn

Stunning series, Ana! I particularly love the superwide shots with the window. The lookback shot at the end really puts the whole series (and your amazing journey) in perspective.

InsuredDisaster

Really nice! So many beautiful photos. Great PP as well!

aktse

Stunning series!

tobers

Superb - really enjoyed your climb and the excellent pics that went with it.

ChrisJ

Wow, Gorgeous! Great shots and story.