Aussie outing

On Saturday a bunch of aussie enthusiasts in Slovenia—a small but growing group—hiked with our dogs up the Krnica valley near Kranjska Gora. It was about an hour and a half of gentle uphill walking, the first part in sun and paralleling the course of the Pišnica, to the mountain hut Koča pri Krnici, then back out again by the same route in reverse.

I admit I had my doubts about leaving the warm and sunny Karst for the cold North—we lost the sun to dreary fog from about Postojna onwards, and it didn't re-emerge until just before Kranjska Gora. But it was a glorious day out. Cerulean sky, sparkling white snow, mountain views, and romping aussies in every direction. Plus a couple of border collies, an Airedale, and a St. Bernard (have I left anyone out?). The snow cover in the mountains around Kranjska Gora is unusually heavy this year, about 2 meters in depth, but the trail to the hut is well-packed, well-groomed, wide, and easy to hike. People walk and ski its length, and supplies are brought in to the hut by snowmobile. I've hiked this trail before, but never before in winter, and never before with dogs. Exuberance notwithstanding, the dogs mostly behaved themselves in the presence of other hikers, and seemed to be more a source of enjoyment and target of admiration than a nuisance for the people we encountered.

Photos of the outing available here, here, and over at Tina's blog.

More photos of the Julian Alps (in summer) here.