This is how women climb mountains: Komna – Bogatin – Double Lake – Komarča

The past weekend was not about setting speed records. On the contrary, it was about three friends having great fun, sharing intimate stories, laughing to tears about things others might find stupid, and making new memories to laugh about in the years to come. We immersed ourselves in our first hiking adventure together, heading towards places that offer a real feast for the eyes – forests, lakes, wild flowers and fauna.


The question that kept our debates rolling before the departure was where to go. Not many huts in the Julian Alps are open before the end of June, so the choice was limited. But since my friends wanted to see the Triglav Lakes and the Komna Hut was the only hut open in those parts of Slovenia then, the choice was pretty obvious. Honestly, for a brief moment we did consider staying in a bivouac overnight, but after really imagining ourselves dragging up the hill all the things three women might need for a comfortable night in the mountains, I called the hut and booked a room.

On Saturday morning, we parked our car in a parking lot near the Savica Waterfall and headed towards the Komna Hut. Due to a rather pessimistic weather forecast from the day before, our plan was to hike there first, make another short hike later if the weather turned out ok, and save the best – the Triglav Lakes – for the forecasted sunny Sunday.
As it turned out, the weather held up nicely all day and we had plenty of time to laugh all the way to Komna and further up the mountains without the pressure of getting stuck in a thunderstorm somewhere along the way. After Komna, it was Mt. Bogatin, a scenic mountain with views over Lake Bohinj, Triglav and the southwestern Julian Alps. Since it’s almost 2,000m high, the beautiful trail from Savica, now speckled with colorful flowers throughout, ascends as high as 1,350m in about 4.5 hours. A lot for someone who doesn’t do hiking on a regular basis! Anyway, I readily volunteered to carry the backpack with our stuff from Komna to Bogatin to speed up the pace just a little bit. That checked, we conquered the “beast” at 2 pm, soaking up spectacular views from the top.

Truly, it was beautiful, but one other thing stuck out even more. If I’m used to getting a dose of solitude and silence, by-passers of our little group heard anything but. A most curious sound surrounded us all the way to the top: exciting chatter, hilarious laughter, and encouraging words to one another. The one thing that most female mountaineers crave – and I am no exception – that female energy! We did experience that wild part of the mountains though. On the way up, a cute chubby marmot, oblivious of the three eager stalkers watching it, entertained us by passing a large snow-covered slope fifty meters from us, while on the way back a young viper lay hidden below a patch of grass on the trail and the only way to pass it was to jump over it.

The next morning started off a bit foggy. The Jägermeister from the night before needed a few hours to wear off, but we took it slowly, had breakfast, and at 9 am left the hut as the last. We headed towards the Triglav Lakes. The 7.1—km trail passes by beautiful lush back country beneath high rocky peaks and takes you directly to the Double Lake.

For the way down, we chose the standard trail for the way up – over the Komarča Wall. It’s the shortest and passes another beautiful lake on the way, the Black Lake. Hey, have I ever mentioned that the norm in the Slovenian mountains is to expect afternoon (thunder)storms? Well, yeah, a relatively small storm caught us just somewhere on the way down, forcing us to wait it out under a tree, but who am I to complain about something so small, right?

All in all, it was a great hike and definitely worth repeating! But one question remains: where next? Come let me know about your suggestions in the comments. Until next time, y’all, and stay tuned for more outdoor adventures! Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and subscribe to the feed.

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