Mount Stol was not boring

When we were in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, we were told by the hut crew that Mount Stol was boring (I think because you did not have to hold on for dear life in order to survive). Dan and I both decided, although there were not many death cliffs, that it wasn't boring (especially since Dan managed to find a trail that felt like we might not escape unscathed).

For those of you who know me, you know that sunrises and sunsets - especially from mountains, are my jam. Well, Presernova Koca has both. I woke up at 4:15 am to a stunning scene out of the dorm window. So of course, I jumped out of bed and scampered outside to witness the magic first hand. My photos don't do this sunrise justice. What made it even better was that Dan joined me outside by 4:45am which is very un-Dan-like.

The view (at 4:15 am) from the window where I slept

Having Dan with me to enjoy the sunrise made it that much better

After sunrise, we laid down back down for a little while until we heard the noise of a helicopter super close. It was dropping off/picking up workers and supplying the hut with more construction materials. Helicopters and old mountain huts: such a juxtaposition. Breakfast was the next order of business followed by a summit of Mt. Stol (2236 meters) - the hut was a little ways down from the summit. After that, a ridge hike to a few other summits and then back down to the car.

A helicopter bringing supplies to the hut

Breakfast in the hut

The stamp and log box at the summit of Mount Stol (2236 meters)

Mount Stol looks like a gentle grassy hill on the Slovenian side and a badass mountain on the Austrian side

I am hiking towards the true summit in this photo - from this angle it looks wild.

Summit of Mount Stol

On the summit was a flock of sheep all huddled together

After the summit, Dan took us down a "trail" to get to the ridge hike. It was essentially a steep scree slope/rock slide with a death cliff on one side and a scary slope on the other. Several times I questioned Dan about this route and he said that it was definitely a trail (I think it was mostly a trail for ibexes). My strong sense of self preservation kicked in and I pretty much crawled down this.

The broken down cross was probably an omen to not go down the way we were going.

The "trail" we took down from the summit - I didn't take many photos because I was focused on survival

It was such a relief to get to this gentler scree slope that we could kind of "ski" down

Lake Bled from Mt Stol

On the ridge with Mt. Stol in the background

This was the only goat in a flock of sheep - it seemed to kind of be in charge

Grazing sheep with Mt. Stol in the background

The stamp on the summit of Mount Vajnez (2136 meters)

Looking back at Mt. Stol

Summit of Mt. Vajnez looking back at Mt. Stol. It was an out-and-back ridge hike so we had to hike back to Mt. Stol before we could head back down.

The Karawick Mountains mark the border between Austria and Slovenia. All along the ridge and were these stone markers (we assumed they mark the border between the two countries)

Such a cool heart rock because it had a heart within a heart

The smaller summit along the ridge between Mt. Stol and Mt. Vajnez

The hike back along the ridge before we headed down

Once back at the car, we headed towards our next lodging in Stara Fuzina. This town was super picturesque. Every building, bridge, and bus stop was adorned flowers and window boxes. It is surrounded by giant mountains and has a crystal clear stream running through the middle of it.

Lake Bled - we drove past it. Most tourist go hear, but we headed towards Lake Bohinj which is where the Slovenians go instead.

We settled into our hostel and then headed out for a dinner. We were excited to sleep in real bed and eat yummy food from a proper restaurant. Being in the mountains is awesome and so is returning to civilization.