Snow Among the Golden Larches

Autumn in the mountains is always special, especially when the larches turn a beautiful shade of golden yellow. Every year, I look forward to this time and the chance to go hiking among these stunning trees. This year, though, an early snowfall had already covered the mountains in white, so we got to enjoy something even more special – walking through the snow with golden larches all around us.

Jesen v hribih je čudovita, še posebej takrat, ko se macesni obarvajo v zlato rumene odtenke. Vsako leto komaj čakam, da nastopi pravi trenutek za pohod med temi čudovitimi drevesi. Letos je hribe za nekaj dni že pobelil sneg, tako da sva hodila po zasneženih poteh med rumenimi macesni. Prav poseben prizor!

We started our hike to Veliki Pršivec in the Krma Valley, from the Pri Lesi car park. The trail initially follows a wide track uphill through the deciduous forest. We had planned to make a little detour to visit an old, partly collapsed shepherd's hut, but couldn't work out where to leave the main trail. The trail markers were covered in snow, so we simply followed the tracks in the snow. Before we knew it, we had reached Zgornja Krma hut, also known as Prgarca.

Izhodišče za pohod na Veliki Pršivec je v dolini Krma na Gorenjskem, na parkirišču Pri Lesi. Sprva je pot široka in se vzpenja skozi listnati gozd. Najin načrt je bil narediti krajši ovinek mimo razpadajoče pastirske koče, vendar nikakor nisva mogla ugotoviti, kje je treba zaviti z glavne poti. Oznake so bile zasnežene, zato sva nadaljevala po uhojeni poti in se kar naenkrat znašla pri koči Zgornja Krma oziroma Prgarca.

The route to the summit of Veliki Pršivec isn't particularly well marked either. We ended up following the tracks towards Kredarica for quite a while before realising we had gone too far and deciding to turn back.

Tudi nadaljevanje poti proti vrhu Velikega Pršivca ni najbolje označeno. Midva sva kar nekaj časa nadaljevala po uhojeni poti v smeri Kredarice, nato pa ugotovila, da sva zašla predaleč, in se začela vračati.

It was pretty cold when we set off in the morning, climbing through the shady valley. But further up, beyond the hut, the trail towards Kredarica was bathed in sunshine. The golden larches looked even more beautiful in the warm light!

Ko sva se zjutraj vzpenjala po senčni dolini, je bilo precej mrzlo. Pot od koče naprej proti Kredarici pa je vodila po soncu. Macesni, obsijani s sončnimi žarki, so bili naravnost čudoviti!

On the way back, we finally figured out where the old shepherd's hut was hidden. We crossed the slope and headed uphill, passing a hunting lodge. And there it was – the old, weather-beaten shepherd's shelter we'd been looking for. The views from here were absolutely lovely, and finding the place made the little detour all the more worthwhile.

Ob vračanju sva končno ugotovila, kje bi lahko stala stara pastirska koča. Prečila sva pobočje in se usmerila navzgor, mimo lovske koče. Tako sva nazadnje le našla tudi razpadajoče pastirsko zavetišče. Razgled od tam je prekrasen in ves trud z iskanjem je bil poplačan.

Before our hike, we'd searched online for directions, but found quite a few conflicting descriptions of the route. After leaving the Pri Lesi car park and reaching Mali Polje, some directions suggested turning left, while others pointed to the right. If you're looking for the old shepherd's hut, make sure to turn right towards Travna Dolina at Mali Polje, just past the junction for Vodnikov dom.

Ko sva pred pohodom iskala opise poti na spletu, sva naletela na precej različne napotke. Pri vzponu s parkirišča Pri Lesi proti Malemu polju so nekateri svetovali zavoj v levo, drugi v desno. Če želite obiskati pastirsko kočo, morate na Malem polju za odcepom proti Vodnikovemu domu zaviti desno v Travno dolino.

But really, a little getting lost is all part of the adventure. Sometimes it's those unexpected detours that lead to the loveliest places. And as for the golden larches – they were beautiful wherever we looked!

A saj pravzaprav niti ni tako pomembno, če človek na poti malo zaide. Včasih prav takšni ovinki poskrbijo za dodatna doživetja in odkrijejo kakšen lep kotiček, ki bi ga sicer morda spregledali. Rumeni macesni so bili pač povsod čudoviti!