If you plan to stay a few days on high elevations above Vrata Valley in Slovenian Alps, Bivak IV Skrlatica (Bivak na Rusju) may be used as your main refuge.
Basic data
- Coordinates: 46,41748°N / 13,8199°E.
- Elevation: 6496 ft (1980 m).
- Mountain range: Julian Alps, Slovenia.
- Difficulty getting there: walk-up.
More about location & refuge
The Roman number IV in the name of this shelter tells you that this is the 4th bivouac around Skrlatica mountain. There are three on the other side of the mountain where you have some true alpinist routes and these shelters are usually used only by alpinists.
This is an old shelter and very basic. You have two simple wood bunk-platforms inside where up to 8 people can sleep. I have spent a night there sleeping on them. There are no mattresses but there are a few blankets. It is best not to rely on anything so take at least a sleeping bag with you.
One table and and a couple of simple benches is all that you have inside. A collector for rain water is outside. It was full when I was there. Normally, you have snow around till late summer, but there is no water anywhere around.
The map below shows some details around, the shelter is marked by the arrow. On the right you see the route from Aljazev Dom (Aljaz hut) in Vrata valley. You need at least 3 hours to get to the refuge from the valley.
Observe also the following:
- The route to the north is your direction if you plan to climb Skrlatica.
- The route to the southwest you take if you want to climb Kriz (2410 m) and Stenar (2501 m), both shown in the picture below. This same route will take you to the pass called Dovska Vratca (2176 m). This is the place where the so called Sovatna route from Vrata valley (Aljaz hut) comes. I walked this route a few years earlier and had to give up at Dovska Vrata because of rain.
- From the same point (Dovska Vratca) you can continue towards Pogacnikov Dom (hut) which is on Kriski Podi. I have described it a bit in my text about Razor.
- Note also that from Skrlatica you do not have to go back the same route mentioned above. You can make a round tour around Dolkova Spica (2591 m), the picture below, and then descend to Bivak IV or continue to Pogacnikov Dom (hut) or even descend far below to Krnica hut (you will see more about this hut in my text about Lipnica).
- From Pogacnikov Dom you can go to the west and end up on Vrsic Pass where you have many mountain huts around.
The point of this is that you can stay a few days at high altitude far above the surrounding valleys and climb several of the peaks mentioned above. If you run out of food, you can always go to Pogacnikov Dom (hut) and have everything. I have spent one night there when I was climbing Razor.
How to get there
I give below the Google map of the area. So just zoom in to see more details, and zoom out to see the larger area and access roads. The blue marker shows roughly the position of the Bivak IV na Rusju. The only road to Vrata valley comes from Mojstrana village. The main town for supplies is Kranjska Gora.
Final thoughts
If you want to avoid crowd and stay a few days in solitude in an incredibly beautiful environment and climb a few peaks, this Bivak IV na Rusju could be your hub.
I have been there and had a strong storm during the night, and I really admired the shelter in those moments. I was warm and dry, more I did not need in such situation. This bivouac is in my map of shelters in Julian Alps. You might want to read also about a similar shelter in the same area, Bivak III za Akom.
Let me know if you have questions, there is a comment box below. Thank you for reading.
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