This is a text by the Guest Author Martin Olsen who climbed Rjavina through Kot valley together with Olga Simon in July 2017. So here is the report of their tour with plenty of photos, enjoy it.
We had viewed Rjavina from Dovje during our stay there for the Jalovec hike. Although it sits humbly before the mighty Triglav, it had the typical impressive appeal that most of the Julian Alps do – steep and seemingly impossible to climb!
Once on the trail from the parking lot, it is easy hiking until the Rj-2 waypoint (list of useful waypoints below). After gaining a few hundred meters, we happen upon the “pri studenčka” stream (Spr waypoint, Photo 1).
[Isaac Albéniz: Asturias]
The sign on the rock means “Keeps Clean” – so this could be a water source for those not wishing to lug 3 – 4 liters up the trail. We did not drink it so cannot attest to the cleanliness of the water, however.
We carried about 3.5 liters of water each, and stashed 1.5 liters at about 1500 m along the trail. The weather was relatively cool, and partly sunny. We ended up not even needing the extra 1.5 liters, so around 3 liters per person should be sufficient
Getting to the Trailhead
I entered approximate trailhead coordinates into the car GPS and it tried to take us on roads unfit for vehicles of any type. Once we backtracked to the junction shown here, it was easy. The road is not bad at all – my Skoda Fabia took it with ease.
GPS coordinates
- This junction: N 46.43686 E 13.930851.
- Parking area: N 46.41586 E 13.89764.
Throught the Kot valley and up
Here is the Google Earth map with the marked waypoints mentioned in the text:
We pass the “Fat Rock” (“Fat” waypoint) along the way. Although it is a big rock, I would not call it fat so as not to offend it. We continue on the trail to the first junction (“Jct” waypoint, Photo 2), make a left and shortly thereafter encounter Jct2 waypoint (Photo 3).
Here, we turn left again and ascend initial trail followed by a bit of a scree (Photo 4). Soon we gain the ridge and begin working our way up…The climbing is fun and trail pretty well marked (Photo 5).
There is a pretty spicy little spine (Photos 6, 7) we climbed up but it is very well protected, and just after it, we arrive at the Jct3 waypoint (Photo 8), where the “Ridge Way” meets up with the “Climbing Way” route.
We turn left here, drop a few meters and climb up to the top of the “Chimney” which is the crux of the route. It is harder to go down it than go up. There are pins but no cables, so be careful as it is a bit exposed. Photo 9 shows the bottom of the chimney.
The rest of the ridge traverse is pretty easy, with some protection and lots of stunning views. The view of Triglav from the summit (Photo 10) is nice! The ridge-walk down has some cables and is well marked (Photo 11). It would be a nice way to climb the mountain, but I think the route we chose (“Climbing Way” up, “Ridge Way” down) was the best way to do it.
Descending Rjavina
The Rj7 waypoint marks a shortcut to get back to the Staniča trail. It is not marked on the map on Hribi but is visible on the orthophoto tab of the Hribi map. If you zoom in you can see the trail (blue line overlain on Photo 12).
One word of caution – as we approached the little knob in the red circle on Photo 12, the trail got faint and we were tempted to turn downhill to the left. Do not do this, and instead stay to the right and you will again see the trail with a small ledge to downclimb to get to it. From there the Staniča trail is easy to see and before you know it you are on it (Mrg waypoint) and will rejoin your ascent trail (Jct2) in just a few hundred meters of easy trail.
Overall a beautiful and fun hike! The descent is tough on the knees, though – it is a lot of drops and goes on forever, it seems.
According to Google Earth, elevation gain was 2016 m. GPS said it was more like 1700 m. Distance: 13 km.
Extra pictures
Here are extra Google Earth images with tracks:
Martin was very kind to send this report and I wish to thank him, see also his another text about Jalovec. I myself am preparing to set off to the same area in a few days, so stay tuned there will be more texts from there.
Please let us know what you think and share your experience if you have a first-hand knowledge about this or any other mountain. There is an open invitation for Guest Authors, have a look here.
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