On Biokovo it suddenly got cold. Cold, but still sunny. “Little Bura is coming” someone said. Bura, wind from the North can be tricky so I decided to go to Mostar to pick up warm clothes and new shoes before heading on to Omiška Dinara. Smart move, because on my way down my sandals ánd my FiveFingers fell apart. Even without Bura it would have been impossible to continue. Time to dust of those thumbs and get myself a ride to town.

Mostar from above

In Mostar I met up with a friend who accommodated me in mountain hut Fortica. Such a cool place. It’s right above Mostar, you can even see the old bridge, but you’re totally surrounded by mountains. I could live there, honestly. Oh, and there’s a zipline!

Although I didn’t plan to stay more than three days, because I kind of wanted to hike the Blue Trail in one push, I of course ended up staying almost a week. Or longer? Hmm. “Tomorrow I’ll leave” and then I didn’t. Guess I’m not made for pushing through on trails. I need those breaks, I love those breaks. Sometimes I think the only reason I can keep on hiking is because I take breaks. The longer I’m on the road, the longer my breaks get.

Mostar from Above
Mostar from Above
Planinarski dom Fortica, Mostar
Planinarski dom Fortica
Zipline Fortica, Mostar
Zipline Fortica
Zipline Mostar, Park Fortica
Mostars zipline
Vibram FiveFinger KSO EVO
I know
The end of my KSO EVO's | Vibram Five Fingers
The end of my KSO EVO’s

Svinišće

After one week in (above) Mostar I took the bus to Omiš. This meant that I would skip the 17th stage of the Blue Trail, the section that follows the Cetina river, but I couldn’t really be bothered. Last year I biked that road and although it’s pretty, it’s probably a bit boring on foot. I thought about hiking an alternative route on Omiška Dinara, but getting off the bus in the middle of nowhere to find a acceptable place to camp near the trailhead while it was already dark and raining cats and dogs felt too complicated. Especially because I knew someone who lives close to Omiš. Long story short, I met up with this Dutch couple and got a *****welcome at their place in Svinišće. Next day it still rained. A lot. Luckily I could stay in Svinišće and so I did.

Omiška Dinara

Hiking during the winter generally goes much slower. Besides the short days and the cold nights the wind can get pretty strong here. I always thought Bura was the bad guy, but the Bura wind actually clears the skies. It’s often the Jugo, wind from the south that brings the rain. Up in the mountains it started to snow. Biokovo is white now. A white diamond right above the blue sea, magical.

While waiting out the stormy weather I went for two day hikes on Omiška Dinara and spend another two nights in Svinišće. The trails on Omiška Dinara are great, I don’t really understand why the Via Dinarica takes the road. I’m happy I could explore a few tracks and even happier I had a warm place to stay. I often complain about social media and especially Facebook, but it’s because of Facebook I got in touch with two wonderful people.

It is kinda cold on Omiška Dinara
It is kinda cold out here
Hiking from Svinišće to Omiš on Omiška Dinara
Hiking from Svinišće to Omiš
View on Omiš from Omiška Dinara
View on Omiš
View on Biokovo from Omiška Dinara mountain
View on Biokovo from Omiška Dinara

Mosor mountain

After Omiška Dinara came Mosor, another mountain made for hiking. There are heaps of different trails, but I of course choose the one on the ridge. Difficult, but so so beautiful! Took me much more time than I expected though. Snow made the rocky terrain near the peaks super slippery and on my way down to Klis heavy rain forced me use all fours in order not to fall. Mosor is challenging for sure, but my oh my it’s worth every effort. Love this mountain! And then I didn’t even talk about the shelters, the huts and mountain homes. Well, there are many of them.

At Planinarska Kuća Lugarno I met a bunch of mountaineers from Split. They brought enough food to survive the winter, but more importantly, they had Monopoly the board game with them. We played and played until it got too late for counting. I feel so incredibly grateful for all the sweet people I meet and for all the beautiful memories we make.

Lately I haven’t been writing a lot of stories, but that doesn’t mean nothing interesting or meaningful happens. On the contrary. It’s just that I don’t have the energy to type (touchscreen) all these experiences down.

It will come when it comes.

Rocky ridge to Kozik peak, Mosor mountain
Rocky ridge to Kozik peak on Mosor mountain
Vickov stup
Vickov stup
Veliki Kabal peak, Mosor
Veliki Kabal
Sunset on Mosor Mountain
Sun is setting
View on Kozjak from Mosor
View on Kozjak from Mosor

Omiška Dinara & Moser mountain mapped out

As soon as I have uploaded my GPX tracks on the Outdooractive platform, a map with WayPoints and all the other good stuff you might want to know is gonna show up here. Please be patient 🙂

2 Comments

  1. Beautiful photographs, Eva. Thank you for NOT over processing them in Lightroom or similar. So many travel photos I see are unrealistically saturated as if nature itself isn’t good enough in and of itself.

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EVAdinarica

Hiking & Biking the Balkans

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