Hiking Maglić peak, Via Dinarica VLOG #4

Categories 2019, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Section Hike, Via Dinarica, VLOG, White Trail
VLOG in BLOG | Hiking Maglić peak

Last but not least I’m hiking Maglić peak, the grand finale of the White Trail in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although the official Via Dinarica Trail goes to Trnovačko jezero before it climbs up to the peak, I choose an alternate route: the adventurous approach from Prijevor directly to Maglić. From sweet solitude to a not so sweet nightly surprise visit to an extraordinary encounter on top. Via Dinarica VLOG #4 Hiking Maglić peak BLOGS I wrote in 2016 while on the trail “Polako polako” that’s…Continue Reading “Hiking Maglić peak, Via Dinarica VLOG #4” →

Hiking Lelija and Zelengora mountain, Via Dinarica VLOG #3

Categories 2019, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Section Hike, Via Dinarica, VLOG, White Trail
VLOG | Hiking Lelija and Zelengora mountain

In this video I’m hiking Lelija and Zelengora mountain, the second to last section of the Via Dinarica White Trail in Bosnia and Herzegovina. From Kamp Lalović in Jelašca (near Kalinovik) I crossed Zelengora all the way to Sutjeska National Park, to Kovačev Panj. A perfect combination of crazy green wilderness, white karst, cold lakes and endlessly wide views. Via Dinarica VLOG #3 Hiking Lelija and Zelengora mountain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM1U4Li01EE&feature=youtu.be BLOGS I wrote in 2016 while on the trail Wild Balkans, nature versus mankind “Polako polako”,…Continue Reading “Hiking Lelija and Zelengora mountain, Via Dinarica VLOG #3” →

Hiking the Rakitnica canyon to Lukomir, Via Dinarica VLOG #2

Categories 2019, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Section Hike, Via Dinarica, VLOG, White Trail
VLOG in BLOG | Hiking the Rakitnica Canyon, Via Dinarica in Bosnia and Herzegovina

In this video I’m hiking from mountain hut Jezerce on Prenj via Boračko jezero to Lukomir. A trip down memory lane through Bjelašnica’s crazy green wilderness and the unapproachable Rakitnica canyon. Three years ago I got stuck in the Rakitnica canyon. At that time the trail was terribly marked and the path totally overgrown. I took a shortcut, which was stupid. Thorny plants everywhere. Everywhere. My friends who were waiting for me at Boračko jezero called the GSS, the mountain rescue, I could only sit…Continue Reading “Hiking the Rakitnica canyon to Lukomir, Via Dinarica VLOG #2” →

Hiking from Mostar to Prenj, Via Dinarica VLOG #1

Categories 2019, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Section Hike, Via Dinarica, VLOG, White Trail

It’s been a while, but I’m back on the Via Dinarica. I’m section hiking the parts I loved the most when I was out there in 2016, new routes that will be included in the near future and peaks I skipped because of bad weather. In this video I explore a new old route that’s connecting the Via Dinarica White Trail at Ruište with mountain hut Fortica above Mostar and I’m walking across Prenj. An adventurous hike followed by pure beauty. The typical Via Dinarica…Continue Reading “Hiking from Mostar to Prenj, Via Dinarica VLOG #1” →

Slowly sliding towards the finish line

Categories Looking Back

At the end of the month I like to look back on what I’ve done and where I’ve been. On how I felt and what was on my mind. It turned out that my Instagram pictures actually give a pretty good impression. So, I decided to put them together in a blog post. Here’s my monthly photo essay, Looking back on December: Slowly sliding towards the finish line.

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Hiking from Sarajevo to Jure Franko WINTERVLOG #1

Categories 2019, Sarajevo & Surroundings, VLOG, WoRkAwAy
Hiking video | Outdoor vlog | EVAdinarica Project

In Sarajevo I met up with Sabina, a sweet sweet friend ánd crazy-cool outdoor buddy I met three years ago. We stayed in touch and try to meet at least twice a year. Whenever we see eachother we go for a hike. Mostly in the mountains. This time Sabina took me to Trebević, thé mountain above Sarajevo. We made our way up from old town to mountain hut Jure Franko. Although Sarajevo is one of my favourite cities, I prefer breathing fresh mountain air. Especially during the winter Sarajevo is extremely polluted. Unfortunately.

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Island of Pag and Rab & Učka Nature Park

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Blue Trail, Croatia, TRAILNOTES, Updates, Via Dinarica
BLOG | The Island of Pag, Rab and Učka Nature Park

Bura, Jugo, Bura, Jugo, Bura and there’s the Jugo again. Jugo brings clouds and rain from Italy, Bura blows it with a good dose of freezing cold air all away. In between it’s calm. So serene. Although I’m constantly checking the weather, it’s actually not bad at all. It’s exactly what I wished the winter to be like. Fresh air, clear skies and a whole lot of quietness. I learned that my tent can’t do wind, but even that’s okay. Just have to be a bit more strategic and opt for a room when there’s no other way out. Now I’m this close to Učka Nature Park, I will give everything I have to cross the finish line. Or in this case the finish top.

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Kozjak mountain, Krka National Park & the coast

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Blue Trail, Croatia, TRAILNOTES, Updates, Via Dinarica
Krka National Park with Krka river, Croatia

One more mountain to go. One more mountain before the trail would turn flat and take me to Krka National Park, Vransko jezero and eventually back to the coast. Bittersweet. I love those mountains, don’t want them to end. At the same time it’s getting harder and harder, colder and most of all, windier. But okay, that’s the season. I will give my best. And if my best isn’t good enough, I will come back another time.

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Mostar, Omiška Dinara & Mosor mountain

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Blue Trail, Croatia, TRAILNOTES, Updates, Via Dinarica
BLOG | Mostar, Omiška Dinara and Mosor mountain

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.

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Looking back on November: BLUE TRAIL it is

Categories Looking Back

At the end of the month I like to look back on what I’ve done and where I’ve been. On how I felt and what was on my mind. It turned out that my Instagram pictures actually give a pretty good impression. So, I decided to put them together in a blog post. Here’s my monthly photo essay: Looking back on November BLUE TRAIL it is ✌️👣.

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Baćinska jezera, beaches & Biokovo

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Blue Trail, Croatia, TRAILNOTES, Updates, Via Dinarica
BLOG | BIOKOVO Hiking Trail, Sveti Ilija from the other side

There are moments I feel proud and thankful at the same time. Proud of where I am. Thankful that I can be where I am. The Via Dinarica website writes that the Blue Trail after the Baćinska lakes, the most southern part of the Biokovo Hiking Trail, is neglected and therefor not hikable. I had to walk the Jadranska magistrala, the main coastal road. Not my first choice, so I decided to be stubborn and check out the state of the hiking trail. Turned out that I would get to experience one of my favorite Via Dinarica moments on exactly this part of the trail. On an insignificant peak of an insignificant mountain. Insignificant, but indescribably magical.

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The area of Dubrovnik, island Mljet and Pelješac peninsula

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Blue Trail, Croatia, TRAILNOTES, Updates, Via Dinarica

It’s all about the mindset, but how to set your mind when you’re hiking the last leg of a trail which is still 900 kilometers? It’s not like I’m almost done, while at the same time it’s the last part. Also, the word mindset implies that I’m in control of my mind. I whish. Or maybe not? In reality my mind is influenced by how I feel just as much as the other way around. My solution: try not to think too much, just hike. And so I did.

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Looking back on October: From Artic Cold to Indian Summer

Categories Looking Back

At the end of the month I’d like to look back on where I’ve been, what I did and how I felt. Usually I upload my Instagram photos in the “Looking Back” blogpost, but the second half of October I hardly had any internet. So, no Instagram updates. Because I want my posts to be chronological and it took me quite a while to catch up, I delayed this post. We’re halfway November, but here’s me looking back on October where I’m leaving North Macedonia to start hiking the Via Dinarica Blue Trail in Montenegro.

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Gut feeling, being lucky and the sea

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Blue Trail, Croatia, Stories, Via Dinarica

When I camp in front of a church I usually feel comfortable. It can go two ways. The positive scenario is that being around people, near a village for example, gives me the idea to be protected. The other scenario is that people with bad intentions know where to find me. You never know for sure in which scenario you’ll end up in, but I kind of learned to trust my gut feeling. And that got me pretty far.

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Staring at the Sea

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Blue Trail, Montenegro, Stories, Via Dinarica

From Vrbanj I went down to the sea. To Herceg Novi. With pain in my heart I skipped Subra’s amphitheatre. Too much wind. A warm wind, but still too windy to go for an exposed klettersteig-hike-climb. At mountainhut Vratlo I was in doubt, maybe I could try to go from there. But no, that wouldn’t be the same. I mean, I could hike to the peak of Subra, but I would still miss the spectacular climb and that’s what this stage is all about. This will be another place I sooner or later come back to.

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EAT SLEEP HIKE REPEAT on the PPT

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Blue Trail, Montenegro, Updates, Via Dinarica
Primorska Planinarska Transverzala Montenegro

I’m not much of a mile-maker, but last few weeks I’ve been walking in circles, exploring, climbing, bouldering, jeep touring and most of all: I’ve been chilling so much that I’m up for some real long distance hiking again. I want to get back to my hiking rhythm. EAT SLEEP HIKE REPEAT. Also, if I want to finish all Via Dinarica trails this year, I’d better get on moving, because days are rapidly getting shorter.

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Exploring Shar Mountain, a photo story

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, North Macedonia, Photo Diary
Hiking Titov Vrv

Shar mountain (Shara, Šar, Sharr, Sharri) has been on my list for years. Ever since I first read about the First Macedonian Transversal (Transferzala), a hiking trail that crosses the entire Shar mountain range, I had the wish to explore Shar mountain. I could try to describe what it looks like, but I suck at that. I don’t have the vocabulary and the words I make up probably won’t be much of a help. I’ll stick to sharing my personal experience and add a whole lot of photos to give you an impression. So here we go, here’s my “Exploring Shar Mountain Photo Story”.

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Looking back on July: Serbia & Kosovo

Categories Looking Back

At the end of the month I’d like to look back on where I’ve been, what I did and how I felt. Despite the fact that I’m really taking my time, I can’t escape the feeling that I can’t keep up with my own pace. I’m a slow traveller, still I need more time to sit and stare. Every day is an adventure, that’s how I like it. Not knowing what the day will bring. Live every minute, absorb every impression. To avoid an adventure overdose, I write. 

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Via Dinarica in Kosovo // TRAILNOTES

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Extension, Kosovo, TRAILNOTES, Via Dinarica

The Via Dinarica in Kosovo is an extension of the Via Dinarica White Trail that ends in Valbona, Albania. When I hiked the White Trail two years ago I had no idea about this Kosovo part, maybe it didn’t even exist yet. I don’t know. What I do know now is that it’s a super beautiful route that is definitely worth to include into your Via Dinarica journey.

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Bears on the road

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Extension, Kosovo, Stories, Via Dinarica
BEARS ON THE ROAD

Close to, or right underneath Rusolia mountain my eye caught two fluffy creatures. I held my breath. Oh my! Bears. I almost bumped into two bears. They were too busy playing with each other to notice me. Quickly I looked around to see where the mother was. Maybe one of them wás the mother, but they both looked small. Slowly I walked a bit backwards, started to talk and made some (not too disturbing) sounds. Nothing happened, they kept on playing.

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Via Dinarica Green Trail in Serbia // TRAILNOTES

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Green Trail, Serbia, TRAILNOTES, Via Dinarica

The Via Dinarica Green Trail in Serbia goes through the lower mountains north of the White Trail. Those lower mountains often look like hills, peaks aren’t as prominent as in Durmitor for example (or Prokletije!), but on the other hand the route often stays around the 1000 meter above sea level. In those “hills” there are many farms, villages and weekend houses, vikendica. Therefore the Green Trail in a way is much more alive.

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Crossborder hike from Višegrad to Tara National Park

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Green Trail, Serbia, Trail Life, TRAILNOTES, Updates, Via Dinarica
BLOG | Connecting the Dots, hiking in Tara National Park

Nobody said it would be easy, but I’m not looking for easy. I wanted to hike from Višegrad to Tara National Park, to the Serbian Via Dinarica Green Trail, Veliki Stolac, without making a detour on the road. Hiking beyond borders is one thing, hiking beyond overgrown border is another. My plan was to find a a route, a green line. I tried my best “connecting the dots”.

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Looking back on June: from Dutch summer into Green Wilderness

Categories Looking Back
A walk in the clouds on Trebevic mountain | Hiking Jahorina Trailrun Track

At the end of the month I like to look back on what I did, where I was and how I felt. Usually I use my Instagram feed to do so, but the first half of this month I took a bit of a break, because I went back to The Netherlands. There I hugged my friends, witnessed (at) a wedding, spend time with my family and enjoyed the Dutch goods; patatje speciaal, biertje speciaal, 100% pindakaas, dropjes en kaas. Didn’t share this online, but here a short version will follow.

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Worst night ever

Categories Balkan Thru Hike 2018, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Green Trail, Stories, Via Dinarica

I’m in my tent. Camping at a wonderful place next to a church in the middle of a forest. There are picnic tables, there’s water and a lot of grass. In two months there will be a guesthouse as well, but for now that building is an unfinished building. They’re working on it though. I met the guys in charge earlier, they gave me permission to put up my tent here.

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