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” →

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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Gone hiking. Dinara, here I come! (+ my first podcast)

Categories Podcast
BLOG Gone hiking, Dinara here I come

It’s 00.27 my backpack is packed, GPS is up to date, launched my podcast and after this blog post I’m ready too. Ready for a little hike. Tomorrow I take the bus to Knin from where I hit the trail to Dinara. Gone hiking. Although I hiked across the entire Dinaric Alps, I haven’t been on Dinara yet. Or well, I was on the mountain, but not on the peak. A peak, the peak. Something to do with bad weather. I Thought it would be a nice way to open this years hiking season. Hiking Dinara. And when already I’m there, I might as well continue on the trail to Troglav and Kamešnica.

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Hiking Via Dinarica, crossing the Balkans on foot

Categories Grand Adventures, Via Dinarica 2016
BiH_MNE_Maglić_Prijevor_bordercrossing

Last summer I walked a new long distance trail through the Balkans, the Via Dinarica White Trail. A route that finds its way along countless different mountain ranges, ridges, cliffs, canyons, valleys, rivers, lakes and prominent peaks in the Dinaric Alps, Europe’s largest karst field. Hiking Via Dinarica. A great hike, a beautiful journey and an unforgettable adventure.

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Slovenia’s Secrets, Via Dinarica White Trail

Categories Route Reflections, Slovenia, TRAILNOTES, Via Dinarica 2016, White Trail
GREEN KARST sLOVEnia's secrets | Hiking Via Dinarica White Trail

After I hiked more than 1200K through 4 different countries and added another 300K in Slovenia. The original Via Dinarica White Trail follows the Javorniki mountain range from Snežnik to Postojna. Although the forest up there is one of a kind, I decided to spend a bit more time in Slovenia, made a detour and set out an more ˝scenic route˝ through the beautiful Green Karst landscape. The last part of my Via Dinarica journey started in Ilirska Bistrica from where I headed back into the mountains, to Mašun, Sviščakih and Snežnik. I was blessed with fantastic weather. Cold, sunny and colorful. Autumn at its best.

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Incredible Croatian Karst, Via Dinarica White Trail

Categories Croatia, Route Reflections, TRAILNOTES, Via Dinarica 2016, White Trail
hiking_via_dinarica_croatia_balkans_white_trail

The Via Dinarica is a trail that is still in progress, only in Bosnia and Herzegovina the White Trail is officially open. In the other four countries the route is a combination of old existing trails that all together form a corridor through the Dinarides. With a distance of almost 600 kilometers, the Croatian section covers the largest part of the Via Dinarica. An absolutely beautiful stretch through the incredible Croatian karst mountains.

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4 Days Hiking in Paklenica National Park

Categories Croatia, Micro Adventures, Photo Diary, Via Dinarica 2016, White Trail

Jeej, I got company! No, she is not really an hiker or outdoorsie type, but she is my oldest friend… Why is everybody asking? When are you a hiker? What is a real hiker? Are there any rules? Hmm, I think I actually don’t really care. After almost 900K of solo-hiking, my BFF Caroline joined me in Starigrad, super exiting. New company, new spirit, new challenges. New ADVENTURE. Paklenica, here we come!

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What I talk about when I talk about Hiking

Categories Croatia, Musings, Via Dinarica 2016, White Trail
painted-by-marit-dik

“I’m free, I think. I shut my eyes and think hard and deep about how free I am, but I can’t really understand what it means. All I know is that I’m totally alone. All alone in an unfamiliar place, like some solitary explorer who’s lost his compass and his map. Is this what it means to be free? I don’t know, and I gave up thinking about it. – Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore.

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Dinara, to climb or not to climb

Categories Croatia, Stories, Via Dinarica 2016, White Trail
Dinara, to climb or not to climb?

I had a plan, I had maps, descriptions from other hikers and of course my GPS. It didn’t seem difficult to go to the top of Dinara, just a long “climb”. I had enough time, more than enough water and a plan that gave me the opportunity to spend an extra day on the mountain. Mountain Dinara. The only problem was that I was tired…

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Beautifully WILD Bosnia and Herzegovina, Via Dinarica White Trail

Categories Bosnia & Herzegovina, Route Reflections, TRAILNOTES, Via Dinarica 2016, White Trail
BLOG | Beautifully WILD Bosnia and Herzegovina

Although nature does not know borders, borders are often formed by nature. Mountains, rivers and seas are natural borders between different regions, countries or continents. Within these borders, people seem to develop their own characteristic way of living full of local traditions and old customs. Along the Via Dinarica I crossed many borders. Some were natural, some were cultural and some were just lines on a map. Lines that create countries.

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