We got up early, had coffee and leftover burger, and did the final round of splitting our luggage into what was coming on the hike and what was staying behind.

At the bus station we had to wait a little longer than expected. When the bus finally arrived it was completely full, so we stood in the aisle with all our bags, even though this was a normal intercity coach rather than a city bus.

Luckily the traffic was much better. Instead of the 40 minutes the journey had taken the day before, it took only 20 minutes that morning.

We reached the restaurant where we had arranged to leave our main luggage at 07:20, only to be told that the person handling the bags would arrive at 08:00. We waited until six minutes past eight before Caro finally went to investigate. It turned out that the person was already there, but had entered from the other side. Luckily checking in the bags took about a minute, so we were still in good time for the 08:20 bus to Bohinj. This time we even had seats.

We reached the start of the hike at 09:26. Within the first hundred metres we were walking beside what must have been some of the clearest, most crystalline water we had ever seen. Looking up at the sheer cliffs ahead, little did we know that we would soon be climbing them.

Hugo and Caro at the start of the hike beside clear Alpine water
Starting the hike beside some of the clearest water we had ever seen.
Caro pointing towards the Komarca cliff
Caro indicating the cliff we were about to climb. The face says the rest.

Our original plan was to take the path on the left directly up to Dom na Komni. For reasons neither of us can quite explain, we made a last-minute decision to take the path on the right instead, up the Komarča cliff.

The climb gains about 650 vertical metres in only 1.7 kilometres: an average gradient of roughly 38%, or 21 degrees. It included chains and iron pegs, with some very exposed drops beside us.

Caro holding a chain on the exposed Komarca route
The Komarča route follows chains across exposed sections of rock.
Caro climbing iron pegs on the Komarca route
Iron pegs provided the footholds through one of the steeper sections.
Hugo on the exposed Komarca trail high above the valley
Hugo on the exposed trail, now a long way above the valley floor.

We stopped for lunch at Črno jezero — Black Lake — and then faced another steep climb. By the end of the day we had gained almost 1,000 metres in net elevation, although the smaller descents along the route pushed our cumulative climbing higher.

Hugo having lunch above Black Lake
A lunch stop after the first steep climb, with another wall of rock ahead.
Caro standing beside Crno jezero, Black Lake
Črno jezero — Black Lake.

We reached Dom na Komni at 14:45. Check-in went smoothly, and we had two beds in a four-bed room. We were the first to arrive, and the view from our room over Lake Bohinj was unbelievable. The only bad news was that there were no showers because of the drought: the hut’s rainwater tanks were almost empty. We had a quick wet-wipe wash and went down to the dining room.

Caro looking over Lake Bohinj from the room at Dom na Komni
The view over Lake Bohinj from our room at Dom na Komni.

We shared a Radler and played some cards. At the same time, we checked the weather forecast and discussed our cold symptoms. Neither was looking good.

Hugo sharing a Radler in the Dom na Komni dining room
A shared Radler in the hut dining room while we considered our options.

Our final hut still offered free cancellation, and even the next night’s hut would give us a partial refund. We went through every permutation we could think of: staying two nights at the next hut to wait out the storm, shortening the route, and various other combinations.

In the end, with our colds feeling as bad as they did and the storm warnings looking severe, we decided to cancel both huts and head back down the following morning. Luckily we found an apartment near Bohinj that could take us.

Later, a German couple joined us and we played a few rounds of cards together.

Dinner was served at 18:00. Hugo chose macaroni bolognese, while Caro ordered sauerkraut with beans and meat. Caro usually likes sauerkraut, but the sheer volume of it was a surprise. Even the Germans said it was more than they would ever serve: about half a kilogram of almost pure sauerkraut, with only trace amounts of the beans and meat. Dessert was apple strudel, which was okay.

Macaroni bolognese served for dinner at Dom na Komni
Hugo’s macaroni bolognese.
A large serving of sauerkraut with beans and meat
Caro’s enormous serving of sauerkraut, with only traces of beans and meat.

By 20:00 we were already in bed. Our roommates came in to put down their bags at about 22:00, but only returned to sleep after 23:00.

The Julian Alps seen from Dom na Komni in the evening
The mountains from Dom na Komni in the evening light.
Golden evening light across the Julian Alps
The last sunlight reaching across the Julian Alps.

Despite still feeling sick, Hugo somehow managed to sleep through the night without coughing loudly enough to wake everyone.

Our route

The GPX track covers 8.9 km, with about 1,341 metres of ascent and 352 metres of descent, climbing from 530 metres to 1,520 metres. From our 09:26 start to our 14:45 arrival, we were on the route for 5 hours 19 minutes, averaging about 1.7 km/h overall.