When you enter Slovenia you leave behind concepts such as traffic jam and you enter in incredibly green valleys. Close to the border with Italy flow the waters of the river Soča (fiume Isonzo in Italian). Once you arrive in Kobarid (Caporetto) you can already glimpse the top of Monte Krn.
This area during the First World War was one of the main battlefronts between Italians and Austrians that clashed into dreadful fighting many times both on the top of the mountains and down in the valleys. Before climbing up the hard rocks of Monte Krn it is a good idea to visit the Kobarid War Museum and the nearby Poti Miru Fundation. A visit to these two institutions will make you more conscious about the bloody historical heritage of that mountain and of the entire area.
To go up on Monte Krn there are different ways and paths. Personally we chose the hardest, the Via Ferrata Silva Korena (Via Koren) that goes almost vertically till the top. Once you leave the car in the enchanting village of Drežnica (550 metres of altitude) in the parking area, you enter the starting point of the path. The first part is an easy way going along woods and glades till a fork at 837 metres. On the right you can go up with an “easier” path while, turning on your left, you go in the direction of the bivouac na Cmiku (1160 m.).
Once you get to the bivouac you will have already done a difference in height of around 600 metres. From here the path becomes to be steep until a snowfield to cross. Once on the other side of the snowfield there it starts the via ferrata at around 1350 metres of altitude. From this point you climb up only on a steep and vertical path only partially provided with safety wire.
The map says that the entire path from this point is a via ferrata. Actually, this is not true. Only some parts of the path, that goes from 1350 metres close to the top at 2182, are provided with the wire.
This kind of evaluation are always subjective and personal but everyone suffering on vertical paths won’t be able to go up on a path where a banal difficulty or a fall could have highly dangerous consequences.
This is a path that can be done during the summer period starting really early in the morning in order to cope with the big difference of height of more than 1700 metres and in order to be able to climb up under the shadow. Getting to the top early means also to have better probabilities to avoid the foggy cap that covers the mountain in the early afternoon. This is a path where you need proper training and proper equipment such as personal protection devices (kit ferrata, harness, helmet) and of course proper boots, jacket, gloves etc. etc.
It is necessary to be well trained and fit. Considering the kind of path is absolutely necessary to do it with perfect meteorological conditions in order to avoid rain and thunderstorms that would increase the risks.
At the end of the via-ferrata you reach the mountain hut Gomiščkovo zavetišče where you can have a delicious hot traditional soup looking the wide panorama in front of you. Mountain hut keepers are very kind and welcoming and they speak English.
All around the mountain hut there is still the heavy inheritance of the First World War: trenches, barbed wire rolls and so on.
Once appreciated the amazing panorama we started the descent walking on the other side of the mountain that, as only difficulty, has the length of the path going all the way back to the village of Drežnica.
As I wrote at the beginning, there are many different routes to the top. Probably the easiest one is the one from the village Krn, you can park the car at the Baita Kuhninja (1000 metres). Here you won’t face any particular difficulty but the classical ones of an environment at high altitude.
I wish you an incredible adventure on Monte Krn!
Here the link to the War Museum of Kobarid.
And here the link to the Poti Miru Fundation.
This post is based on subjective evaluations that aren’t substituting experience, training and proper personal evaluation that are the basics of any hike. Each one wishing to go up in the mountains does it under his own responsibility and under his proper evaluations. Any kind of mountain path has to be done with proper experience and equipment in order to avoid to risk his own and the others’ life.
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