Lost and found
Trekking guide Emily Woodhouse is geographically challenged in Slovenia…
It was the first week of October in the Julian Alps, Slovenia.
I had spent a few days with colleagues walking hut-to-hut in the southernmost parts of the mountains. We had planned to do Triglav, but early snowfall meant a change of plans. Now, I was alone in the mountains for a few extra days. Chatting with a guide in the hut the night before, he’d recommended a nearby winter room (like a bothy). I split from the group just after lunch, heading north towards that hut.
It was my first time in the area, and I was having a fantastic time. By 4pm, I had reached a clearing below
Vodnik Hut and stopped for a snack. I then realised I only had a few snacks, not enough to keep me going overnight. With the map on one knee, I calculated how much further I had to go. It took me by surprise. “Ah,” I thought, “that’s still quite a way. Best get going.” I pressed on, up a narrow groove in a long rocky gully.
At 5:30pm I reached the snow line, and after that, a signpost at the top of the pass: 1hr 15min to the hut I wanted. I assumed the sign would be conservative, and thought, “Half an hour’s not so bad.
It’ll be fine.” The moon was up and the way ahead was a wild expanse of rocky lumps and holes. On my 1:50k map, the path was marked just like any other I’d been on today; but with a thin layer of snow, the white and red markers were covered. Misreading rocks for cairns, I assumed they marked the path and set off.
Half an hour later, I was not at the hut. It was now dusk, and I had an unpowered head torch, no camping kit, no spare food or water, and only a rough steer on exactly where I was. It was time to admit defeat and turn back.
I got myself to the signpost as fast as I could. I then faced a long but known walk back to Vodnik Hut in the dark. I arrived at 10pm, exhausted but safe.
WHAT DID I LEARN?
My Slovenian experience shows how easy it is to become complacent. I falsely assumed I’d be able to navigate and left myself little margin for error, being underequipped and lacking in time and food. It’s easy to be self-critical in these situations, but I did do one thing right. It’s never too late to turn back, if that’s the safest direction. Mistakes are made by us all, sooner or later, no matter how skilled, experienced or qualified we are. It’s just a matter of probability.