Bjelasnica

Ross is back in Bosnia for 10 days.  We were hoping to spend some time on the Croatian coast next week, but my rehearsal schedule is too limiting, so we will just hang out in Sarajevo.  Of course, I really want to revisit all of my favorite places in the city before I have to leave, so I’m looking forward to having my favorite companion by my side.

Ross arrived on Thursday afternoon, and by Friday morning we were on the top of Bjelasnica, the second highest mountain near Sarajevo!  My roommate has wanted to climb the mountain all year, so she arranged the hiking trip for all of our interested friends.  I was a little bit nervous, because I had heard that the hike is quite difficult and I haven’t been very good about exercising to stay in shape this spring.  However, Sara met with a guide who reassured her that we could all make it to the top.  So, we made an arrangement with the guide, rented a car, and Ross, Sara, Matt, Mattia, and I set out toward the base of Bjelasnica early on Friday morning.

The hike was indeed difficult, but also a lot of fun.  I did okay, despite being out of shape, and Ross did great, despite being jet-lagged.  It is much easier for me to hike in Sarajevo than in Colorado because I’m sensitive to altitude and Bjelasnica’s summit, at 2067 meters, is much lower than even the starting points of most Colorado trails.

We started the hike in Babin Do, the mountain’s ski resort.  It is full of beautiful lodges, restaurants, and bars, but in the summer is virtually deserted.  However, there was one small café open, where we could have a coffee before heading up.  We started on some relatively flat, wooded trails that wove toward another side of the mountain.  As we emerged from the woods, the guide pointed toward the observatory that sits on the peak, and said, “We’re going there”.  I thought, “Well, duh”, not realizing what he meant.  We were going directly there, up the very steep face of the mountain! No trails, and no switchbacks, just straightforward ascent.

We realize what we are in for

Going straight up to the top!

Fortunately, it was steep, but not a sheer drop.  No climbing equipment necessary—just strong legs, some water, and a lot of willpower.  If anyone had fallen, they would have easily been able to stop from sliding down.  I still wouldn’t recommend the climb for anyone seriously afraid of heights.  I personally liked the new challenge (I’ve never climbed anything so steep before) and the spectacular views.  We panted our way through the ascent, took frequent “pausas”, and everyone managed to make it up within three hours!  Our guide had predicted that it would take us about 4, so I guess we did pretty well.

At the top of Bjelasnica is a small observatory, as well as some abandoned Olympic buildings.  Of course, the first thing we did was take pictures and check out the views.  As you circle around the peak, you can see all of the surrounding mountains and hills, lots of small villages, and Sarajevo itself.  It is a great way to orient yourself and learn more about the local geography, if you aren’t too tired to concentrate (which I was).  Before heading back down the mountain, we ate some lunch and got a stamp from the observatory confirming that we had made it to the peak.  I brought enough peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to share, which was a good idea, because Mattia had never had one before.  So, I am slowly spreading the word around Europe about the deliciousness of peanut butter and jelly, hehe.

2067 meters

View from the top

Tasting the peanut butter and jelly sandwich

The whole group in front of the observatory

I thought that going down would be a piece of cake, especially since we were taking a different trail that wasn’t quite a steep.  It was fun to run and climb at first, but I learned that going sharply downhill for an extended time is almost as hard as going up.  It is hard on the knees and feet, and takes a lot of muscle to keep from falling.  However, we kept chugging along, and made it eventually.  There are still a few areas of snow on the mountains, and traversing one icy patch was a nice challenge that broke up the monotony of walking.

Starting our descent

Trying not to slide down the mountain when crossing the snow and ice

Halfway down: herd of sheep in the foreground, and Babin Do in the background

We make it back to the cars and can see how far we came

When we made it all the way back to the café, we stopped for an obligatory beer.  One of the best things about a hard hike is that it makes food and drink taste extra delicious.  The beer was so refreshing, but made me pretty sleepy.  Our guide suggested that he could also take us to a cave that was only ten minutes away.  I agreed, thinking that he meant we would go by car, but later realized that in fact, I had just signed on for another 3-kilometer hike.  Oops.  Fortunately, the terrain was only a little hilly, and I had Ross to keep me company as I moseyed along at a slower-than-normal pace. 

I’d never been inside a cave before.  This one was small, and not so dark or scary, so a good way to start.  We just went a few feet inside and then used our phones and camera flashes to take a look around.  The guide made Sara and I wear ropes around our waists for security, and I held onto the walls so I wouldn’t slip on the mucky ground.  The walls were quite slimy!

Inside of the cave

After we returned from our “spelunking expedition” (yes, of course we discusses how “spelunking” is a very strange and funny-sounding word) our guide took us to Igman so that Ross and Matt could see the ski jumps and Olympic podiums.  Sara, Mattia, and I had been there before, but it was nice to go back and get some more silly pictures before calling it a day.  We finally got home around 5pm, and I think everyone slept very well that night!

The guys on the Olympic podiums