Km 1550 to 1715, Jablanica (Bosnia & Herzegovina) to Sinj (Croatia).
Day 46
08/06/2022 – 40km
Today was quite hard. The trail down into Jablanica was steep and often overgrown. It had rained last night, so as you can imagine, pushing through undergrowth I got very wet. I also lost the trail a few times and had to backtrack to find the markings.
After resupplying in town, there then came a big climb, over 1800m of elevation gain, pretty much unbroken. Thankfully the trail was good and there were no navigational issues.
The on and off rain prevented me from ever being really dry.
I also think at some point in the last week my solar panel has stopped working. It was cheap, so not a huge surprise, but still a shame.
On a more positive note, I have now gone one quarter of the way.
Day 47
09/06/2022 – 49km
The rain continues. Most of the day was either light rain or drizzle. I did have a little blue sky first thing in the morning.
Despite this, morale was high and the terrain forgiving (after a brief slog up Vran peak).
I made it to a pizzeria in time for dinner. My coke came with a wine glass, which made me smile.
Day 48
10/06/2022 – 52km
No mountains today, or even much in the way of hills.
I crossed into Croatia around midday. Shortly before the border I passed a Via Dinarica hiker going the other way and gave him my last few Bosnian Marks.
Due to how flat and easy the day was, I had already done 50km by 4:30, and so had a lot of time to kill until dinner/sleep. It’s times like this I wish I had a book.
Day 49
11/06/2022 – 25km
A brisk march (25km in 4.5 hours) brought me to the town of Sinj. From there I took one of the regular buses to the city of Split.
The old town of Split is incredibly beautiful. And incredibly busy. I spent a lot of time meandering among the narrow stone alleys and romanesque buildings. One of the throng.
Croatia is noticeably more expensive than Bosnia and Herzegovina. I’d better adjust to it, since I don’t think it’ll be getting cheaper as I go West.
Beautiful Ben! Keep going bro! We are joining the Via Alpina South of Obersdorf for 10 days going west on Aug 6th. May be we bump into you…or you will be far gone. Do you have any idea how to make reservations for any huts? Seems like a complicated endeavor…We are trying to figure out the details. Are there any good websites you recommend to get those? In any case good luck and safe travels! Best Hasso and Saša
Hi Hasso and Sasa,
Yes reserving huts in the Alps can be a pain. There isn’t really a centralised system. Often I’ll find a hut on Google maps, then sometimes the listing has a website, or occasionally just a phone number.
Hi Ben, thanks for your reply, appreciate it. Great to follow you on your trip! How do you have google reception to find a hut when you are in the Carni Alps? Strange that there wouldn’t be a list anybody has put together yet, but hey, if that’s what it is, i’m happy to roll with that too. 🙂 Just wondering how many time get to a hut and it might be booked already? Are you just pitching your tent then in front of the hut? Just trying to get a feel. And how low do the temperatures drop in August. Any idea? Is there a particular website to tap more into the weather situation? Thank you for your help Ben!
I think the Via Alpina has official “sections”, which I imagine are probably hut to hut. So I would look that up and then book with the huts individually.
With phone reception I guess it depends. Often you have signal from one of the nearby towns or villages.
Beautiful pictures as always. I have to imagine nothing tastes better than that pizza and coke at the end of the day.
You aren’t wrong! It’s not as good as the Marseille pizza, but it was €4, and for that it was great.
Hi Ben, I’ve really enjoyed reading about your journey so far and pictures are great. The pizza looked good too. Take care.
Dear Ben, When Dennis and I were in Jablanka it had snowed and it was deep and beautiful. The high mountains are near – Sar Planina. Down in Split we stayed for several days admiring Diocletians palace and other roman sites. Good luck from Wendy and Adrian xx
Beautiful Ben! Keep going bro! We are joining the Via Alpina South of Obersdorf for 10 days going west on Aug 6th. May be we bump into you…or you will be far gone. Do you have any idea how to make reservations for any huts? Seems like a complicated endeavor…We are trying to figure out the details. Are there any good websites you recommend to get those? In any case good luck and safe travels! Best Hasso and Saša