Bobotov kuk (2523 meters) is the highest peak of Durmitor. Every year, a huge number of people come from all over the world with the desire to reach the roof of Durmitor, Bobotov kuk.
Since I also liked to call myself a "mountaineer", I thought that I would have a greater right to that name, if I climbed to this top. I usually get information online, and here I have heard "first hand" from several sources, and experiences.
I knew that Bobot's hip could be reached in various ways. They start with more strength and energy from Žabljak, and through the Ice Cave or Lokvica, they reach the goal. I have, no doubt, chosen the easiest one, with a starting point: the Saddle Pass. At least then I thought it was the easiest trail. Afterwards, I heard that the route that starts from Dobro dol is even easier, which leads to Zeleni vir via Urdeni and Mliječni dol. But getting to the Green Pool is no problem. The weight of the route is reflected in the section starting from Zeleni vir.
The board says that you can reach the destination from here in 3 hours. It is very relative. As I climb, many pass by me, so to speak, running. So one can take some wider range of 2.5 to 4 hours. It is important to get as far as we intend.
We started in the summer, but we got stuck at the top of the photo above right at the start. Namely, we overlooked the markings that show that this should be bypassed on the left, rather than heading straight to the top. It is not enough to say that we dropped our souls and that this was not harmless at all, but it ended happily. On the way back we saw where we made a mistake, so we corrected ourselves during the second climb. This initial effort is followed by a light walk on the terrain with a slight ascent. Depending on the date, tufts of snow may be encountered. It was like that on July 13, when I decided for the first time to write in the notebook at the top.
This part is quite light even for those with not too much strength and fitness. The terrain allows you to look around and enjoy the beauties of Durmitor. Each mountain is beautiful in its own way, but to me Durmitor is most dear to my heart. I guess because that's where I fell in love with the mountains and hiking. But I am not alone in that love. A large number of people, individually, in larger or smaller groups, walk on the peaks of Durmitor every day in the summer. Quite a few of them decided to reach this, the biggest peak. Most of them are younger people, but you can also meet babies in stretchers (mostly babies from the Baltic countries) and older people who want to fulfill their wish to take a look from the roof of Durmitor.
We are still on easy ground, we just have a chance to see what awaits us. From a distance, the final part of the road looks so vertical, that it is not clear to us how we will climb there without rolling.
The plateau end in the photo below is an ideal place to relax. In front of us we had a view of the phenomenal Colorful Belts, the most photogenic mountain, at least in our country. Bobotov kuk
rose to the right. We left behind most of the way (lengthwise), but what awaits us is what makes the ascent to this peak challenging, climbing to a height (one 500 meters).
Whenever I go hiking, I prepare to climb up and then down. The descents are the hardest for me during the climbing phase. I feel sorry for every meter I have already won. I know I have to make up for it again. So after the rest we had to go down to Zeleni vir and the spring.
There are no more descents from here, only - the direction up! So far I was quite ready. I walked without problems and followed the rhythm of the others. From here comes the torment. After every two or three meters, I stopped. I pretended that it was because of photography, because I had to drink water, to pass by someone. In the end, I said openly, "I have to like this, and you go so I don't slow you down." However, they didn't mind either, and they cunningly pretended that it was just to wait for me. While I was taking a break after every two meters, guys and a little older people from different countries of the world ran next to me. There are many languages that we had the opportunity to hear that day, climbing Durmitor. My friend, who lives in Canada and obviously has a keen ear, managed to greet everyone in his native language. It provoked shouts of delight from the other side, and gave me a chance to catch some air as they chatted. The greatest enthusiasm was with a larger group of mountaineers from Israel. He addressed them in Hebrew, or as they say in Hebrew, because he once worked there and learned the language.
While my friend and companion in climbing, chatted with "passers-by", I, in addition to trying to catch my breath because of the height, lost my breath because of the beauty I saw when I looked back. The other day a friend of mine reminded me of a verse that fit perfectly with my feeling as I sang, "Durmitor, Durmitor, all the mountain directors!" Whoever put this together knew what he was talking about.:-)
Step by step,I came to a place where you can see Škrčka lakes. The goal is very close from here, so here, while no one misses the opportunity to take photos, there is an opportunity for a short break before the last effort.
From here, just a little more. And that "just a little more" seems a little scary. Who has a fear of heights, I guess he won't even go this route. If, on the other hand, he plans to cure him here, he better not try. There is a holding cable in this part. It was not there on my first climb. I hope its here now. I climbed without it. Still, in any case, it gives a dose of security.
At the top, believe it or not, the crowd. An amazing phenomenon. There are so many people pushing each other trying to find a better angle to take photos. The happiness that overwhelms you that you climbed to the top, that you defeated yourself and that I, personally, went beyond the possibilities I thought I had, is indescribable. We meet and chat with comrades. Someone decided to dine here. Peel a boiled egg. Writing line next to the box and stamp. And an unexpected "mountaineer". The dog joined the three guys and didn’t give up to the top. He was, of course, tired.
The view around is amazing. I was lucky that both times I managed to reach this peak it was a bright and clear day so the view shot far and wide. I didn't have a quality camera, but what can be seen certainly arouses the desire to come to this place. Because, this kind of view is rarely seen.
When we gathered strength, were amazed enough to see that we needed to make room for others who were counting the last meters to the top, we headed back.
On the way back, we had even more opportunities to look around and admire the scenes because our step was safer, and the danger of breaking our leg was less. By the way, I don't know if the Mountain Rescue Service keeps any statistics, but I'm sure that the number of interventions due to sprains or broken legs, over the years, was the highest during the ascent to this place. We overcame that happily. And we were very proud of ourselves when, during the descent, we took a break in a place where we could observe the top and admire, both him and ourselves, that we managed to overcome it.("Jasnina putovanja")