The grand finale in May

Spring is by far the most active period, considering the indoor activities such as basketball and badminton are still ongoing, ski-touring is climaxing and the running preparation is well under way. In May I joined three running competitions - Tek Trojk (13km, 200m), Radenci half marathon (21km, 80m) and Tek na Krim (5km, 750m). Organized by the Slovenian mountain rescue organization, Tek na Krim starts almost in front of our house in Vrbljene and finishes on top of Krim - a legendary mountain already perpetuated during the course of this blog. Teams of two have to reach the top in the shortest time as well as complete a first aid challenge. I am proud to say we have monopolized the podium - see the photo above. At the same time, first place has slipped out of our (better say Damjan's) hands for the second year in a row. Even though he had a very strong finish, his brother Simon simply did not have his day. Leon and I finished third. Conveniently it was also my birthday, so with the other lads joining, we continued the celebration on my garden. A great finale of a very active spring. Family and relaxation are the main priority of the summer!
 

Tek Trojk

Tek Trojk is a popular running competition in the forests of Ljubljana, holding a 60-year old tradition. Groups of three runners have to complete a dynamic course (12 or 29km) which passes across Golovec (440m). The event has a strong historical touch, because during WW2 Partisans were said to be scouting in groups of three. Taking this competition quite seriously with the lads, we organized preliminary qualifications in order to form two teams - Podkrimci 1 and Podkrimci 2. Funny to say, but this is usually more brutal then the competition itself. With a little help of an angry Beagle that attacked Simon during qualifications, I managed to join the elite. However; being the weakest link was a completely new chapter to me - see my expression on the photo above. I am proud to say that together with Damjan and Leon, we finished 7th among more than 1300 teams! My track is avaliable on the following link. Andraž and Simon finished 14th. When reflecting (pizza and beer) in the city center we concluded that preparation, training, rivalry, celebration and friendship are even more important than the actual results!

One day in the life of..

Although I have recently bought an airplane ticket to Georgia (trekking next summer with the boys), I am not engaged in any spectacular adventures. At the same time I am happy to announce that Ana is expecting another baby in January! This means family is currently the main focus - which brings me to the topic of this post. Before I went to sleep on Sunday (1-Nov-2015), I thought to myself: "Today was a perfect day". My mother will charge me with bragging, but I would just like to document my perception of time well spent. I probably dont have to mention that most of the weekends have only a few of the elements presented below:

• 6:30 - I wake after 8 hours of quality sleep
• 6:35 - breakfast: it starts to dawn and finally there is no fog in Ljubljana
• 6:45 - running with Artač: we explore new terrain and watch the sunrise on top of Golovec
• 7:45 - breakfast with Ana
• 8:00 - Zoja is surprisingly still sleeping - we take advantage and practice Love
• 8:45 - Zoja wakes and after another breakfast all three of us are dancing to music (Maček Muri)
• 9:30 - we start assembling Ikea furniture for the kids room - Zoja is very "helpful"
• 11:00 - my neighbor assists to move / connect a few electric cables in the room
• 12:00 - Ana cooks one of her quick specialities: salmon in foil with mashed peas
• 13:00 - Zoja goes to sleep and we finalize the room
• 15:00 - Zoja wakes up, we relax on the couch
• 15:30 - we take a long walk next to Ljubljanica river - Zoja cycles like crazy
• 16:45 - back home and getting ready to hit the birthday party of Ana's cousin
• 17:30 - party: fabulous food, great atmosphere and interesting people
• 18:30 - Zoja is playing "Monkey" with her favourite buddy - grandfather Lojze
• 19:00 - I am having philosophical conversations after my forth glass of wine (Ana is pregnant and driving)
• 19:30 - going home - Zoja is surprisingly not resisting and waves the company goodbye
• 20:30 - after the standard routine, Zoja goes to sleep
• 21:00 - watching TV with Ana
• 21:30 - evening reading (A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson)
• 22:30 - sleep!

One day in the life of Janvit Bajt. Nothing special, yes... but happiness is a felicitous combination of simple moments.

Kolpa and back to basics

Since Ana and Zoja were both enjoying their vacation on Hvar, it was the perfect timing to assemble the lads (Artač, Damjan and Leon) for a 3-day adventure on the Kolpa river. On Thursday afternoon we rented two mini rafts in Osilnica and after a short descent, we set the campsite just below the Ribjek village. During the evening hours we were mainly occupied with improvised cooking – mincemeat, vegetables and lots of potatoes. At this point I should also mention that the Osilnica region is home to hundreds of bears, happy to clean-up the leftovers from outdoor campers. Damjan, who took these potential visitors very seriously, decided to keep the fire burning throughout the night.  In the next two days we descended more than 50 kilometres down the Kolpa river, which is very lively at the beginning but rather sluggish at the finish in Dol. There was a lot of swimming, jumping, river rapids – but most important, we could liberate our basic survival instincts, which are usually supressed in the city environment. For example, the fish that Damjan caught with his bare hands was a great protein enrichment to the evening menu.  

Planica - family vacation

Planica is not only a world famous ski-jumping polygon, but also the entrance to a breathtaking glacier valley (Tamar) and a strategic location for numerous winter activities. For a few days we stayed in the Planica hut, where we engaged in winter hiking, cross-cuntry skiing and most important for Zoja - sledding. Aside from fresh powder and sun, we also enjoyed late evenings with ping-pong, sauna and beer (thanks to our new electronic baby-sitter). There is also a small ski-lift right next to the hut, and you can bet Zoja is coming back in 2016 - this time on skis!

And they lived happily ever after..

The beggining of this summer was fetal for my single's status - as Ana and I finally got married! I have a lot of friends in serious relationships, most of who do not plan to marry soon or even have a negative opinion about this commotion. In the past, living together and having kids without being married was considered something not right, while the new generation has completely turned the tables. Many people in Slovenia belive that marriage is just a "piece of paper" and that the wedding is a "waste of money". Some of you may call me old-fassiond, but from my point of view the wedding was truelly one of the happiest days of my life. I do not want to idealize merrige, nor the ceremony itself; however, it was very emotional and relaxed, the party was a blast.. and most important, Ana was (is) the most beautiful girl in the world!

Dadi - A snowboarding legend!

More than two months have passed since Davorin Šmarčan (Dadi), a mountain collegue, mentor and friend, was killed while snowboarding from Veliki ozebnik (2480m). Even though he boarded a very difficult alpinistic route (V, S6-), I am completely sure he did not make a wrong move. It is more probable that the top layer of snow, which was not completely frozen after a warm night, slipped under his weight, throwing him off the balance. On such a steep slope (50+ degrees), which strongly gravitates towards a few hundred meter precipice, every fall can result in death.

Dadi was for sure one of the best and most experienced alpinistic snowboarders in Slovenia. He made more than a hundred descents with difficulty V or higher. What is even more important, he was extremely careful in planning and executing his descents, never leaving room for coincidence. The problem was that he brought the game to such a high level, where objective danger becomes more and more critical. I have to admit, this is certainly the dirty side of mountains. No matter how good and experienced you are, how well you prepare, how good the weather is... there is always objective danger for which you can never prepare.

Even though Dadi was one of the best alpinistic snowboarders in Slovenia, he was also a very modest and quite guy, who liked to keep a low profile. That is why very little people knew about him. Of course there was a lot more behind Dadi, then just snowboarding. His short life was everything but easy, however, he was always an optimist. His moral values were extremely high, and he had a very keen feeling for right and wrong. A few years ago he married with Doris, and they decided to move to the hills, build a house and slowly start a biological farm (besides regular jobs and sports). Taking into consideration they were both from the city, this is completely a revolutionary step, which many people only dream about but never take. They were joyfull, hardwrking, ready for a big family... and very much in love. It is shocking how quickly everything falls apart.

Dadi, I will never forget a single day that I spent with you!

Bachelor's Party!

It is not usual to publish photos from Batchlor's parties, however, it will not hurt to give you a glimpse of my ski-touring adventure around the Fužine metropolis. This was just the first (and probably the easiest) task the boys have prepared for me. There was a lot of eating, drinking, sports and other "unforgettable" activities. I am the first to get married and there are a lot of Batchlor's parties yet to come. So those who are not planning to marry soon - be aware that ideas are steadily building up!

Slovenian rivers!

Slovenia is a country of mountains, forests, but also a country of (mostly) crystal clear rivers and streams. Since a very young age, I have always enjoyed jumping and swimming in cold water, which is probably why they named me "frog" in my scout group. This attribute I have definitely nourished over the years. To celebrate Leon's return from Moscow, we decided to explore the Iška and Zala canyon, which are located south of Ljubljana's basin. It was a great adventure, a lot of swimming and even a taste of climbing.

On the next weekend, Ana and I decided to pay a visit to Kolpa, where we already spent a weekend two years ago. This time we canoed its upper part, which is quite lively and wild. Kolpa has more than a 100 kilometers on the Slovenian-Croatian border, and we have a lot of sections still to explore.

Ljubljana's mayor (Zoran) has promised, that in a few years, Ljubljanica will be clean enough to swim in. This is a little hard to imagine, but definitely something I'm looking forward to.

Mljet - a beautiful island in south Dalmacija!

Last summer, Ana and I were so busy with renovating the apartment and finalizing our diplomas, that we nearly forgot to take vacation. When I mention "summer" and "vacation" in one sentence, I'm talking about visiting the seaside - most probably on the Croatian coast. To our delight, generous weather in the beginning of last fall encouraged us to take a short trip to Mali Lošinj.

Because this year ambitions were much higher, we decided to take an early 1-week vacation on Mljet, an island in south Dalmacija. We slept at the family Sršen that was also cooking for us, whatever fish or other gifts of the sea they caught in the morning. Besides running, cycling, hiking and canoeing we also enjoyed more classical seaside activities such as swimming, sunbathing and simply doing nothing. Mljet is definitely a nice location for those, who enjoy nature, outdoor activities and the absence of mass tourism. But then again, we still have a lot of Croatian islands to explore in the future.

My 27th birthday!

In general I throw a birthday party every two years, while this time I decided to take it easy and spend the day with my family only (of course Ana also falls under this category). As most of the members were still working or studying, I took my father and Bella to the Kamniško pass (1903m) - an easy hike in the mountains. Later we all met in Vrbljene, where we had a grill picnic with cake, presents and everything that comes with a birthday.

Drežnica!

Drežnica is a picturesque village resting on the footsteps of mountain Krn (2244m). Ana and I decided to take advantage of good weather and make a trip to this very remote area (2h drive from Ljubljana). We enjoyed a picnic in the nature and capitalized the day by swimming below nearby waterfalls, which are fed by the melting snow in the mountains. The water was surprisingly not freezing and proved to be a nice refreshment, as the air temperature rose up to 30 degrees Celsius.

Master of Economics!

Even though this blog is mainly reserved for different sports and outdoor activities, I should still mention my master's diploma. Sports have definitely played a big role in my life, shaping my tenacious and target-oriented character, which was needed for such a big project. On 28th of October I successfully defended my master's thesis and (at least for now) finished my formal education. About a week later Ana received her bachelor's degree in law. Now it's time to take a deep breath, a short pause.. and see what's comming next.