Stage K-B 1

Mountain Hut Kuhinja–Hut by the Krn Lakes

Hard

The starting point of the K-B-1 stage of the Walk of Peace from the Alps to the Adriatic trail is at the parking area near the Mountain Hut Kuhinja, from where you continue to the nearby mountain hut. Turn north at the hut, following a marked steep alpine trail over the pastures. You can see the top of Mt. Krn – your first goal on this stage – directly above you from the start. The trail that leads you to the alpine pasture of Zaslap crosses the access road to the alpine pastures several times.  Above the Zaslap Alpine Pasture the steep trail leads you to the saddle behind Mt. Kožljak. From here you continue to ascend up an old military road that goes along a smooth slope, called Krnska plošča, all the way to the Gomiščkovo zavetišče Mountain Hut just below the top of Mt. Krn. The latter was occupied by the Italian Army soon after the battles on the Isonzo Front started. In order to facilitate the coordination of the attack on the Krn Mountain Range, the Italian commanding units were moved to Drežinca on the 29^th of May 1915. The strategic importance of Mt. Krn lied in the intent to advance in the Tolminka Valley and to surprise the Austro-Hungarian units that were defending the Tolmin bridgehead from behind. Mt. Krn was conquered by the Battalion Exilles and they managed to occupy it, together with the western part of Mt. Batognica until the Twelfth Isonzo Battle. From the top of Mt. Krn you can still see the caves and the remains of barbed wire. Follow the alpine path that goes along and below the ridge, and brings you to Mt. Krnska škrbina. From there you climb up a trail and some carved steps until you reach the top of Mt. Batognica. The top of Mt. Batognica was embattled with trenches and gun caves that are still very noticeable. This was the scene of horrific battles on the high-mountain karst. The positions of the fighting armies were just a few metres apart on this mountain. The fighting ended with the mine war, when 4,100 kilograms of explosives were fired. The consequences of this can be seen to this day in the form of four big craters. From the top, you descend an alpine path to the so-called Prag (Batogniško sedlo Pass) under the magnificent Mt. Vrh nad Peski. From here, you descend down the scree slopes to the high mountain karst plateau V Laštah and continue on the alpine path that brings you to Krn Lake.
If you do not want to go on Mt. Batognica, you can go from Mt. Krnska škrbina, between Mt. Krn and Mt. Batognica, where you can still see the remains of an Italian cannon, down in the direction of northwest towards Krn Lake. Under Mt. Batognica the terrain becomes flatter, you cross the high mountain karst plain V Laštah, Polje Mountain Pasture and reach Krn Lake, the largest lake in the Julian Alps. You can reach the north part of the lake by following a path across the scree slope. There each year in November a memorial ceremony is held to commemorate the end of World War I. Just a short climb and descent down to Duplje Mountain Pasture with the remains of a military cemetery at the Hungarian cross and you are almost at the end of the stage. From here only a few minutes separate you from your destination, the Koča pri Krnskih jezerih (the mountain hut by Krn Lakes).

Text: Martin Šolar, Kobariški muzej
Photos: (1) Jošt Gantar, Turizem Dolina Soče; (2) Turizem Dolina Soče, (3) Matevž Lenarčič, Fundacija Poti miru; (4, 5) Tanja Gorjan, Fundacija Poti miru; (6) Aleš Zdešar, Dom Trenta