The bus driver dropped us off way past the trail and looked at us like we were crazy for jumping off the bus in the middle of nowhere. It was late afternoon and the sun beat down on us as we trekked back up the road, looking over the Adriatic. We had to walk through a small settlement before making it to the trail and starting to climb. The mountains went straight up from the sea but it gave us spectacular views of the sun setting. It burned orange then faded into a blood red before disappearing into the fog.

The trail became darker and darker and suddenly we were post holing through snow. We could barely see anything but our feet in our lamps as we pushed up the mountain. My feet froze and the top layer of ice cut them as we'd break through. After hours and hours of climbing in the dark, we saw a light to the hut we were headed to and got another wave of adrenaline. The caretaker saw our lamps and came out to greet us but he had lived in the hut for 40 years and didn't speak a word of English. Even so, we knew what he meant when he looked down at our footwear and shook his head. He made us a pot of tea as my feet painfully regained feeling. He also filled up two shots of flavored vodka to, what I'm assuming he said, 'warm up the inside.' That night we got to snuggle into warm beds in a heated room and recover from our night hike. The next morning, in warmer clothing and slightly better prepared, we strapped on our crampons and left the hut.

The snow was mostly solid and we had a great time hiking through it. After a while, the other footprints began to disappear and we were on our own to break trail. The sun baked down and loosened up the snow as we pushed on. We sank deeper and deeper. We made it to a small, dilapidated shelter and decided to stay instead of pushing on. Most of the rest of the day we experimented with the best way to turn snow into drinking water without using our fuel.

That night was cold and I had wished we could start a fire though I knew the temperature would make it easier to walk the next morning. We strapped on our spikes and got moving. It was nice to hike and we had found some snow mobile tracks that compressed the snow. Even so, as the sun came out, we began to post hole. Just as it was getting unbearable we reached a road that was almost snow free. We kicked all the ice out of our shoes and began flying on the road. Besides small icy bits, we were able to move much faster than before.

We reached a hut just as the wind was picking up and found a small open shelter with bunks and a wood stove. The trail from there veered off the road and was covered in soggy snow so we called it a day and began collecting wood for a fire. The small shelter was almost too warm when we got the stove going but we relished in the heat; drying our gear, melting snow, and regaining feeling in our toes.

When we got moving the next morning we began post holing immediately. We were in for a tough day. It was somewhat warm but the sun couldn't break through the clouds to heat us up after slogging through the snow. We stopped to warm up our feet knowing it wouldn't be long till they were frozen again. We found another trail that took us on a slope that had been shaded and had slightly better luck staying on top of the snow. We rounded a corner and saw that the end of the snow was in sight. A wave of relief washed over me as we slid on our butts down to the dry ground. Then suddenly, after not seeing another human for days, two people popped around the corner and greeted us. When they heard we were tourists they started spewing all of the best things about Croatia. Deep in the mountains with snow covered peaks surrounding us just about the Adriatic sea, we couldn't help but agree. They said we were close to the next hut and that a few people had the stove going for when we got there. It was a much bigger shelter than we had left that morning and a huge group of people surrounded the table in the kitchen. Almost before we said hello they asked if we were hungry and began filling bowls with stew from a giant pot on the stove. We sat down with them and ate a delicious lunch with fresh veggies, meat, and a large loaf of bread. They shared their Rakija with us, which we found out was a strong Croatian liquor made from plums. I mentioned that it warmed us up from the inside and one of them said it was the only reason they drank it as everyone laughed. Their group packed up and left, leaving us at the hut alone. Though not for long. Our friends we had seen from the trail had made their way back and we're stopping in to dry their socks. The four of us chatted for hours as he made a recommended route for us to take from there.

When they left he offered us everything he had in his pack and gave us his only beer, a real gift in Croatia. We had the hut to ourselves that night and we spent it checking out the incredibly clear night sky reflecting off the Adriatic. We hiked down the next morning on a trail that seemed straight out of Game of Thrones and reached the road near a gas station. There we would try and hitch hike down to our next location along the coast. After being unsuccessful for a couple hours we ran into two other travelers who were coming up from the sea. They were from Spain and were headed to the hut we had just come from for the night. They had come from the islands of Croatia and after sharing with us some shells and pictures, told us we must go there. So we walked down to the town on the coast and hopped on a ferry to the island of Rab.

Photo by Moose