Lenka Reiterová

Podyjí National Park Administration, Znojmo, Czech Republic

Triglav is my great teacher. When I visit it, I always learn something new from nature or people. But the most important thing was the lesson of humility. I have verified again that the renunciation that brings pleasure exists. And that the most sought-after achievements may not necessarily be the most beautiful.

It was years ago in a camp on Lake Bohinj during our summer study trip to Slovenia. We created a top team with the aim of conquering the top of Mount Triglav. Walking through the Triglav Lakes Valley we slowly left the sunny weather behind. We arrived at the Triglav Lakes Lodge during a heavy rain and a strong wind. We went to sleep hoping for better morning wheather. But, from the morning, we were looking out the window at the ropes of rain and tufts of fog chased here and there by the wind. Our hopes for the way up were slowly vanishing. In the late afternoon, we understood that Triglav hadn’t accepted us and hadn‘t let us to go upstairs. We set off back in a short break of rain. As soon as we crossed mountain pass and the way back wasn’t possible the sky began to clear and the next lodge welcomed us in the warm rays of the sun. Drinking the lodger’s delicious brandy I thought that Triglav thanked us with this sunny kiss, that we didn’t stubbornly cling to the conquest of the top and didn’t disturb his dignified silence. And the next reward followed in the camp: a river of rainwater from mountains swept throuhg the tents of our colleagues, so we were only from the whole expedition who stayed dry.

But I undestood the most important message later. If we had reached the top we would have the „mission completed“ and we would have noticed the rest of our trip just „by the way“. Because we „didn’t succeed“ we enjoyed beauties of the trip better: jagged limestone peaks, colorful meadows, picturesque huts, wild gorges and waterfalls. We would have overlooked that all without this Triglav’s educational lesson.    

What is the message? It is not necessary to scramble up to the peak without looking left to right. If you blindly rush up, you don’t enjoy the trip and cause harm to yourself and others (not only in the mountains, but in whole life). And there are boundaries that shouldn’t be overcome. Mountains as well as people have the right to privacy. When you humbly respect it they will open up to you themselves.  

Hvala, odličen učitelj Triglav!