She goes there because it means something to her. Because without it, she wouldn't be her anymore. Because up there she finds again and again the peace that she sometimes loses down below, in the rush of everyday life.
Each time, you prepare for the climb in a similar way. First, check the weather. Make sure you have enough water. Put a biscuit or an apple in your rucksack. He ties his shoelaces as he has been doing for decades; in his own way, precisely and without haste. He is in no hurry. He is never in a hurry. As if he knows that the journey is more important than the destination.
At the start of the route, he always walks uphill a little breathlessly. The first ten minutes seem the hardest; over and over again. Her lungs remind her of the years, her legs of the fatigue. And always in her mind she says the same thing: »It will be. Just keep going.« And she goes.
It knows every curve, every hill, every place where it stops for a while. He knows where the shade will be in summer, where the wind blows in winter and where the leaves gather in autumn. This path is not just a path, it is part of her life; part of her rhythm and memories.
When she meets other walkers, she always says hello, even if it is the first time she has seen some of them and even if she may never see them again. »Good day,« she says, sometimes adding, »It's nice today,« or »It's quite steep.« These are small words, but they mean a lot. It is as if they let others know that we are here together.
Klavdija often reflects on how little we really need to feel at home. We don't need a big house and expensive things. We need the feeling of walking on our own land, of understanding the people around us and of speaking a language in which we can say what we feel.
When she comes to the Dom na Joštu, she almost always orders the same thing: hot tea or coffee and soup if it's cold. If she is free, she will sit on the same bench, if not, she will wait. She is in no hurry. First she looks out over the valley, the forest and the sky, then she looks at her phone, if she looks at it at all.
Up there, he often thinks of his parents and grandparents; how they worked, saved and patiently built a life. How they didn't always have a choice and how they knew how to be patient. And she knows that today she has more opportunities because of them.
And he also knows that today we are too quick to forget, too quick to cave in and too quick to criticise. We are too quick to say that nothing matters. But she knows that this is not true.
She knows that our country is beautiful, we have peace, nature and security. To have freedom. And that this is not something we take for granted. It is something you have to take care of.
He never speaks out loud about patriotism. He does not like big words or grandstanding. He shows his respect for Slovenia in other ways; by watching the roads, by picking up litter if he sees it, by helping if someone falls behind and by stopping if someone needs a word.
When she returns to the valley, she is tired. Her legs are often heavy. But she feels peace and contentment inside. She is overwhelmed by the feeling that she has done something good for herself and for her inner balance.
Her hikes are not a habit. They are a reminder that she belongs to this place, that she is part of this story and that she is a proud Slovenian.
Because she remains faithful to what she loves; to her path, to her land, to our Slovenia.
Every step again.
Zala Krupljan, 19. 1. 2025
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