Recently, I had a unique experience on a solo trip to Slovenia, a country in central Europe. I flew to Italy and then made my way just across the border to Bovec, Slovenia, which is a beautiful small town in the Alps mountain range; it is known for its outdoor adventures but isn’t easily accessible by public transport. While I was chatting with some fellow travelers I had met in my hostel, they suggested that I hike a nearby mountain called Mount Svinjak. I looked into it and decided to do it the next day!
I had some trouble finding the trailhead and went up a couple of wrong trails. I then decided to use the Maps app on my phone to navigate, which was my first mistake. (Never use Google or Apple Maps for hiking because they are not accurate for trails!) I started going up what I thought was the correct trail for a few miles. The trail kept ending, and I would find myself on parts of the mountain where the trail was not visible, and I had to push through trees and bushes to make my way up the steep incline. At that point, I should have turned around and headed back down, but I kept going. It got steeper and steeper until I started rock climbing, which I did not have the equipment for. By then, I had been on the mountain for about seven hours! Once I realized there was no way to the top and how dangerous it was, I decided to begin my descent down the mountain.
