Bikepacking Velebit – Adrenalin an der Adria

[English subtitles available] Es war ein ungeplanter Plan B: Die fünftägige Bikepacking-Tour über den Velebit an der kroatischen Küste. Ein Film über musikalische Selbstverteidigung, Stampfeinlagen und die Frage, was Bikepacking mit der Besamung einer Kuh zu tun hat…

Die Tour in Text und Bild findet ihr auch hier:

Velebit (Kroatien)

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The decision to leave Montenegro early wasn’t an easy one. The way back home was far. But once we entered Croatia, we were back in the EU and decided to make a little stop-over. So, change of plans… Plan B. We are now in Croatia and the chaos is revealing it already. We are still on a campsite but this afternoon we are taking off towards the Velebit mountain range. Let’s see…. Currently we are trying to reduce our luggage to leave unnecessary things behind because, I think, it will again be somewhat of a project… …we will see… Croatia is probably best known for its nice coastline with small beaches. During our quick research however, the Premužić in the Velebit range had caught our attention, as it was described in a MTB magazine. The roughly 150km long trail is divided in two sections. One section is in the Northern Velebit National Park, the other section is in the Paklenica National Park. Paklenica is particularly known among rock climbers… To summarize: we didn’t have a proper plan. The climbing harness we might need 😉 Well, maybe we should take it.. And how much gas?? How much water…that’s the bigger question!! But somehow our plan didn’t quite gain momentum. Quite an exhausting trip thus far! We are waiting for our iced coffees. What have we achieved today? Well…. We have packed our bags…and… we bought some string. and…well… that’s it. But this afternoon we are taking off. We had to wait for the heat to decrease! In a few tour guides it is advised against doing bike trips in the Croatian back-country in summer. After roughly 500m on the bike I understood why! At least…we are only carrying 6.5L water each… …which doesn’t exactly make it any more pleasant. But at least we know that we won’t be thirsty. We had read that water is scarce in the Velebit so to be on the safe side, we had packed a little extra. In the blazing heat we made our way up the mountain. I’m having a déjà-vu looking at your shirt. It’s s l i g h t l y hot.. There aren’t many biking-moments when you’re wishing for a headwind and moments later you immediately regret your wish. A moment a ago it was super hot… we were sweating hard trying to get up here. 20 minutes later it cooled down quite a bit. The weather changed really quickly. As you might see. The wish for headwind is obviously one that Petrus grants immediately: no problem. The wind became so strong that you could barely ride in a straight line. Maybe I shouldn’t have wished for a headwind!! Luckily it cooled down a bit… but it’s almost becoming a little too cold! In any case it’s already wild again! The Adriatic coast and particularly the Velebit channel are often plagued by drainage winds: the so-called Bora. By now we know that a proper Bora is of a different caliber… but we wanted to be on the safe side and aimed for a little mountain hut. We’ve arrived. This is the mountain hut…doesn’t look too inviting. Ahh someone is here! Perfect! The Croatian mountaineering club owns and manages several mountain huts in Croatia. Members of the club take turns to open the huts on the weekends. So that there is always someone there, should guests arrive. It was our luck, as we were the only guests! Are you also happy that we don’t have to camp tonight? Yes, indeed! It’s quite cozy here! Considering that only 4 hours ago we were having iced coffees sweating in the 35°C heat…. It’s almost like we were beamed to a different season. Well, I’ve put on my winter clothes. As the wind was joined by rain we were truly happy to have a roof over our heads. What’s for dinner today, chef? No clue! Let’s have a look! Something red… it smells like onion. And after our onion supper we were happy that we didn’t have to share our room 😉 The next morning the sun was back smiling in the sky. Good morning! First-class breakfast today!! Ahead of us: the Velebit National Park. Let’s go! Good Morning…or well…Happy Noon! Suddenly, a big shock! It was probably due to the strong headwind why he couldn’t scent us. OK, we just saw a bear! Right in front of us! If the camera is shaking a bit…it’s due to the adrenaline. We’re not sure whether we dare to continue yet. Let’s wait for another moment. Yea, in case the mother is following. Yes, that was a cub. Well, I really didn’t think we would see a bear straight away. What should we do now? The bear was quite close! On the road ahead of us it came out of the bushes… looked at us and ran away. And I slammed my brakes hard, I got so scared! I almost rear-ended Katrin! And then I saw the bear… Uff, so stressful.. It’s been a while since I had so much adrenaline. The bear had to still be close-by! We had read that it is best to be singing moving through bear territories to make sure the bears know that you are coming. Hopefully no more bears are leaving the forest, but it does look like that bears could be here. Sadly I’ve got no more great lyrics but it doesn’t matter as long as you keep singing! Maybe we should get ourselves a bear bell! Our singing was effective at least in that respect that it probably caused all living creatures within a 5km radius to evacuate the area immediately. Every sound could be a bear, I thought it is the snakes that are the danger here, but I think we might get a bigger problem here! Why is it always me who has to be singing?? Well, I can’t sing so well… How are we commenting on the situation? Well, luckily nothing happened. We just need to strategize a bit as we are still riding for at least 3 more hours and I can’t be singing and talking all the time! I’d say we’re doing shifts, an hour each! Ok, you’re up first! Yeah, we were actually a little scared. All these noises left and right of the forest road… and unfortunately there was quite some evidence that our concerns weren’t without any reason. It’s still steaming! He must have recently been here, Monsieur Bear! Well, then keep singing!! Hello, Hello, Dear Bear! Where are you? In the forest?…. I fear you very much! It kept bothering me: Where should we sleep tonight? We are now riding up to the Alan mountain hut and we are hoping we can sleep there – indoors! I have to say…I’m not all that fond of camping here tonight! Nope, don’t need that excitement! There was another reason why I didn’t want to camp. In Montenegro we had already camped in bear territory. There I pulled a little a prank on Jakob… I woke him up with the recording of a roaring grizzly bear… At first, I thought it was funny but shortly after I felt a bit sorry for him… Also, ever since then I’ve been scared of the counter attack. I don’t think my heart could take it! In the late afternoon we arrived at the Alan hut. That looks about right! Seldom I was so excited to sleep indoors! Our room at the Alan hut: We are the only guests! And as you can see we chose the upper floor. I’m sleeping at the very right!! Let’s have a look. Ah ok, president of the beer-lovers-club 🙂 I would say, that fits! They even had some beer! During dinner at the little self-catering hut we reflected on the day and the experiences. We were curious what would be in for us the next day! As always, the next morning began with an extensive breakfast followed by a professional bag stuffing session. Are you done inseminating the cow?? The cow is successfully inseminated!! On todays plan: the Premužić trail. The section of the trail in the Northern Velebit National Park was closed for MTBs so that we could only find our way to the trail after having left the National Park. The first challenge of the day was the trail to the trail. So this is where we should go up… Back there you see a good amount of nettles but I think that’s the only way to the Premužić trail. Unfortunately, we don’t have a choice. After the bear encounter, next we will probably have to deal with snakes… Need to get ourselves prepared.. Yes, the Velebit has quite some poisonous vipers to offer. Style is something you have or you don’t.. Apparently, pulling your socks up high is regarded as particularly STYLISH in the cycling community. Besides our loose interpretation of this trend we didn’t win any prizes for our “elegant travel” style either.. Having met a viper up close and personal in Montenegro I was a bit suspicious of the tall grass and rocks. Jakob had suggested stomping the ground to warn the snakes of our arrival by the vibrations. A great suggestion, which I immediately put to practise true to the motto: “the more the better”. Two snake encounters later the stomping session, with a 0.5 on the Richter scale, was over and we were finally able to ride again! Going through the snake bushes. Huh?? Nothing!! All good! The flow was back! We were excited! Unfortunately, it didn’t stay quite as flowy. The trail started getting quite rough. Ok, here it’s fine again but maybe you can see it a bit: it’s really quite rough. It is a hiking trail after all… But in between there were some larger rocks that look so sharp that you’re already envisioning sewing the tyre with dental floss. The trail wouldn’t have been bad for bikes with a little more suspension and a little less luggage! As it was it was only moderate fun. The nice coastal view we weren’t able to enjoy all that much either. The trail was quite technically demanding and although we were going downhill it was physically exhausting. It was a proper upper body workout to keep the loaded bike on track. In addition, it was quite mentally demanding as you had to keep concentrated 100%. This is too much for my taste! We tried for a while with the hop-on-hop-off technique but after a few hours we had enough of that. Finally, the last section of the trail offered some special challenges and added to that the wind picked up in the afternoon. Tiredness and hunger. It was time for a roadside emergency meeting! Once the immediate hunger was satisfied we were again able exchange constructive ideas and opinions and we decided to quit todays ride and find ourselves a camp spot. The increasing wind made this task increasingly difficult. So, todays camp spot: We are hiding here, in the forest as it is super windy! Maybe you can see the trees moving… it is quite the storm. But it has been like almost the whole day. Here were are somewhat sheltered. Not particularly nice but practical! The wind became stronger and stronger but the tent was secured with a few extra pegs. And so we didn’t mind flying into the sunset at the near viewpoint. Slightly windy! The next morning began very laid-back.. we enjoyed that the weather had become a bit warmer and after all, we still had to make a plan how we’d continue. Good morning! It is now 10:35 we’re still at our camp site, laying in the sun. Luckily it’s a bit warmer than yesterday and the wind speed has decreased from a 10 to 9. One could almost call it calm! Now we’re still deciding were we’re headed today. We still don’t have a proper plan… Probably we’re turning back, riding towards the car as Paklenica National Park is more of a climbing destination. And, well… we’d like to avoid climbing. So what’s the plan? First, we are going to this ski-town.. Ski?? Nah, we’re not going skiing… Ah ok, so this Ćevapčići-town? Due to our underwhelming experience on the Premužić trail we decided to take a hard left before entering the Paklenica National Park crossing the Velebit range and making our way back to the car through the backcountry. At least that was the theory…as we had not yet left not even after a 2nd and 3rd coffee. 12:22 we’ve decided to take off….finally! A very, VERY relaxed morning today! Well, sometimes it is needed 😉 Then… our coffee mood was met with the magnetic force of Ćevapčići. We only rode for 4km and it’s already time for lunch! Not even 4km…. only 3.4km! Ok, so what’s for lunch today? Ćevapčići After the snack and a further coffee we were finally on the way. At least for another 3km… as we quickly realised that we had forgotten to fill our bottles in Ćevapčići. Luckily there was a spring marked on the map along our way. That’s not very fast flowing… At first glance, you’d imagine potable water a little different from that. Is there more water coming from the rocks? Nope. So we’re fetching water from the pond? That’s right, from the pond. Jakob was very optimistic. Myself on the other hand…rather sceptical. First of all, removing the algae… …well, algae are meant to be healthy, aren’t they? Correct. But please keep out the bugs and fishes! While Jakob was busy filling our bottles my thoughts were circling around thirst incubation times and diarrhoea. Oh, it doesn’t look too bad! Well, there isn’t much water during this time of the year but after all it is a proper spring. Top notch, I’d say! With fresh spring water in our luggage we crossed the Velebit range and were surprised to find ourselves on signposted MTB trails for once. The route predominantly led us through dense broadleaf forests. We have to admit that these dense, green forests were something we had not associated with Croatia at all. The long descent led to the valley at the rear of the Velebit range and back to civilisation. In this region there is a lot of farming. Past the fields we were cruising on a nice and quiet asphalt road. It could have been a chilled-out afternoon… but… NOPE. I’m not sure why… but we’re managing to find hike-a-bike sections even on paved roads. A slight obstacle… Unfortunately there is a… small ditch ahead. Mh, it doesn’t look too good! I won’t be able to jump over like that! It would have been a good moment to turn around and find another route. Ditch No. 2 And what about me?? Next ditch… Ditch No. 3 followed… and Ditch No. 4 We’ve chosen a great route – once again! That’s a nasty ditch! There was no sign or anything! At least not in German… But everybody going the other way was smiling though! But then again maybe they were smiling at us… So up ahead… ditch No. 5 I’m just hoping that won’t have to turn around and do this shit all over again! And? This one is a deep one… Is this a spread-step-ditch? It is a spread-step-ditch! Let’s just hope the edges hold well… Ditch No. “Oh Shit” No. 7 Well, this one we have to go into… Yes, we have to go down. We thought, that was it… but next up: ditch No. 8 Yeah, by then we were asking ourselves: Why can we never ride our bikes like normal people? However, the crucial advantage was: Not one other person on this route! And we had already spotted an excellent camp spot! A little tour of the island. A peninsula in the middle of a dammed lake and in the middle: a little raft! So, did we find our camp spot? I think so!! We’re on an island! It wasn’t good… it was… perfect!! There are those days when you open up the tent and you get an immediate rush of endorphins. Life can be so good: fantastic silence, breakfast on the beach. What have got here?! Morning meditation. At some point is was time to leave though before this holiday would turn into a beauty and wellness vacation. I could make a great advert for body lotion… but unfortunately we don’t have any. And you, you could make an advert for… laundry detergent! It had been 4 days without any opportunities to buy groceries. Our supplies had been nearly depleted. Our optimism to find a little supermarket along the way was dwindling hour by hour… In the end we had to resort to our emergency ration. What are having today? Biscuit… You look thrilled! With tomatoe cream.. Pizza, Bikepacking edition!! It’s lacking cheese! But luckily, it wasn’t far to the car. However, to cross the Velebit range towards the coast we had to go through the National Park once again. I’m only happy! On the wall, in the wait is little… Bear! Until now we haven’t seen any. I think… we are back in bear territory. I’m pretty sure that was a bear container we just saw. I don’t think so.. But that’s not from a Pom-Bear, that’s for sure. I’d say that’s from a pretty big guy. Look at that one! That’s such a typical print! Looks like from a human. Or a Yeti. The last kilometres through the National Park our speed was noticeably quicker than usual. Can we briefly discuss who will go around the corners first? One of us has to sacrifice! Luckily, we didn’t have any further bear encounters. But there was a sense of relief once we had left the National Park. From here on it was all downhill, down to the sea. Last downhill for this vacation! Let’s go to the sea! There is no better ending to a bike trip than a long downhill with fantastic views of the coast. We had been biking for 5 days, spontaneously, without much planning. Certainly, the route was not ideal… well…at least not as ideal as usual! But, we’d had the opportunity to get to know a side of a country far away from apartments and mobile home traffic jams. A side of country that had surprised us, a very wild side.