Completing the MEPI Adventurous Journey

The expedition consisted of an almost 23 kilometre long route and over 1000 metres of ascend across 2 days. Our MEPI participants carried all their belongings in their backpacks weighing an average of around 12 kilograms each! Can you imagine?

The first day started with a very successful hike to Klobuk. One of our participants, Zoja, knows this area particularly well, so the team confidently made it to the top. However, things got complicated on the way down to Stranska vas when a wrongly magnetised compass confused our intrepid adventurers, resulting in them hiking in the wrong direction. They soon realised their mistake, resourcefully sought advice from the locals, and headed the right way. 

After arriving at a wayside shrine in Dobrova, they hiked uphill to Vrhe. They had a break and a nice chat with Ms Zupanc and Mr Malden, then headed to Goli grič to meet with Ms Tušar and Mr Astbury at their next checkpoint. But everything didn’t go as planned. Our participants learned that listening to advice from locals giving directions can be a bit of a gamble... The ‘never go right’ advice got them on the wrong path. As Ms Tušar and Mr Astbury waited for the students, they shouted and whistled into the woods in the hopes of getting their attention and steering them the right way - with success! Our MEPI participants were back on track in no time, but still had 2 hours of hiking to go.

They took a quick pit stop with the teachers at Bezenica valley and, despite their feet and shoulders hurting by this point, they persevered to complete their final hike of the day towards Partizanski dom pod Ključem, where they stayed the night. Building a tent, cooking dinner on a camping stove and revisiting the route for the next day were their final activities before falling fast asleep.

Our adventurers woke up early at around 7 the next morning. They cooked and ate breakfast, packed up their tents, and briefly evaluated their path for the day as a team. After meeting with the mentors at the first checkpoint, they hiked towards Strmine. The path was very steep and intense, however the participants pushed ahead with persistence and got there successfully, under the watchful eyes of Ms Tušar, who ensured everyone remained on the right path in the thick brush.

Following this "mini jungle” section, they arrived at Sv. Mohor, a church in Koreno nad Horjulom. They cooked a nice lunch for themselves before heading towards Polhov Gradec, for another challenging part of the journey in terms of orienteering and map reading. Missed the right path, they ended up extending their journey. Already exhausted, they remained focused to stay positive, and once Nika and Izzie figured out where they were, the team made it to their final checkpoint in Goder. From there it was a small descent and they finally arrived at their destination. They DID IT! Tired, with blistered feet, sore shoulders and hips, and a bit emotional, but they did it - huge CONGRATULATIONS to our students!

Well done to Nika and Eva for their detailed planning and for their ever developing navigating skills; Izzie for her guidance on map reading and supporting the team; Elena for always smiling and staying positive; Zoja for encouraging and being supportive of her teammates when they struggled; and Abdulla for having a good sense of direction and endless patience, when having to wait for his teammates. 

Congratulations once again to all of our MEPI participants on this fantastic achievement!