47007. The shortest route to the cave from Kamnik pod Krimom is very different from the shortest route by car. It requires the ascent to the saddle below the top of Žalostna gora hill.
The cave (brezno in Slovenian, from brez-dno (bottom-less) can be translated to shaft or
pit) is difficult to spot until you are in the immediate vicinity.
Windstorms in the past years, combined with the great frozen rain disaster in 2014
littered a previously plain, clean NW slope of Prevejk hill (529 m) with many fallen
trunks and overturned spruce stumps.
The village just NE from the cave is Goričica pod Krimom and on April 29, 2019 a man from the village,
from the last home at the side of the southbound forest road which passes below
the cave, showed the author the approximate place where the cave
is located. They failed to find the cave but as the author stayed on
location a while longer his mission was met with success. He cleared
the dry branches and a small stump which were piled above the
entrance and a small pit opened up. Today the author and Andreja
Peterlin visited the cave, ready to descend into it. Two recent
trips to the place were aimed at refreshing
the memory about the whereabouts of the cave. During the second
visit the pit depth was estimated at about 6 meters, the
easiest approach was found to be from the NW, from the forest road which makes use
of the now abandoned railroad route, and the distance from
Kamnik pod Krimom, over Žalostna gora hill and Prevalje village
was measured to be one hour on foot. Because of the recent corona virus
events access by car was avoided.
Most images are approximately 683 x 1024 pixels in size,
numbers in front of the picture descriptions are serial numbers of the original photo files.
Full names of persons who also contributed to the making of this report: Claudio Bratos,
Krzysiek Handzlik. Luka Pintar and Behare Rexhepi clarified several botanical
issues in this report.
Pictures photo and copyright (c) Primož Jakopin 2020.
47007. The shortest route to the cave from Kamnik pod Krimom is very different from the shortest route by car. It requires the ascent to the saddle below the top of Žalostna gora hill.
47040. View across the village, to the southwest, from the Žalostna gora hill slope
47008. Blooming young pear tree ...
47009. ... here in a closer view
46990. A rooster and 12 of his 13 hens, at the side of the last home on the access road
47010. A forest track which forks off (uphill) the forest road passes some 50 m north of the cave.
47011. Dropping the aluminum wire caving ladder into the cave
47016. The nearest solid anchor is a beech tree, some 3 m from the entrance. Blue overall was contributed by Claudio, helmet light by Krzysiek.
47012. Spring vetchling, Lathyrus vernus, spomladanski grahor in Slovenian, just above the pit
47013. The first descent into the unknown is not a piece of cake.
47014. Cave entrance with caving ladder, the leaves top right belong to hart's-tongue, Phyllitis scolopendrium (jelenov jezik in Slovenian) and to wild garlic, Allium ursinum (čemaž).
47015. View down the entrance pit with a caver at the bottom
47017. Downhill from the cave entrance there are 5 spruces and 2 beeches.
47018. View of cave entrance from the ladder ...
47020. ... and from the bottom.
47023. As the 10 m ladder ends about 0.6 m above the top of the pit bottom, its depth can be estimated at 7 m.
47021. This lesser horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hipposideros, mali podkovnjak in Slovenian, sleeps on the southern wall. The end of the excursion left him in the same condition. No siblings were observed.
47022. The bottom slope descends, rather steeply, in the southern and western direction - here the western corner is depicted.
47026. In places the side walls of the bottom are heavily corroded and many rock knives dot the surface.
47028. Besides the bat this black slug was the only larger cave inhabitant.
47029. Bottom of the pit is actually an inclined shelf, on which the rocks which fell from above accumulated. At the bottom the wall of a continuation pit is visible, but advance would only be possible after quite a lot of heavy rocks would be hauled up the shaft.
47030. The pit has several small side siblings ...
47031. ... such as this one.
47032. Large flat rock outcrop at the bottom top
47034. Climbing out is almost done - view out towards the entrance.
47035. All is well that ends well - climbing up the ladder secured feels good.
47037. The forest track on return winds down in a young deciduous forest.
47038. Holes, dug into the earth embankment below the eastern wall of the old railroad route, probably by badgers.
47039. Hacquetia epipactis, tevje in Slovenian - it has no common English name.
Jakorlinov dimnik, March 24
Retovje, Članska vas and Vranja jama Cave, May 1
This page, text and photos by Primož Jakopin, member of the Ljubljana Cave Exploration Society (DZRJL), except where stated otherwise.
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Page initiated on April 6, 2020; date of the last change: May 29, 2020.
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