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Slovenia: Planinska jama, Unica and Night of The Dragon

Together with the Chera Hiking crew, I kicked off the morning deep underground, exploring the hidden passages of Planinska jama — a mix of caving thrills and a touch of via ferrata climbing. In the afternoon, we swapped ropes for paddles and glided down the scenic Unica River by canoe. And to top it all off, I ended the day at the "Night of the Dragon" event in Stožice, where we said goodbye to Gogi's professional career as a basketball player.

The cave is more than 6.6 km long.

All geared up and numbered.

The wide entrance of Planina Cave, hidden beneath a 65-meter cliff, feels like a secret gateway into Slovenia’s underground world.

Planina Cave opens with a massive 20 m wide and 8 m high entrance, where the Unica River flows out of the darkness.

Planina Cave is full of beautiful and unique shapes formed by water over thousands of years.

Five hundred meters from the entrance into the cave is a confluence of two underground rivers: the Pivka River, flowing from the Postojna Polje through Postojna Cave, and the Rak River, flowing to Planina Cave through Weaver Cave from Rak Škocjan. This is one of the largest confluences of subterranean rivers in Europe.

Via ferrata in the cave.

Spiders on the wall.

I guess if you're afraid of the heights, it's much easier to climb in the darkness.

Looking for olms (proteus).

Olm was first mentioned in 1689 by the local naturalist Valvasor in his Glory of the Duchy of Carniola, who reported that, after heavy rains, the olms were washed up from the underground waters and were believed by local people to be a cave dragon's offspring.

This cave salamander is most notable for its adaptations to a life of complete darkness in its underground habitat. The olm's eyes are undeveloped, leaving it blind, while its other senses, particularly those of smell and hearing, are acutely developed. Most populations also lack any pigmentation in their skin. The olm has three toes on its forelimbs, but only two toes on its hind feet. It exhibits neoteny, retaining larval characteristics like external gills into adulthood.

Rocks.

Climbing and crawling.

 

Exploring with Santa Claus.

 

Nature's artistry: stalactites hang from above while stalagmites rise from below, sometimes meeting to form towering columns.

Short boat trip.

Planina Cave's underground river can shrink to a mere trickle (less than 0.001 m³/s)in dry weather or swell to an astonishing 100 m³/s after heavy rains.

Out group.

Exploring one of the areas inside the cave,

 

It was wet, muddy, and slippery inside, so any help was greatly appreciated to get out safely.

We all got out and we were ready for our next adventure.

Our canoes for the Unica river.

Born underground, the Unica River winds through hidden caves, only to vanish back beneath the earth.

Father and son.

Into the crowd.

The definition of chaos.

After a while we set our compasses.

The Unica is home to various fish species, including pike, carp, chub, grayling, and brown trout.

During periods of heavy rainfall, the Unica floods the surrounding meadows, forming a shallow lake. This seasonal flooding provides additional food sources for the river's fish population, enhancing their growth and health.

I was in a boat with Gaja.

Short break for some beer.

 

After the beer, some got into troubles, while some remain calm.

 

The lower part had much more vegetation.

Last meters of our canoe trip through the vegetation - Garmin Connect.

It looks like we all made it. Still, I believe that fewer people finish than those who start.

 

And finally, last event of the day - Night of the Dragon.

Farewell Game of Goran Dragić: The centerpiece was a friendly basketball match featuring an all-star lineup, including Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and Chris Bosh, among others.

Players played in 2 teams, Team Luka and Team Gogi.

88-84 was the finals score. Does it matter who won?

Ticket for the event.

#CheraHiking #caving #canoeing #charity