The Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) and the Mountaineering Club of dr. Henrik Tuma prepared a summer camp in Lepena this year, too. This time it is the 25th in a row, but it is slightly different from previous years.
Due to the COVID-19 epidemic and compliance with measures and rules to prevent the spread of new coronavirus infections, the SDS did not prepare a traditional meeting of members of municipal committees at the airport in Bovec this year. In previous years, a large number of party members and sympathizers from Slovenia gathered at these meetings, several thousand at a time. This will not be the case this year, but they predict that they will gather in even greater numbers at the camp next year.
This year’s summer camp began on Sunday, July 26th. On St. Christopher’s Sunday, the day began with a rock-climbing mass in the church of St. Jožef in the village of Soča. This was followed by socializing with the parishioners, and then, after a pleasant chat with friends and acquaintances, lunch at Camp Klin.
The program of the first week of the camp also included an ascent to Visoki Kanin (2587 m) and a walk along the circular path to Bavšica. They did not give up rafting either, and the SDS Sports Forum prepared sports games and a fun concert organized by the Slovenian Democratic Youth.
On Saturday, August 1st, they will go on a traditional mountaineering tour to the cross on Škrlatica (2740 m). In the second week of socializing, according to the program, they will climb Mali Karman (1372 m) above the Furlanska nižina in the Western Julian Alps. They will cycle along the Soča and Lepenjica rivers into the Lepena valley to the Home of Klement Jug, and in the following days they will walk along a circular promenade from the village of Žaga above the Učje riverbed.
Towards the end of the week, they will listen to a lecture on the roots of Sloveneness at a symposium of researchers of ethnogenesis and, together with the SDS Women’s Committee, repeat the basic procedures of resuscitation.
On Friday, August 7th, they will climb to Koča na Doliču (2151 m) and then on Sunday, August 8th, the gathering will end with the traditional ascent to Triglav (2864 m).
So this year is a little different, but still beautiful as always. The first camp was already in the summer of 1995, and then it grew every year. The program expanded, with more and more participants from year to year.