Primož Jakopin, photo diary

Karlovice caves
Late spring in the Cave Bay

June 8, 2025, 28 pictures

          The images, except for the portrait, where the vertical side measures 450 pixels, are mostly 768 by 1024 pixels in size, numbers in front of the picture descriptions are serial numbers of the original photo files. Jože Stražišar from Dolenja vas and Simon Koppensteiner from Vienna contributed to the making of these photos. The names of parts of the cave are sometimes the author's.
          The purpose of the excursion was to photograph the Mud Hall in Velika Karlovica. Due to the still too high water, the excursion diverted to check what's new in both Karlovica caves.

          Page, texts and photos copyright (c) Primož Jakopin - Klok 2025.


 

To Rakovski mostek (the Little Rakek Bridge)


 


 
55591. View from the Cvinger viewpoint towards the east, across the lake






 
55592. Halo of bright sky above the Javorniki ridge (cutout) ...






 
55593. ... and a full view, along the road towards the south, a little later, when the halo had already faded.






 
55594. Half a face in a stone along the path from the road to Rakovski mostek






 
55595. Water was still flowing into the northern, artificial entrance to Velika Karlovica, with a flow rate of approximately 30 liters per second (in the photo), so passage into the cave through the tunnel was not yet possible.





From Rakovski mostek to Velika Karlovica via Svinjska jama


 


 
55596. Therefore, the author decided to check the water level in Velika and Mala Karlovica. In the photo: a young hart's-tongue fern, Asplenium scolopendrium.






 
55597. The author did not feel like pushing himself through the bushes along the upper path under the cliff, but rather crossed the Stržen rivulet across the stones at this point and continue his journey to Velika Karlovica along the cart track on the meadow.






 
55598. View across the lake meadow to the east, without obvious signs of human presence






 
55599. View across the riverbed with a water yellow water-lily, Nuphar lutea. It turned out that near Velika Karlovica, the Stržen stream was far too deep for rubber boots, so the author could not cross to the western bank where the cave entrance is situated.






 
55600. He had hoped to cross the rivulet at some place more to the south, but he hoped in vain. When he reached the end of Jamski zaliv (Cave Bay), at Svinjska jama, which is under the cliff in the picture, it became clear to him that he would have to return to the point of origin.






 
55607. The heat was oppressive, even in caving suit without a helmet and with its sleeves tied around his waist, it was just too hot. We had to strip down as much as he could, and put the rest in an increasingly heavy backpack.






 
55601. The most colorful thing on the meadow was ...






 
55602. ... green spurge, Euphorbia esula.






 
55603. The author did not want to walk back all the way to Rakovski mostek, so he tried his luck by crossing the Stržen rivulet at this place, near Velika Karlovica.






 
55605. Using this four-sticks (3 + 1) for balance...






 
55604. ... and with a lot of luck, he managed to get to the west side across the submerged stones. The stones were treacherous, mobile, uneven, and at the deepest point the top of the boots was only about 5 centimeters above the water.






 
55606. The sky above the meadow of Lake Cerknica





Velika Karlovica


 


 
55608. View from the dam in the entrance to the lake. The water flow ...






 
55611. ... was, according to a rough estimate, between 50 and 100 liters per second.






 
55610. View along the stream bed from the cave towards the entrance. The white lines in the water are rapids, the exposure time was approximately 3 seconds.





Mala Karlovica


 


 
55614. The author sat on the path just before the entrance to Velika Karlovica to put back on his caving suit and all that comes with it. Since the path is very narrow at this point, he more or less closed it. At that time, Simon arrived and could not pass. He did not want to be intrusive, so he waited a little. The author noticed him and moved away a bit so that Simon could pass. He did not speak Slovenian, so the talking took place in the lingua franca of this latitudes. Simon found the opportunity to see the entrance hall using some of the author's lighting interesting, and he joined him. In this photo, Simon in the backdrop of dry reeds ...






 
55612. ... of the entrance to Mala Karlovica, here in a slightly wider view from the entrance towards the lake.





     
 
55616 and 55617. Simon only looked at the entrance, he wanted to continue today's afternoon trip according to his plan - by visiting the viewpoint in the middle of the lake, a little further from Dolenje jezero. Therefore, he had to cross the Stržen stream at this point, where the cart track also crossed it, which was still under water at this point. The bottom was solid, not muddy and the water seemed to reach about knee-deep. In the left photo, he was already a little over halfway, and in the right (his 600 mm f 4.0 telephoto lens for photographing birds is clearly visible) he was already on the safe, shallower side. Except that the water was slightly deeper in between, reaching up to his shorts. But it wasn't cold, it didn't spoil the fun.






 
55618. The author returned to Mala Karlovica to take some more cave photos, two were simply too few. In the photo: entrance to the cave from the outside.






 
55621. View from the Main Tunnel towards the Entrance Hall. The drifted reeds ended at this point.






 
55619. View along the Main Tunnel further inside the cave






 
55622. View of Mount Slivnica on the way back, through 2-meter-high grass






Related pages:


 


 

  Najdena jama, May 31, 2025     Velika Karlovica, June 16, 2025  
 


 

This page, text and photos by Primož Jakopin, member of the Ljubljana Cave Exploration Society (DZRJL). Send inquiries and comments to primoz jakopin guest arnes si (insert dots and at sign as appropriate). Page was initiated on June 10, 2025; date of the last change: June 28, 2025.

URL: https://www.jakopin.net/primoz/slike/2025/PJ20250608_en.php     402