Velebit mountain

Mighty Mountain

Velebit! A mountain of opposites! Awe-inspiring! Huge and massive! Mild and relentless! I won’t write here about Velebit in numbers and facts, it’s already said and written, just google. I’m here to present you the mountain of Velebit as I see it, feel it, breathe it!

Weather shows its power there making a man feeling, at the same time, so small, helpless, ashamed and speechless facing force and beauty of nature.

Velebit is a mountain that has it all! And when I say all, I mean EVERYTHING – both sea and mainland! It stretches along the eastern coast of the Adriatic overlooking the Adriatic Sea on one side and forming a huge stage. So, wherever you are, wherever you walk, the blue sky plays its endless show! Its rocks and cliffs – MASSIVE cliffs to be precise – are ornaments to the seaward side of Velebit. And there are flowers, those beautiful flowers growing out of a crack in the rock! I don’t know how, but they do grow! Those timeless, indestructible flowers – not bura (north-eastern wind), nor rocks and the Sun can kill them! They are right there, like ornaments to that massive mountain, growing on bare rocks. With just a drop of rain they grow into beautiful, colourful flowers and tell the world their story that everything is possible!

Cliffs! Huge and massive! Magnificent! Truly magnificent cliffs! Once you climb them, you can’t live without them! Once you walk their paths, once you feel the way they breathe, you can do nothing but appreciate where you are at the moment.

As previously said, Velebit stretches along the Adriatic Sea on one side. On the other side, it stretches along Lika inland. Once again, it is a mountain of opposites. The seaward side – bare and rocky; the inland side – wooded! That green grass, those green meadows and the softest grass on this planet! Spending hot summer days, riding a bike through the forests of Velebit is a blessing! The play of the sun and shades, green colours and light breeze make you feel like there’s no sea on the other side of the mountain! All of a sudden, you are drawn in by that green beauty that unselfishly shows off.

Being exceptional, its own wind is no surprise! The Bura! It occurs on its peaks blowing pitilessly down the mountain and showing its power both at sea and in Lika! I mustn’t forget to mention that bura cleans air first and extracts the scent of plants, their leaves and flowers, and scatters it all over Velebit! This is another thing that makes Velebit mighty and beautiful at the same time…

Climbing Velebit, no matter the side, gives you an unforgettable experience. No part of it is boring – it somehow shows its true colour every time. No season there is unattractive – spring and summer, autumn and winter; amazing and beautiful. If you show your respect, you will be welcomed warmly, and Velebit will be the best host you have ever come across! Otherwise, it will show you its power and massiveness!

I respect this mighty mountain because, after all, that’s the least I can do!