We’ve got a bunch of videos on our YouTube channel showing our dogs out in the mountains. Still, there are a few questions that deserve some extra explanation.
We’re not vloggers who comment during hikes, explain where we are, what we’re doing, how many degrees it is outside and so on.
The videos just show our Sarplaninac dogs with calm music in the background, while the website has the full story behind each one.
Let’s begin …
Hiking in the Wild: Our Experience on Juhor Mountain
Juhor (Serbian Cyrillic: Јухор, pronounced [jûxɔr]) is a mountain located in central Serbia, close to the city of Paraćin.
Its highest peak, Veliki Vetren, rises to 774 meters above sea level.
The mountain is bordered by the Velika Morava River to the east and the Levač region to the west.
Archaeological discoveries on Veliki Vetren date back to the 3rd century BC.
Among the most remarkable finds is a chest containing around 14 sets of weapons, harness gear, jewelry, and clothing accessories artifacts linked to Dacian and Scordisci warriors. [1]
One thing worth saying: we never go up to the highest point at 774 meters.
That would be an extremely long walk, considering our starting point is Trešnjevica (location of our kennel).
How Old Are the Dogs?
As you can see in the videos, we usually take at least five dogs with us (combining youth and experience).
Most of the time, this includes an adult male and female, while the rest are younger dogs.
Our kennel has a lot of dogs, so we split them into two groups and carefully choose the dates for each hike based on the weather forecast and hunting seasons.
Dealing with Unexpected Challenges
If you watch our videos from the Juhor mountain hikes, you’ll notice that during the first minute or two, some of the dogs have to stay on a leash.
The reason is simple – there’s always a chance that one of them might lead the others in a different direction, straight into a neighbor’s yard.
That can quickly turn into a problem if the homeowner decides to chase away the uninvited guests with a hunting rifle.
Another challenge is what to do when a dog decides to stay in the mountains.
You call them to head home together, but sometimes they just won’t budge.
Someone has different plans and we respect that decision.
That’s why some of our Sarplaninac dogs stay behind in the mountain Juhor for a while before finding their way back home.
In the end, there are the short breaks, when we decide it’s time to rest.
We have to pay attention to the younger ones, even though some of them seem to have endless energy.
What is the Distance From the Kennel to the Mountain?
I know it’s a few kilometers, but with the help of the Geozavod of Serbia, I recently got some approximate data.
The distance is nearly 5 kilometers one way, which means our journey starts early in the morning and ends with a late afternoon return home.
We don’t hike often throughout the year, and even less in summer when temperatures rise above 30°C.
It feels unnecessary and far too risky.
Hunters are often out on weekends, so we plan our hikes during weekdays instead.
Do We Carry Weapons With Us?
Even though we’ve got several Sarplaninac dogs with us who could fight off just about any predator, we still carry cold weapons.
Thank God, we’ve never encountered a bear or a wolf, but we know wild boars are out there (we’ve seen their tracks many times along the way).
Recently, we’ve also had new visitors – jackals, and I even wrote a whole article about them.
We’ve also spotted roe deer, red deer, wild hares, and turtles on Juhor mountain.
Conclusion
These are some things you won’t see in the videos of our hikes on Juhor mountain.
If I remember anything else, I’ll update the article, and if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments.
We’ll be happy to answer.
We’ve uploaded several videos on our YouTube channel, where a paid membership gives you access to what happens behind the scenes.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sources:
Juhor – more information
