We’ve uploaded plenty of videos on YouTube channel showing our dogs in the mountain. 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 spotlight stays on our Sarplaninac dogs with calm music in the background, while the website is the place for the story behind those moments.
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]
I have to point out that we never go 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.
When the kennel has a larger number of dogs, we split them into two groups and carefully choose the dates for each hike, taking into account 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 completely different direction, straight into a neighbor’s yard.
That can quickly turn into a problem, especially 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 do everything you can to call them back and start heading home together, but sometimes it’s in vain.
Someone clearly has different plans and we respect that decision.
That’s why some of our Sarplaninac dogs choose to remain in the mountains for a while before eventually finding their way back home.
In the end, we come to those short breaks when our dogs take a moment to rest and recover from the hike.
We have to pay special 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 go on frequent hikes throughout the year, especially not in summer when temperatures rise above 30°C.
It feels unnecessary and far too risky.
We’re also aware that hunters are often active on weekends, so we plan our hikes during weekdays instead.
Do We Carry Weapons With Us?
Even though we’re accompanied by several Sarplaninac dogs who could put up serious resistance against any potential predator, we still carry cold weapons with us.
Thank God, we’ve never encountered a bear or a wolf, but we know wild boars are present (we’ve seen their tracks many times along the way).
Recently, we’ve also had new visitors – jackals, to whom I’ve dedicated an entire article.
Among the other animals that can be seen on Juhor mountain, I would highlight: roe deer, red deer, wild hares, and turtles …
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
