The Purple Trail begins at Tržaška koča na Doliču and follows a wide mule track along the one-time border built by the Italian army after the First World War. The signposts indicate the beginning of the trail and the direction of Luknja and the Zadnjica valley. After a few minutes' walk, there is a junction where the trail branches off to the right on a very rigorous ascent of Triglav (2,864 m). Alternative: If you wish to climb Triglav, turn right at the junction and walk up the mule track. The track leads to a spacious Karstic meadow. There is a junction at the top where a signpost guides you to the steep and rocky slope leading up to Triglavska škrbina and via the ridge to the peak. Descend on the other side by way of a narrow ridge across Mali Triglav and Triglavski dom na Kredarici (2,515 m), then continue past Dom Valentina Staniča (2,332 m) and Begunjski studenec stream. Go across Prag to the Vrata valley and Aljažev dom v Vratih (1,015 m). This route is very difficult but well protected with steel cables and pins. Take the mule track from the junction below Tržaška koča na Doliču. Walk down the relatively level but winding path towards the Zadnjica valley. The path leads past the southern edge of the spacious Zelenica plateau. To the right is a view of the tattered northern rock face of Kanjavec. Bare rock is gradually replaced by dwarf pine and larch. The path encircles Skok and leads to the junction at Korita. 1h 15 min. Korita (trough) is a deep incision that descends into the Zadnjica valley on one side, and rises to the Luknja pass (1,758 m) on the other. Because Korita is impassable, the route follows the mule track which runs above it. The climb up the steep slope should be attempted in stages as it covers an altitude difference of 250 m. The 1h 30 min climb eventually leads to the Luknja pass, from where there is a magnificent view of the Vrata valley below. This grassy pass is a good spot to stop and rest after the climb. Descend Luknja from the other side through a narrow and rocky valley, then across a scree slope lying below the Triglav North Face. The terrain below the scree slope levels out and gradually gives way to growth. Follow the well-trodden path to the valley and pass the monument on the way to the bed of the Bistrica stream to the junction with the route from Triglav via Prag. The pure drinking water here offers good refreshment but the stream disappears during the hot Summer months. 1h10 min. Walk through the beech wood to the level floor of the Vrata valley and pass the monument to fallen Partisan soldiers, reaching Aljažev dom na Vratih in 20 minutes. The entire route takes 4h 15 minutes. Aljažev dom lies in the upper reaches of the Vrata glacial valley. It was named after Jakob Aljaž, the "Triglav priest", one of the most important figures in the history of mountaineering in Slovenia: He is merited with building the first timber hut here in 1896.
Source: Dobnik, Jože; Slovenska planinska pot: planinski vodnik, Planinska zveza Slovenije, Založba PZS, Ljubljana 1998; Mihelič, Tine; Julijske Alpe: planinski vodnik, Planinska zveza Slovenije, Založba PZS, Ljubljana 1998; Atlas Slovenije, 3. izpopolnjena in razširjena izdaja, Mladinska knjiga in Geodetski zavod Slovenije (GZS), Ljubljana 1996; Julijske Alpe - vzhodni del, 1:50.000 GZS, Planinska založba PZS, Ljubljana 2003 Gorenjska, izletniška karta1:50.000, GZS, Ljubljana 1998
(Peter Šilak)

The Luknja Pass is a deep cut in the western border of Triglav's Northern Rock Face. It lies at 1,758 m and marks the boundary between the western and eastern Julian Alps, and between the Mediterranean and Alpine zone. The Luknja Pass is a natural barometer and lies on the hydrographic watershed of the Adriatic and Black seas: the waters to the west of the Luknja Pass flow into the Soča river, and those to its east flow into the Sava river. A hydrographic watershed is a ridge or line dividing two river catchments determined on the basis of the natural flow of surface or subterranean water. The Adriatic-Black Sea watershed divides Slovenia asymmetrically. Water from 81% of the territory flows east and eventually into the Black Sea. Only 19% of the territory provides a watershed for the Adriatic, even though it accounts for 29% of the flow. This discrepancy is the result of the fact that in western Slovenia rainfall is plentiful.
The Aljažev dom hut at Vrata, the biggest glacial valley on the northern side of the Julian Alps, is the main starting point for tours from the northern side of the Triglav mountains and for ascending the Northern Rock Face. The hut has been named after Jakob Aljaž (1852 – 1927), a priest, mountaineer, patriot and composer from Dovje. He first reached Vrata in 1883. This beautiful valley, which ends in a huge rocky mass beneath a pointed peak, so engrossed Aljaž that he moved to Dovje as a parish priest in 1998. He built the first hut at Vrata in 1895 and the second, which was destroyed by an avalanche four years later, in 1904. The current hut was built soon after at a safer location. Aljaž helped with the construction of other huts and trail through the Julian Alps. He also wrote the music to 'Triglav, moj dom' ('Triglav, my home'), the hymn of Slovene mountaineers. He was the first to recognise Triglav as a Slovene symbol, and after climbing it he resolved that the peak should remain Slovene for all time. In 1895, he purchased the Triglav peak from the Dovje municipality for few goldinars and built a small tower on top. He made the designs for the building himself and had a blacksmith construct and build it. Six strong young men erected the tower in a week: they carried the pieces to the top, after which the blacksmith and four assistants assembled it in a mere five hours. The entire project was wholly financed by Aljaž, who later donated it to the Slovene Alpine Association.
Sivec, (1994). Triglavski kralj. Ljubljana.
(Mimi Urbanc)