Chances are that you’ll never hear about Kalčić, one of the smaller peaks on the slopes of Osoršćica, a mountain, or better to say, a hill, on the island of Mali Lošinj in Croatia.

We didn’t hear about it either, at least not before we stumble upon it another day, with no particular plans in mind except to explore. The day was cloudy, and the rain was just around the corner – or so it seemed – so we decided not to climb to the top but to hike the lower slopes.

Driving from Mali Lošinj to Nerezine, we turned to Sv. Jakov and left the car at the widening of the road, some 100 meters down.

The path is well-marked and quite pleasant at the start. However, soon, it turned into a very interesting scenery: rocks, sharp as teeth. We had some troubles with our summer shoes: strong winter boots would suit that kind of terrain much better.

After that, the path leads through groves and valleys that can be, we imagine, quite useful during the summer heat. In some places, you can see the full glory of the “spine” of Osoršćica and a view of the whole island.

After almost two hours, we joined the main hiker’s path to the summit, Sv. Mikula (557) and Televrina (588), but due to circumstances, decided to turn down to Nerezine. Osoršćica will wait a few days for us to come back.

PS

There is some confusion with the markings on tables pointing to the Sv. Mikula. For example, at the place we started, Sv. Jakov, the table says 2h 40min to Sv. Mikula.

After almost 2 hours of walking (and we are not the slowest hikers around), we came to the crossroads with a table saying 1 hour and 30 minutes to Sv. Mikula.  That means the real timing at the start should be at least 3h 40 minutes. We also hear other people complaining about misguided tables around Osoršćica. So, be careful, especially if you want to avoid the summer heat or night falling up in the mountains.