Lost in a Gorski kotar storm: why a forager's way back should not depend on memory
Zagreb, Croatia - November 12, 2026 / Klobuk /
After a forager lost his way in a storm in Gorski kotar this autumn, a Croatian app explains how a private find journal and an offline arrow keep the way back from depending on memory.
This autumn's mushroom season in Croatia has been short on mushrooms and long on risk. Croatian daily Novi list reported in October that a mushroom picker in the Gornji Križ Potok area of Gorski kotar split from his group during a storm with heavy rain and thunder. Wet and chilled, he could no longer get his bearings or find the way back. Mountain rescuers located him, warmed him up and drove him to his vehicle, where the rest of the group was waiting.
Rescuers quoted by Novi list warned that a sudden change in the weather can make even familiar ground dangerous, and advised foragers to check the forecast, stay together, carry a charged phone and, if lost, call 112 and share their location early.
The season has also been thin. Dnevnik Nove TV reported that mushroom societies described a dry season with a weaker yield, and that a kilogram of porcini reached 40 euros at Zagreb markets, against about 20 euros a year earlier. Scarce spots push foragers further from the road, and they guard those spots closely.
Klobuk, a mushroom-foraging app made in Croatia, is built around both problems. Its find journal, Dnevnik nalaza, saves a find with one tap from the phone's GPS, with an optional photo, the forager's own name for the spot and a note. No other forager can see the finds.
Its Vodi me screen then shows the distance and a compass arrow back to a saved find, to the parked car or to the starting point, and it works without mobile signal because it needs only GPS. The app is clear that this is a straight-line bearing, not a walking route: the path through the forest is still the forager's choice.
"Every forager knows the moment you step off the path for one more porcino and realise you are not sure where the car is. The way back should not depend on memory and luck, and helping you get back should not mean handing your spots to someone else. Klobuk only shows you the way back. You still pick the mushrooms, and you only eat the ones you are completely sure of," said a spokesperson for Klobuk.
The free version stores up to 15 finds without an account or ads; Klobuk Plus, at 11.99 euros a year, adds unlimited finds, a cloud copy stored in the EU, offline county maps and rain alerts. Klobuk does not identify mushroom species and directs users to a determinator at a mycological society.
- Check the forecast before leaving; a storm can make familiar ground hard to read.
- Charge the phone fully and keep it warm and dry; GPS still works where there is no signal.
- Save the car's position before walking in, so the way back has a fixed point.
- Stay with the group and agree on a time to meet back at the car.
- If you are lost, call 112 and share your location early rather than waiting.
- Eat only mushrooms you are completely sure of, and ask a mycological society's determinator when in doubt.
Foragers can learn more about Dnevnik nalaza and the rest of Klobuk online.
About Klobuk
Klobuk is a mushroom-foraging app for Croatia, made by Rudolf Novak, who forages himself. It works as a private find journal: users save a find with one tap and are guided back to it, or to their car, without mobile signal, and no other forager sees their finds. The free version needs no account and shows no ads. Klobuk deliberately does not identify mushroom species and refers users to determinators at mycological societies. It runs on Android and iPhone from the browser at klobukapp.com.
Contact Information:
Klobuk
Gračec 25
Zagreb, Zagreb 10000
Croatia
Klobuk Klobuk
https://klobukapp.com/