As Croatia's mushroom season brings both scarcity and danger, a homegrown app is offering foragers a way to navigate back to safety without relying on memory or luck. The Klobuk app, developed by Rudolf Novak, combines a private find journal with an offline compass arrow that works without mobile signal, addressing two key problems highlighted by recent incidents and market trends.
This autumn, a forager in the Gornji Križ Potok area of Gorski kotar lost his way during a storm with heavy rain and thunder, according to Croatian daily Novi list. Wet and chilled, he could not get his bearings, and mountain rescuers had to locate him, warm him up, and drive him to his vehicle where his group was waiting. Rescuers warned that sudden weather changes can make even familiar ground dangerous, advising foragers to check forecasts, stay together, carry a charged phone, and call 112 early if lost.
Compounding the risk is a poor mushroom yield. Dnevnik Nove TV reported that mushroom societies described a dry season with weaker yields, and a kilogram of porcini reached 40 euros at Zagreb markets, up from about 20 euros a year earlier. Scarce spots push foragers further from roads, and they guard those spots closely.
Klobuk is designed around both problems. Its find journal, Dnevnik nalaza, saves a find with one tap using 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. The Vodi me screen then shows the distance and a compass arrow back to a saved find, the parked car, or 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," said a spokesperson for Klobuk. "The way back should not depend on memory and luck, and helping you get back should not mean handing your spots to someone else."
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.
For readers, the implications extend beyond convenience. As mushroom prices rise and foragers venture further afield, tools that support safe return could reduce rescue incidents. The app's offline capability is particularly relevant in remote areas where signal is unreliable. The emphasis on private journals also addresses foragers' concerns about sharing prized locations.
Klobuk's launch comes as Croatia's foraging community faces a season that is short on mushrooms but long on risk, making navigation and preparation more critical than ever.
