Loka pri Žusmu (Hudi graben) - Plešivec (Rudnica)

Access to starting point:
a) From the road Bizeljsko - Podčetrtek in the settlement Golobinjek by Sotla, we turn left (from the direction of Podčetrtek right) towards Virštanj and Lesično. In Virštanj, we turn right towards Gostinca and Loka, but we follow the road to the settlement Loka pri Žusmu. Here, we first bypass some houses and a farm on the left side, then we notice red hiking signposts by Hudi graben on the left side, where we park at a suitable place.
b) We leave the Štajerska highway at the Dramlje exit, then follow the signs for Šentjur. From the center of Šentjur, we continue briefly towards the settlement Šmarje pri Jelšah, but soon turn right onto the road towards Podsreda and Planina pri Sevnici. When Šentjur ends, we soon turn left from the main road in the direction of Podsreda, Kozje, and Gorica pri Slivnici. When we get to the settlement Gorica pri Slivnici, we head from the roundabout to the exit for Sodna vas. Gorica pri Slivnici soon ends, and we bypass Slivniško jezero on the right side, then drive for quite some time on the road to the settlement Loka pri Žusmu, where we turn right into the center of the settlement, and at the church of St. Leopold, we turn right again in the direction of the settlements Dobrina and Virštanj. Next follows a short ascent, and we follow the road to the hamlet Žamerk, where we turn left towards Virštanj. Some ascent follows, then we descend into the valley of Hudi graben, and we drive to the spot where, on the right side of the road, we notice signs for the partisan hospital in Javoršica.

Path description:
From the starting point, we head in the direction of Žusem and Plešivec and continue for a few minutes on the asphalt road, then arrive at a smaller crossroad where hiking signposts also stand. Here, we turn right onto a side asphalt road, which immediately turns left and in a few minutes ascends to a hamlet with a few houses, where the next marked crossing is also located.
We continue right towards Plešivec (left Žusem), bypassing the last house on the left side; when the road ends, we proceed along a cart track that leads us higher to the area of solar power plants. We bypass the power plants on the left side, and higher up, we go left into the forest, continuing on a gently sloping macadam road. Later, the road ascends to two houses, which we bypass on the left side, and from the crossroad, we also go left. The path ahead continues on the macadam road, and when we reach a marked crossing, we go right on a cart track in the direction of mountain signposts. A few minutes higher, we leave the forest, bypassing the homestead on the right and much lower than the residential houses.
When we reach another road, we go left, and the house, which we have been seeing for some time, we bypass again on the right side, but this time passing close by the house.
At a smaller crossroad behind the homestead, we go right and continue through the forest to a small field, where we turn sharply right and return to the forest. Some ascent follows on the forest road, and when we reach a slightly larger crossroad higher up, we go straight on a cart track, along which rare blazes continue. The cart track higher up temporarily flattens, and then we ascend through the forest to a marked crossing near the peak.
Here we go left, and in less than a minute of further walking, we reach Plešivec, the highest peak of Rudnica.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in January 2025.