Loka pri Žusmu (Žamerk) - Plešivec (Rudnica)

Access to starting point:
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 of 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 relatively short ascent, and we follow the road to the hamlet Žamerk, where the described path begins by the chapel and the bus stop. At the starting point, there aren't any parking spots.
To the starting point, we can also get from the direction of the road Brežiče - Podplat, namely over Roginska Gorca and Zgornje Tinsko.

Path description:
From the chapel in hamlet Žamerk we head to the eastern side of the road, where a trail blaze on a sign directs us to a side road. The path ahead leads us past a few houses, and when the road ends, we follow the left cart track, where there are no marks or blazes. Next follows an ascent on a grassy cart track, and as we approach a smaller saddle, we choose the slightly right cart track, where no marks are noticeable. The path ahead leads for some time slightly to the right of the power line, then the quite overgrown path moves away from the power line and enters a dense forest. Some more crossing follows, and as we approach a homestead we notice ahead, the path splits. Here we notice an older faded blaze, which directs us to the right onto a footpath that leads through a small passage from shady to sunnier slopes, but we go left where another older blaze points. Next follows just a short walk on a cart track, and we reach an asphalt road, which we follow to the right, bypassing the homestead on the left side. A little further, we come very close to a slightly wider asphalt road, but we continue left on a macadam road, briefly running parallel to the asphalt road.
Further on, blazes become slightly more frequent, and we arrive at hamlet Oslešica, where a path from the starting point Hudi graben joins from the right, which is also the starting point for access to the partisan hospital in Javoršica.
We continue straight, bypassing a few houses on the left side, and when the road ends, we proceed on 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.