Podrošt - Gladki vrh (Ratitovec)

Access to starting point:
A) We drive to Železniki, then continue driving towards Soriška planina and Petrovo Brdo. When we reach the crossroads where the road to Petrovo Brdo and Tolmin branches off to the left, and straight ahead the road continues towards Sorica and Soriška planina, we are in Podrošt, where we notice the mountain signposts for Ratitovec. Near the mountain signposts there are no suitable parking places, so we park in a suitable place somewhere nearby.
B) We drive to Baška grapa, then continue driving towards Železniki. After Petrovo Brdo the road starts descending, and we drive to the crossroads where the road from Soriška planina joins. Here we turn right and along the road we notice signs for Ratitovec. Near the mountain signposts there are no suitable parking places, so we park in a suitable place somewhere nearby.
C) From Bohinjska Bistrica we ascend to Soriška planina, then start descending towards Sorica and Železniki. When we arrive in the valley, we are in Podrošt, where a little further from the crossroads, where the road from Petrovo Brdo joins, we notice signs for Ratitovec. Near the mountain signposts there are no suitable parking places, so we park in a suitable place somewhere nearby.

Path description:
Signs for Ratitovec direct us from the main road onto a side road that leads past the Podrošt refreshment hut, then we continue past the barrier that prevents further driving. Behind the barrier on the left we notice a smaller pond, above which there is a small accumulation pond. A little further we leave the road and continue right onto a marked path that starts to ascend diagonally to the left. The path ahead leads along what was once a nicely arranged and wide path, which today is damaged in several places, especially poorly trodden and consequently quite overgrown. While crossing the slopes of the peak Lajtnik, where we walk above the bed of the stream Štajnpoh, the path splits a few times, and we follow the blazes or signs for Ratitovec at all of them. When we are somewhat higher, on some sections when looking back a nice view opens towards Porezen, otherwise the path mostly runs through the forest. Higher we reach the bed of the torrent stream Ravenska grapa, which we cross; at high water levels the crossing is quite awkward due to slippery rocks around the stream. We walk alongside the stream for a short time, then reach a macadam road, which we follow to the right (the left road ends below the summit Štoment). Here we cross another streamlet, then go a little further left onto a marked path by which we quickly ascend to a pasture, where along its left lower edge we ascend for some time, higher we enter a belt of shrubs through which we ascend to another road, where we reach the village Ravne.
Further the path leads us past a few individual houses, occasionally we cross a road or continue along it briefly. After crossing the asphalt road, along which it is possible to continue to the village Torka, Ravne ends, and we continue to follow the signs for Ratitovec. The still relatively well-marked but poorly trodden path then leads us along the route of the high-voltage power line, along which we continue to a marked junction on the saddle Povden.
We continue in the direction of Koča na Ratitovcu; the path takes us on the right side of the information board that marks the Natura 2000 area into the forest. This is followed by an ascent through fairly dense forest; when the path levels out somewhat, the path from the village Torka joins from the left. From the junction we walk briefly on a cart track, then the signs for Ratitovec direct us right onto the mountain path. The path ahead starts to ascend more steeply, and at an altitude of around 1500 meters it brings us out of the forest. We continue amid ever better views on a steeper slope, where in winter there is great danger of triggering snow avalanches. Higher the path leads over a short secured section (undemanding), then the path turns left and levels out. A few minutes of easy ascent follow across the pastures of Ratitovec and we arrive at Krekova koča na Ratitovcu.
From the hut we continue in the direction of Gladki vrh, and along the trail that runs across the grassy slope, we ascend to the panoramic summit in 5 minutes.
Podrošt - Ravne 1:20, Ravne - Povden 40 minutes, Povden - Krekova koča 1:00, Krekova koča - Gladki vrh 5 minutes.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in 2018 (May).

On the way: Ravne (1024m), Povden (1264m), Krekova koča na Ratitovcu mountain hut (1642m)