Tinčkova koča - Vertatscha/Vrtača (via Smokuška planina and on the scree)

Access to starting point:
From highway Ljubljana - Jesenice we go to the exit Lesce and follow the road ahead in the direction of Žirovnica and Jesenice. After few km of driving, we will get to a crossroad, where the road in Žirovnica and Moste branches off to the right (from the direction of Jesenice left). Only few meters ahead in the next crossroad, we turn left in Moste (right Žirovnica). Further, we drive past a monument to fallen soldiers, where the road starts ascending on a hill below the railway track. On top of the slope, we turn right (at the sign Vila Karin), and then drive towards the lake Završniško jezero and Valvasorjev dom. The road then flattens and it brings us to a crossroad, where the road towards the mountain hut Valvasorjev dom branches off to the left, and we continue straight on at first still asphalt road. The road soon becomes a macadam, and we follow it to a parking lot near the mountain hut Tinčkova koča. The road in the upper part is often in quite bad condition.

Path description:
From the parking lot at the mountain hut Tinčkova koča we continue on a wide rocky cart track in the direction of the mountain hut Dom pri izviru Završnice. Already after few steps of walking blazes point us slightly to the right, on a little steeper footpath which ascends on a panoramic grassy slope, and then returns on the before mentioned cart track which we follow to the right. Cart track, which is relatively steeply ascending through the forest, after few minutes of additional walking brings us to a grazing fence, behind which we come at the marked crossing.
We continue straight (slightly right Roblekov dom) on a still rocky cart track which higher brings us out of the forest on an ample pastures of Smokuška planina. Here the steepness decreases and a more panoramic path in 15 minutes of additional walking brings us to the mountain hut Dom pri izviru Završnice.
From the marked crossing at Dom pri izviru Završnice we go left in the direction of Vrtača, Stol, Srednji vrh and saddle Šija and we continue on a cart track which is gently ascending. At the beginning of a right turn from the cart track slightly to the left a marked path branches off, and on an unmarked cart track we continue to a nearby second right turn. From the second turn we continue straight, where we notice at first a poorly visible footpath which immediately, when it passes into the forest becomes more distinct. In the forest, the path turns a little to the left and for a short time it continues without bigger change in altitude, and then it brings us to an unmarked crossing, where we continue right upwards. The path ahead quickly becomes pretty steep and it is ascending through the spruce forest, which is higher replaced by dwarf pines. Even a little further out of the dwarf pines we step on the scree, on which we then ascend to a marked path Zelenica - Stol.
We follow the mentioned path to the left, and by the crossing of the scree, with nice views on Begunjščica and Srednji vrh, it brings us to a marked crossing, where we continue on the upper right path in the direction of Vrtača (slightly left Stol).
Next again follows a little steeper ascent, at first still through dwarf pines, and higher on grassy slopes. A little higher we cross a steeper gully, and then we diagonally ascend on a side ridge of Vrtača, where there is the next, this time unmarked crossing.
Straight downwards the path continues towards Stol - path past Vatelca or Skleda, and we continue right, at first steeply upwards. Higher the footpath flattens a little, but the slope becomes quite steep and on some spots mainly in wet dangerous for slipping. Few minutes higher we reach the main ridge and with that also the national border. The path continues mainly on the Slovenian side of the border, where we also get to notification, that the route of the path is changed a little because of a rockfall. Instead by the ridge, where the path used to run before the rockfall (rockfall in the year 2016), now the path leads through a small valley from which we then return on the ridge. Follows few minutes of a moderate ascent, on occasionally steep slopes and a panoramic path brings us to the top of Vrtača.
Tinčkova koča - Dom pri izviru Završnice 1:00, Dom pri izviru Završnice - Vrtača 2:30.

On the way: Smokuška planina (1365m), Dom pri izviru Završnice (1425m)