Trate / Johannsenruhe - Prešernova koča na Stolu (via Celovška koča)

Access to starting point:
A) Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, then we drive on the highway towards Beljak, which we leave at the first exit. From the point where we leave the highway, we follow the signs for the settlement Šentjakob v Rožu / Sankt Jakob im Rosental. When we arrive in the mentioned settlement, we drive on the main road past Podgorje / Maria Elend and the settlement Sveče / Suetschach to the settlement Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental, where before the stores Billa and Penny we turn right in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 m after we leave the main road, we continue left, then on a somewhat narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (the parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the Penny store to the starting point there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the entrance to the Karawanks Tunnel to the starting point there is approximately 38 km.
B) Through the Ljubelj border crossing we drive to Austria, where on the main road towards Celovec / Klagenfurt am Wörtersee we drive to the second roundabout, from where we continue driving in the direction of the exit Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental (we leave the main road towards Celovec before we cross the river Drau). In the mentioned settlement, immediately after the stores Billa and Penny we turn left onto the road in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 m after we leave the main road we continue once again left, then on a somewhat narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (the parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the Penny store to the starting point there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the entrance to the Ljubelj Tunnel to the starting point there is approximately 32 km.
C) From Dravograd or Slovenj Gradec we drive to Ravne na Koroškem, then we continue driving in the direction of the border crossing Holmec. When we enter Austria we first drive towards Pliberk / Bleiburg, then we follow the signs for Globasnica / Globasnitz and further to Železna Kapla / Bad Eisenkappel, Borovlje / Ferlach. After Borovlje at the roundabout we join the road via the Ljubelj border crossing. Here at the first roundabout we continue in the direction of Celovec / Klagenfurt, at the second in the direction of Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental. In the mentioned settlement, immediately after the stores Billa and Penny we turn left onto the road in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 m after we leave the main road we continue once again left, then on a somewhat narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (the parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the Penny store to the starting point there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the border crossing Holmec to the starting point there is approximately 71 km.

Path description:
At the beginning of the parking lot, between the road closed with a barrier and the parking lot, we will notice the beginning of the marked path that leads towards Celovška koča / Klagenfurter Hütte, Stol, Svačica, Ovčji vrh / Geissberg and other destinations. A little further, the marked path is joined by an unmarked path leading from the upper part of the parking lot, and we join the macadam road leading towards the already mentioned mountain hut a few steps further. The road then leads us across the bed of a torrent and shortly afterwards brings us out of the forest onto a meadow (Trate / Johannsenruhe), which is only a few minutes from the starting point. From the meadow a beautiful view opens up, and the road then returns to a belt of forest. When the forest temporarily thins in a gentle left bend, an unmarked "shortcut" continues straight ahead. We continue along the road, which is also indicated by a yellow mountain sign. Just a minute further, the "main" road turns right, while the "side" road continues straight. From the mentioned junction we continue along the footpath that runs between both roads and then ascends with the road leading to Celovška koča. For some time we ascend diagonally across occasionally steeper slopes, then we return to the wider macadam road. Further on, the marked path crosses the road several more times, then at a larger rock or boulder with memorial plaques it splits into two parts.
To the right the climbing path leads to Stol, while we continue straight towards Celovška koča. The path ahead crosses the road several more times, and higher up it brings us from the occasionally sparse forest onto the grazing slopes of Mačenska planina / Matschacher Alm (the huts on the pasture are a few minutes to the left from the marked path). From there follows a gentle ascent, and the path or road brings us to Celovška koča in a few minutes.
From the hut we head right towards Stol / Hochstuhl, Svačica / Bielschitza and Prešernova koča, continuing along an easy cart track which lower down turns into a mountain path that takes us through a belt of dwarf pines to the screes below Svačica. The path ahead ascends diagonally across the first scree, then brings us to a short steep section where a steel cable assists at the traverse. This short and technically not particularly demanding section ends quickly, and the path continues across the scree on a wide and well-maintained track. With a view of the surrounding walls, we then ascend without major difficulties to the saddle Belščica, where there is a marked junction.
From the saddle Belščica, where the path to Svačica branches off to the left, we continue straight towards Vrtača, Prešernova koča and Zelenica. We cross grassy slopes for a few minutes, then arrive at the point where the path to Vrtača branches off to the left, and we continue straight downhill. The path ahead first descends steeply down a gully, then turns right, transitioning to expansive screes across which it ascends diagonally. Higher up we leave the scree and descend slightly to the nearby junction, where the upper and lower paths and the path from Završnica join.
Here we continue straight, and the path from the small valley between Srednja peč 1920 m (Srednja peč is a less known peak on the left) and the ridge Orlice (Orlice is a harder-to-access ridge between the saddle Belščica and Stol) gradually transitions to a larger scree across which we ascend diagonally to the right; then the path gradually enters a steeper valley between Mali Stol on the left and Stol on the right. Here we continue left (Stol 10 minutes to the right) and after a few minutes of moderate ascent we step onto the summit of Mali Stol, from which only about 10 steps of descent separate us to Prešernova koča.
Starting point - Celovška koča 1:30, Celovška koča - Koča na Stolu 2:10.

On the way: Trate / Johannsenruhe (1226m), Klagenfurter Hutte/Celovška koča (1664m), Sedlo Belščica (1840m)

Trip can be extended to: Hochstuhl/Stol