palček plezalček - Recent messages

A new short and sweet trip has been added to the collection. Since my roommate renounced writing it up, and there's no thread open on the forum, I'm adding a few lines and pictures.

Between Potok v Črni and Podstudenc lie the Pirčeve ridges, where the excursion starts at the belay on a comfortable logging trail. Soon it turns into a pathlet, and when we find ourselves at the new bench, we take it along the ridgelet leading towards Pirčev vrh. This is a world of many faces, rising steeply and offering the awakening spring in full splendor, along with plenty of tree sculptures. From Pirčev vrh we head towards Ravni hrib, but off-trail already after a few steps reveals that right below us is a path from which cheerful babbling is heard. We quietly retreat and briskly take it through thickets to the western end of Sušav, where lunch quickly disappears, and consequently the belly purrs contentedly like a pampered kitten. Lounging despite the warm sun doesn't last long, and we're already walking west along the ridgelet of Ravni hrib. Just before the westernmost grassy patch, the moment is livened up by a roe deer that was too fast to capture on photo. Then we turn downhill slightly towards sv. Primož. No path, grasses very dry and very steep. The world is primordially enchanting and the trees particularly comfortable (picture 18). After joining the marked path, we turn towards the gully that descends like a disheveled-furious ditch towards Potok v Črni. We follow the traverse pathlet for a while, but since we probably missed the branch that should lead into the gully, we go by nose again and explore a few more exceptional corners, and in the end while crossing the western slope of Pirčev vrh we also amuse ourselves with a bear.

This world offers quite a bit more exploration material and invites a return visit.

After morning coffee quickly from Zadnjica to Log and above the museum along the Gmajna path. When the latter turns right and starts descending, we continue straight and soon join the markings through Trebiški dol. We hadn't quite gotten used to them yet when we already leave them at the spot where the first little path turns left. We follow it to planina Trebiščina. From there onwards it's more feeling around until suddenly a mulatjera appears along which we reach the kasarne. Next we step onto Velika glava (quite some scree; I've heard several times it's impassable but somehow we got from one side to the other over the top ), then continue directly to Veliki Konj (scree can mostly be avoided and quite decently approached) and descend to the other side along the ridge leading to Ozebnik. From it the ridge continuation is locally crumbly and exposed. Ascent from the saddle to 'Nad Kopiščarji glave' above Ozebniška planina is easy while the view to Veliki Vršovec reveals the same as Google Earth - sea of scree. We return across the planina to the Konj-Ozebnik ridge and along the path descend to saddle Čez dol then a bit along local shortcut and a bit across reach the road under Utor. Continuation to start would be quite uninteresting if we hadn't detoured to Pinja waterfall and only then hurried to the deserved strudel - thanks for the treat, strudel was divine.

This is a challenge for . I don't know if I'm up to it, but since the first picture is so attractive and the second shows where I would like to continue, I will definitely try.

To a well-visited peak one also goes exploratively and solitarily.

Pantharej, I thank you for the description of the path that today found itself among the traversed ones. If I did not hike it everywhere orthodoxly, but in my own style here and there followed my nose too much, then I ask for corrections.

If anyone else is tempted by the exploration that Pantharej described, let them look here: https://www.hribi.net/trenutne_razmere/slo/storzic_/3/725

At the end of Bašelj I pass by the football and basketball court and the pumptrack along the chamois path by the Belica and along it all the way to the forest road, which I join under Gradišče. Along it to a well-visible path that leads to the peak. Since I have already stood on this old Slavic hillfort from the 5th and 6th century, I do not visit it this time. Rather I sneak onto the path to the left and follow it to the first branch to the right. Something does not smell right to me, so I do not bother with it and so another 2 or 3 times, when finally I turn right I reach the clearing, beyond which a little man awaits me. I zigzag upwards and stop several times on the promontories from which the views are excellent. When a grassy gully appears to the right in front of me, I say half-aloud: "Aha, here the path will run out," and already I bite upwards through the grass. I like open country, but after a while a well-visible path to the right tempts me so much that I turn across 2 gullies into the forest. It was not difficult to traverse, and it would have been even easier if there had not been fallen trees in places. Every now and then I step onto a beautiful path which, alas, disappeared just as it came. Despite the game of hiding paths I zigzag onto the marked path a few dozen meters further east than I left it a week ago. I do not go to Storžič, I cannot with soles with which it would be easier for me in the worn-out Slovenian (PIPS) than in snow. I take it to the right and with unease await the gully that on my previous visit was fatal for all we then met with a friend. We managed to cross it without a scratch, but more by luck than by sense. This time the crossing is a real cat's cough. Diligent hands have made a well-trodden access in/out of the gully on both banks, and at the same time its bottom is covered with much more material, so it is not deep. In continuation I reach a spruce grove with a spring where I was already last time and a few moments higher a strong wind embraces me that howls across Bašelj saddle. Only a few gusts of wind and a little sliding on the snowy path separated me from the namesake peak. Here you are in civilization again. Cyclists appeared who instead of rucksacks were laden with bicycles.

I descended past the house on Kališče and then steeply down the ridge, and a little on the markings, a little without them all the way to the starting point.

Pantharej, thanks. I'll try sometime to find the path and its end from your pictures.

Ppegan, thanks. If there was more time, it would be even more fun, but this way you catch the moments when you can.

Tango, when you descend from Bašelj Saddle, the path isn't immediately visible, but you quickly pick it up further to the right looking down. You can already see it well on the first lower picture. When you spot a small grove ahead (I think mostly spruces), to the left of them you also notice the sign for the spring (second picture below). Third picture - approximate drawing on maPZS.

By the way, on Google Maps or Google Earth, what's supposed to be the remainder of the path from the bivouac upwards to the ridge is drawn differently than on maPZS.

My Sunday exploration starts in Laško (above Bašelj), where there's a large parking lot designated for hikers.
After a few minutes, I turn onto a quasi-path that should lead to a marked trail a bit higher up. I did reach it, but instead of following the path, I hugged a couple of trees to manage a few dozen meters of elevation in the 'upright lying' forest. Continuing brings me to a bench by the spruces, where the path branches left toward Planina Javornik and right toward Kališče. You go straight ahead if you continue along the unmarked but well-trodden SW ridge of Storžič. This time I followed the path to the right, but left it among the first beeches in search of a hunting bivouac. Not much searching was needed, as with a slightly more attentive glance, you can spot it right from the path. One-two, I'm there, and peeking through the window, I spot a metal box from some bygone era standing on a table covered in leaves. Next to it is a stove. In front of the hut, there are scattered bottles; behind it, a path should reveal itself that would lead me higher to the SW ridge. I zigzag along the slope and, although I don't encounter the path, with beautiful views some 300 m higher, I step onto the ridge, where I start chasing the fog. When I finally catch up to it, voices join in. At the summit, quite a few enthusiasts are sitting in the cold and wind. They're probably waiting for the sun's return or simply can't give up the habit of lounging at the mountain's highest point despite the chill. I didn't join them in waiting; instead, frozen, I hurried off to Bašeljsko sedlo, scanning along the way for a branch-off that tempts me for some future time. From the saddle, sharply right to catch the path, on which a bit lower I stumble upon a marked spring. Then I traverse the slope along a well-visible trail toward Kališče, but at the right spot turn right and continue along a sometimes less visible but picturesque path, where I even encounter two not very talkative mouflons. I step back onto the marked trail at Planina Spodnje Kališče. From there toward the partisan hospital and back to civilization.

Nice hike to say goodbye to winter

It came as ordered, Gep's post indeed (must be under some other title) and I headed to the same area on a slightly modified variant.
In Draga, the parking lot around half past seven was still quite empty. I strode along the white road and continued on the path towards Preval. When I reached it, the first visitors were already refreshing themselves in the hut, but I quickly "zviz" to the right to Potočnikova planina, where I turned left into a quite steep slope. First through the forest, then a short time dancing with the scrub, and when I finally reached the open ground, I stood frozen with a snake's lair almost at my nose. Reason says the lair is old, the snake probably hasn't been there for a long time, but my heart beat faster, legs were like springs, poles pounding the ground as if performing a special circus act. I breathed a little easier only when there were no more tall grasses, which happened right below the ridge, along which with beautiful views I reached the markers again and along them to the quite crowded summit. The descent towards Roblek and onwards passed quickly, and so I was already driving home early in the afternoon.

Hi, how happy I am with these words, not because of the congratulations, although I thank you nicely for them, but because I hope for some new j.'s adventure.

A trip to Pirčev vrh three weeks ago sparked my desire to return to these steep slopes. After returning home, I sat down in front of the map and sketched out where to go next. I didn't dare hope for company, since my housemate had already been on the ridge of Krvava peč. That he was interested for the second time gave additional hope for an interesting tour. The little ridge offered some harder passages and beautiful views.
On the former marked path, we ended up right below Pirčeva planina and strolled along the "stubble four-lane" to the passage in the fence, which took us down from the gentle and safe Mala planina into the mad world of ragged and steep slopes overgrown with forest and grasses. The latter are still quite dry at this time of year and serve as poor holds, requiring unwavering faith that you can do everything "on your feet" (like on slabs) and if that doesn't work, that even dry grass blades hold and withstand your weight.
At first, on Curli, we caught some very trodden path that soon disappeared. Then we encountered here and there some little cairns in the form of "one stone on a rock," and when those vanished and the terrain became less forgiving in terms of orientation and technically, we were each captain of our own ship—one wanted to go higher, the other lower. In the end, we navigated the stormy sea and even caught obvious remnants of the path several times.
When we turned uphill before Skledčka, the real challenges of Velika planina finally revealed themselves, but we overcame those too with the help of stubbornness and sneaked back from solitude among the livestock that was enjoying its day among the gentians.
The descent was merely a formality that, due to its ease, nicely concluded the day.

First time I parked here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wy9YmZDm7syoTiki6 and walked along the sidewalk to the start of the ridge.
You can also ask if they allow you to park in front of the inn: https://maps.app.goo.gl/eWCaVWjo66soRjsB7; in that case, you have a minute to the path leading to the start of the ridge. A few steps past the inn, you turn into the street, pass three houses and a garden (on the left side), and then at the end of the asphalt (if they haven't extended it in the meantime) left up the hill.

Pirč's world is interesting and I myself have already started planning one of the next trips .
The direct descent was not carried out because I wanted to go again along the little ridge to the place where I once turned to the other side before, that is to Konjska Valley. Maybe the last few photos from the link can help: https://www.hribi.net/trenutne_razmere/slo/velika_planina_-_konjska_dolina/3/928

Magical world of mosses... nice

Sincere congratulations for the brave ascent. The universal scree of Devil's Gully is for the rare ones...

After a looong time, Begunjščica happened at the last minute...
It was a bit shorter, but no less sweet, foggy and slippery.

Thanks for the post. This approach has been "bugging" me for a while.