Rateče (Ledine) - Mala Ponca / Ponza Piccola

Access to the starting point:
a) First drive to Kranjska Gora, then continue driving to Ratečeam. When you reach the roundabout near Rateč, take the exit towards Planica. After a short downhill, turn right and park in the marked parking area.

b) Take the Border crossing Rateče into Slovenia, then turn right towards Planica. After a short downhill, turn right and park in the marked parking lot.

Path description:
From the parking lot, continue along the edge of the cycle path and walk towards Itali. After about 10 minutes, the road from Rateče joins us from the right, and we continue left onto a narrow dirt road, which soon turns into a forest and starts to climb steeply. This road, which mostly continues through the forest, is then followed all the way to Planinsko zavetišče Slatna, which is seen to the left of the road.

From the shelter, continue along the road, which becomes even steeper and gradually passes onto the Drnice ridge. At a few small crossroads, continue along the wider road, and a little later, when the path by the ski jumps joins from the left, you will quickly reach the place where the road starts to descend towards the torrential bed of the Beli potok (White Stream).
At this point there is a small crossroads from which you continue slightly right on the cart track, which climbs parallel to the torrential rapids of the White Brook. At a nearby crossroads, go straight ahead, and when cart track ends, go left onto a beaten track, along which there is a small cairn, and a red arrow on a tree. There is a cross-climb to the left, where you cross several torrents, including the main channel of the White Brook. Once the path is laid, there are a few more crossings, and then we join the hunting trail, which starts a little further on from the ski jumps in Planica.
Here you continue to the right and initially cross a few more ravines, but then, along the ravine descending from Glav, you begin to climb steeply in a series of switchbacks. Higher up, you reach a small cirque, where the trail transitions, and after a few 10 steps it turns left and climbs to the next crossroads, from which you continue to the right (slightly left Glave and continuation of the Planica - Pokljuka trail). Planica - Pokljuka.
A moderate cross-climb to the right follows, and the path from which we have beautiful views of the Ponce and Kucerjev walls soon leads us under Vratica, where the path again becomes steep and this time also more difficult. After a shorter, steeper gully, we climb up to Vratica, where we reach the national border with neighbouring Itali and from where we have an exceptional view of Mangart and the other surrounding mountains.
Descend to the Italian side under the interesting columns, and at the nearby crossroads go right to start climbing again (straight down to the Belopeška jezera).
There is some scrambling, then a short technically demanding descent, followed by a shorter exposed scramble. On the other side of the torrent, there are a few more minutes of quite steep climbing and, with increasingly beautiful views, you reach the top of Mala Ponce.
Starting point - shelter Slatna 0:40, shelter Slatna - Vratica 2:30, Vratica - Mala Ponca 0:20.
The description refers to the situation in September 2019, the pictures are from different periods.

On the way: Planinsko zavetišče Slatna (1023m), Vratica (1844m)

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