Ruška koča na Arehu - Koča na Šumiku

Access to the starting point:
a) From the motorway Ljubljana - Maribor take the exit Rače - Fram, then follow the signs for Fram. Continue through the centre of Fram, then start climbing towards the settlements Kopivnik, Planica and Frajhajm, and higher up follow the signs for Areh. When you join the wider road, go left and continue following the signs for Areh. Park in the large parking lot near the Ruška hut on Areh.
b) Leave the Styrian motorway at the exit for Slivnica and Rogoza, then follow signs for Pohorje and Areh. The road continues through Spodnje and Zgornje Hoče, Slivnica Pohorje, and after the settlements follow the signs for Areh. Park in the large parking lot near the Ruška hut on Areh.

Path description:
From the parking lot near Ruška koča na Arehu, take the road in the direction of Žigartov vrh, Šumika and Cojzarice. After about 10 minutes of walking along the road through the forest, you will reach a marked crossroads, where you continue left towards Bajgot and the Šumik waterfall (straight ahead Žigartov vrh).
The way forward returns to the forest and leads us along a worse forest road, from which a path soon branches off to the left down to the source of the Polskava River (5 minutes), and we continue straight ahead. After a while, go slightly right off the minor road, onto cart track, which climbs transversely up the slopes of Žigartov vrh. Cart track quickly lays down and leads us to a marked crossroads, where a path leading through Žigartov vrh, slightly longer than ours, joins from the right.
Continue straight ahead and gradually descend through the forest, crossing another forest road at a lower level. We continue to follow the path, which ascends and descends a few times, mostly on dirt tracks, and at crossroads we follow the signs. After a slightly longer descent, you reach the NOB memorial, where you reach a dirt road.
Walk along the road for only a few 10 steps and the path splits.
Take the right path in the direction of Pesek (St. Three Kings on the left) and leave the road, crossing another road a little further on, and we continue straight on the worse forest road, with markings along the way. There is a slight climb, then you pass a hunting observation post, and the road gradually turns into a track. A little further on, go slightly right with cart track, then start to descend crosswise. Lower down, cross the Areh - Osankarica road, and a little lower still, reach the Areh - Šumik road.
When you reach the Areh - Šumik road, go left and the marked path from St. Treh kraljev and Osankarica joins from the left. Continue along the road and quickly reach the starting point Bajgot na Šumik, where one of the paths to Rušam (the Holcarska trail through the valley Lobnica) branches off to the right.
From here, continue along the road for a few steps, then turn right onto the marked path towards Pesek and Klopni vrh, which leads over a small bridge over the Lobnice. A short climb follows and we return to the macadam road, where the road continues on a slightly shorter but unmarked path towards the Šumik estate, while we continue across the road and continue our climb on the marked path. A little further on, we leave the forest and then climb up a slightly overgrown slope to a macadam road, where there is a marked crossroads.
Continue to the right in the direction of the Forestry Home at Šumik (Pohorje Battalion camp on the left, Tiho jezero and Koča na Pesku, straight up Koča na Klopnem vrhu and Koča na Pesku) and continue along the macadam road. At a nearby crossroads, go straight ahead (sharp left Koča na Klopnem vrhu), and continue on the road for a short distance, as the signs for the cottage point us right downhill (straight along the Ruše road). After a short descent, return to the road, and you will see Koča na Šumiku in front of you, which is still a one-minute walk away.
Description and pictures refer to June 2022.

On the way: Tinčeva bajta (1115m)

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