Along the protected path: Ceria Merlone and part of Anita Goitan;
from Špik Hude Police (2,420m) above Pecol to Koštrunovi Špici (2,502m) above Viška Planina
or from Rifugio Brazza to Rifugio Corsi and into Jezersko Valley/Rabeljsko Lake
(conditions 12.8.2018)
You probably won't remember the names of all the Špiki and peaks and all the saddles and špranje in the mountain ridge between Montaž and Viš (which are generally better known to hikers), even if we list them with Italian and our names, but you'll surely remember the exceptionally beautiful panoramic and boldly routed high mountain path, which is airy in places, and on some sections (especially ascents and descents between ledges) also has via ferrata characteristics. The path is marked, easy to follow throughout, also due to considerable traffic, but the white-red Italian markers have faded quite a bit. On the Ceria Merlone path we mostly walk just below the ridges or numerous mountain peaks from the south side, along countless almost horizontal ledges, up and down between them between 2,200 and 2,500m, sometimes over the summit itself, and you'll definitely remember the idyllic Luca bivouac on the top of Špik nad Nosom (2,531m), and you'll meet and see many ibex.
Although the Ceria Merlone path turns a bit below the summit of Špik Hude Police (Cima di Terrarossa, 2420 m), to the right towards the east, we still climbed it, then follow Špik nad Tratico (Cime Gambon, 2405 m), Špik nad Nosom (Foronon del Buinz, 2531 m), Špik nad Špranjo (Modeon del Buinz, 2554 m) and steeply descends to the Forca de la Val saddle, where the ridge of Poliški Špiki ends, but immediately follows what to me is an even more beautiful and demanding part of the Ceria Merlone path - a dizzying traverse of narrow ledges in the south wall of Nižji Vrhovi (Cime delle Puartate, 2436 m) and Špice v Planji (Punta Plagnis, 2411 m), to the Krni Dol saddle (Forcela del Cregnedul). We also climbed some Špiki, Punta Plagnis and Vrh nad Krnim Dolom during the traverse.
From Škrbina Prednje Špranje, where Ceria Merlone ends with a protected descent (mostly equipped with cables) from Nižji Vrhovi (over their northeast side), from this side upwards starts the Anita Goitan path, here - from Škrbina Prednje Špranje follows a very steep "green" ascent almost to the pre-summit of Koštrunovi Špici and then relatively easily to the first normal approach summit (with cross) and for the bold very demanding (II-III) to the second summit (no protections, no pitons visible for rope descent). From the top of Koštrunova military fortress then follows a relatively comfortable descent to Mojzesova Škrbina or Škrbina Zadnje Špranje, where Anita Goitan is left and then descends to Rifugio Corsi and further into Jezersko Valley/Rabeljsko Lake.
The path is relatively long, in summer if the sun shines also very hot, requires good psychophysical condition, from Pecol to Viška Planina no water anywhere. Where to start the path, at Pecol or Viška Planina, is a matter of taste and decision (if coming from Bovec or Trbiž, our direction choice is logical to not waste time with cars in the morning), but for such a ridge traverse it's recommended to place two cars (one at start and one at end).
Path and protections/cables (mostly thin and less thick than we're used to here) are in relatively good condition, except at one section (somewhere on the south part of Nižji Vrhovi), where two pitons holding the loop are torn out of the wall, and that spot is quite exposed below and potentially dangerous for slipping (see picture 23 below).