| j.11. 09. 2024 22:07:30 |
From the parking lot along the cycling path between Podkužami and Gozd Martuljek to planina Smrajka, from there across the northern ridge of Votlega Slemena to Skočniki, onwards to Rutarski Vršič and along the transverse path to Ingota and back to the parking lot.
At Lešnikov graben with some fresh tree falls in the forest track I got a bit orientationally tangled, but after crossing the stream bed on the other side I discovered a poorly visible path and quite a few cairns.
At about 1000 meters the path forked, I followed the traverse to the left, the right seemed to go into a precipice. Through low bushes it initially climbed steeply upwards, a bit steep but nothing special, then turned right roughly towards the hunting hut. About 200 m higher it seemed to me to be going too much upwards. So I descended slightly and happily stumbled upon a path before the overgrown scree, which led me through the scree and across a dry stream bed to the hut. Well, almost to it, when I should have been there, the path disappeared, and I was gaping around like a fool where the hut could be. And it was, about 15 meters behind my back.
From the hut towards planina Smrajka, which is about 500m away, there are two paths. The first roughly in the area of the smaller ridge (Glava, 1199 m), starting above the hut, and the second through the overgrown valley and then along the torrent bed and then right out of it. I walked the first for a while and past young beeches continued on the second. The path appeared occasionally, then disappeared again. There was no sign of the planina, only in the forest I found a dug clay pit with a puddle, which I assumed collected water for livestock from the planina times.
The path, which becomes visible again in the forest above the planina, led right across a rocky slide and back into the forest, which thinned gradually. A bit further at the end of a small clearing I came upon a salt lick, followed by less than two hundred meters of traversing and I was already standing on the northern ridge of Votlega Slemena. Exactly there where on the other side the path down the gully leads to the hunting hut above Skočniki, left an arrow and dot point upwards to the path along the ridge to Votlo Sleme.
The world there is magnificent, wild and lonely. Right at the saddle is a small rocky hillock, perhaps once even a hunting stand, all around green larch and undergrowth. The path down the gully to the hunting hut was not demanding, just due to the steepness had to watch a bit. And in the upper part of the gully it gets lost here and there.
From the forest edge above the gully I spotted the hunting hut. And of course the severe blowdown caused by the wind a few years ago. I descended to the hut roughly through the middle of the blowdown, there it seemed easiest to me.
To Rutarski Vršič from here it's very comfortable. It starts in the forest at the remains of a bench by the stream bed, the path elegantly zigzags through the forested slopes at a suitable gradient. Not marked but indicated with orange arrows and dots. If I was somewhat worried in the slopes above Smrajka that I'd hit a landslide or tree blowdown that would hinder or even prevent continuation, here I was carefree. But it started soon enough. About 10 minutes from the bench I met the first tree fallen across the path. Hop over it. Then after a couple minutes the second, hop again and a bit of scratching on the bark, then the third... At the thirtieth I stopped counting. But these unfortunates have an interesting characteristic: their mighty trunks are not felled in one area, but randomly, sometimes every five meters, sometimes every hundred. Just the right distribution to kill the walking pace.
At the top of Vršič, as once before, a little tree in the shape of a scarecrow awaited me...
I descended along the eastern ridge, parallel to the ascent path. The little path there is exceptionally beautiful, a real hunting one, and leads along steep, vividly green grass and a lively varied ridgelet with aesthetically arranged ancient fallen larches. At the flat area (Robičeva planina) barely traceable it turns left and down into the northern slopes of Vršič. Right across the planina probably possible to cross to the path I ascended.
After some cairns the path disappeared, but soon I hit it again, it became nicely visible. And that's good, since further on it crosses quite a few gullies, and some bushy areas too, and finding passages without a path would go much slower, if at all.
Up and down through passages, gullies and scree are nice but drag a bit. Roughly in the middle of the traverse a narrow scree slopes down into the valley towards Glava 1243m. Under it apparently a path through the forest straight to Ingota. I don't know the path, if it exists. I thought a bit but decided to continue the traverse towards Zgornji Martuljek waterfall, where the path in zigzags descends into the valley above the precipitous steepness. The punishment for not obeying the exploratory urge didn't take long. Right in the steepest part it poured like from a bucket, in panic I wrapped the phone in the bag so it wouldn't get wet, then on the damp, not very trodden path soaking wet to the skin extremely carefully descended, while about two hundred meters lower the waterfall threateningly roared with all its might.
At Ingota the water pumps are still working at full power. To the car less than six kilometers, the last part I walked along the path under the hill on the right bank of Sava. I chose that because I thought the tree shade would protect me from the afternoon sun on the way back. But nothing came of it, as from the trees above my head on the gloomy rainy afternoon it just - dripped.
Four walked hunting paths lead through one of the loneliest parts of our Julijci. None of them is technically particularly demanding, discounting climbing over fallen trees  . But in many places you need to slow the pace and step carefully. The path(s) around the former planina Smrajka is orientationally quite demanding. When wandering there it's always good to know where you are currently and where you're headed.
Some more pictures at Modrini neba.
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