| djimuzl22. 03. 2021 19:33:45 |
On the first day of spring, I set off from the parking lot just above Mojstrana at 8 o'clock. The trail to Vrtaška planina was completely snow-free up to 1100 m a.s.l., where the first snow patches appeared locally; from 1200 m onwards, there were no dry sections anymore.
Initially, the sun accompanied me on the forest trail, along with some chamois above and below the path. By the time I reached the pasture, the clouds had increased, with occasional snow flurries. But since a nice blue window still showed towards Vrtaški vrh, which I had spotted lower on the path also above the old weather station Luknja, I decided to continue in that direction. Well-visible footprints of the predecessor led there too, which I followed all the way to the top.
The predecessor had gone there via the old path, which initially follows the marked trail to Slemen, then above Farjevi žlebi turns into the eastern slopes of the mentioned peak; his tracks became less visible with altitude. Later, the weather also worsened, and the clouds thickened. The spring sun was still pleasantly warming my nape while the wind simultaneously brought snowflakes to my face—an interesting experience  I arrived at the summit just in time to recognize the Slemen ridge nearby, but soon that too was hidden.
Just during a short break on the summit, real winter began; a stronger and colder wind appeared, which successfully hid my tracks with snow, and visibility deteriorated greatly, so I descended hastily. Since my hands nearly froze soon after the start of the descent, I had to stop and warm them in the traditional way Soon after putting my gloves back on, I met two hikers coming towards me. Hmm, what would they think if they "caught" me in that position, with hands tucked into my crotch  During the conversation, I learned that they themselves had realized that my tracks led towards Vrtaški vrh and not Slemen, where they were headed—but they had changed their plan due to the worsening weather.
Lower down, visibility improved; snowing also stopped at the pasture, and on the return via the same path, I caught a sunray or two again.
10-15 cm of newer, unconsolidated snow on the old base; I did not use winter gear. Caution is needed on the wind-packed and locally piled with avalanche debris section of the narrow path below the pasture, as the snow is harder there, the terrain very steep, and the safety fence unusable due to snow depth and torn in many places. There is also quite a bit of fallen trees on the path, but they can be easily bypassed.
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