Hrastovica - Cepeliš (Josina steza)

Access to starting point:
We arrive in Croatia via the Gruškovje-Macelj border crossing and then drive along the motorway to Zagreb.
From the Zagreb ring road, we follow the signs for Sisek / Sisak and drive to the mentioned town.
Through the town, we follow the signs for the settlement Petrinja, to which we arrive after 10 minutes of further driving.
From Petrinja, we follow the direction to the settlement Hrvatska Kostajnica, where the consequences of the devastating earthquake are still visible and traffic is quite difficult.
When we leave the town, we come to a junction in the village Taborište, where we turn right into the settlement Hrastovica. The parking lot is next to the church, bakery, and community home. Another parking lot is in the upper part of the village next to the cemetery.

Route description:
From the starting point, we head towards the first marker noticed at the steps to the church; behind the church, we descend slightly to the village's main square, where we see signposts and a spring.
We continue uphill, with an interesting stream beside the path; shortly after, we reach a junction and go right.
After the junction, asphalt ends quickly; we proceed on an unpaved road with some weekend houses alongside, a beech avenue by the path, and rather sparse markings in this section.
The road leads to another junction where the summit marker is clearly visible, but signs for Josina steza branching left are faint. Here, we leave the road, go left into the forest, and follow a wooded cart track that steeply ascends and turns westward.
After a left bend, we reach a more demanding section where the trail is exposed, aided by a steel cable. Even after protections end, it remains exposed and slippery in wet conditions at spots.
As steepness and exposure ease, we enter a small valley where the path levels; through sparse forest, nearing the end we see the summit hut ahead. A short, very steep climb on the summit slope follows to the top.
The summit is forested; for views, climb the lookout tower. A mountain hut is nearby.

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