Trate / Johannsenruhe - Bielschitza/Svačica

Access to starting point:
A) Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we drive on the highway towards Beljak, which we leave on the first exit. From the point where we left the highway, we follow the signs for Šentjakob v Rožu / Sankt Jakob im Rosental. When we get to the mentioned settlement we drive on the main road past Podgorje / Maria Elend and settlement Sveče / Suetschach to the settlement Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental, where before the stores Billa and Penny we turn right in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 meters after we leave the main road we continue left, after that on a little narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the store Penny to the starting point, there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the entrance to the Karawanks Tunnel to the starting point, there is approximately 38 km.
B) Through the border crossing Ljubelj we drive to Austria, where on the main road towards Celovec / Klagenfurt am Wörtersee we drive to the second roundabout, from where we continue driving in the direction of exit Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental (main road towards Celovec we leave before we cross the river Drau). In the mentioned settlement immediately behind the stores Billa and Penny we turn left on a road in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 meters after we leave the main road we continue once again left, after that on a little narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the store Penny to the starting point, there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the entrance to the Ljubelj Tunnel to the starting point, there is approximately 32 km.
C) From Dravograd or Slovenj Gradec we drive to Ravne na Koroškem, and then we continue driving in the direction of border crossing Holmec. When we drive into Austria at first we drive towards Pliberk / Bleiburg, and then we follow the signs for Globasnica / Globasnitz and ahead Železna Kapla / Bad Eisenkappel, Borovlje / Ferlach. Behind Borovlje at the roundabout, we join the road through the border crossing Ljubelj. Here in the first roundabout we continue in the direction of Celovec / Klagenfurt, in the second in the direction of Bistrica v Rožu / Feistritz im Rosental. In the mentioned settlement immediately behind the stores Billa and Penny we turn left on a road in the direction of the valley Rute / Bärental. About 100 meters after we leave the main road we continue once again left, after that on a little narrower and ascending road we drive to a large parking lot (parking lot is located near a meadow named Trate / Johannsenruhe). From the store Penny to the starting point, there is approximately 9 km of narrower asphalt road, macadam is only in the last part. From the border crossing Holmec to the starting point, there is approximately 71 km.

Route description:
At the beginning of the parking lot, we will between the road which is closed with a ramp and the parking lot notice the beginning of the marked path which leads towards Celovška koča / Klagenfurter Hütte, Stol, Svačica, Ovčji vrh / Geissberg and other destinations. The marked path a little further joins an unmarked path which leads from the upper part of the parking lot and we a few steps ahead join the macadam road which leads towards the already mentioned mountain hut. The road then leads us through the bed of a torrent and only a little further brings us out of the forest on a meadow (Trate / Johannsenruhe), which is from the starting point only a few minutes away. From the meadow a beautiful view opens up and the road then returns into a belt of forest. When the forest temporarily thins out, in a gentle left turn an unmarked "shortcut" continues straight ahead. We continue on the road, where a yellow mountain sign also directs us. Only about a minute ahead the "main" road turns right, the "side" road continues straight. From the mentioned crossroad, we continue on a footpath which continues between both roads and further ascends with that road which leads towards Celovška koča. For some time we ascend transversely across occasionally steeper slopes, and then we return to a wider macadam road. Further, the marked path crosses the road a few more times, and then at a larger rock or boulder with memorial markers it splits into two parts.
Right leads the climbing path to Stol, and we continue straight in the direction of Celovška koča. The path ahead crosses the road a few more times, higher it brings us from the occasionally sparse forest onto the grazing slopes of Mačenska planina / Matschacher Alm (the huts on the mountain pasture are a few minutes to the left from the marked path). From here follows still a gentle ascent and the path or road takes us to Celovška koča in a few minutes.
At the hut we head right in the direction of Prešernova koča na Stolu. The path ahead first crosses grassy slopes, then it gently descends to an indistinct saddle. The path ahead starts to ascend steeply across scree to a somewhat vegetated part of the path. A little further, a steel cable assists us in crossing a steeper slope, but this part of the path does not cause problems in dry conditions. Further, we ascend again across scree all the way to the state border.
On the saddle, we go left (straight Stol) and along the trail, which ascends across a grassy slope surrounded by dwarf pines, in 15 minutes we reach the summit on which a cross stands.
Starting point - Celovška koča 1:30, Celovška koča - Svačica 1:00.

Along the route: Trate / Johannsenruhe (1226m), Klagenfurter Hutte/Celovška koča (1664m), Sedlo Belščica (1840m)

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