Ljubelj - Vertatscha/Vrtača (east groove Y)

Access to starting point:
From the highway Ljubljana - Jesenice, we take the exit Ljubelj and follow the road ahead to the border crossing. Just a few meters before the border crossing, signs for Zelenica direct us to the left and the road brings us, after some 10 meters of additional driving, to the parking lot below the ski center Zelenica.

Route description:
From the parking lot, we head onto the footpath in the direction of Zelenica, Vrtača and Stol. The cart track, which runs along the left side of the ski slope, brings us after approximately 15 minutes of moderate ascent through the forest to the previously mentioned slope, alongside which we then ascend. The path, which offers nice views of the extensive scree fields of Begunjščica on the left and the ridge of Ljubeljščica on the right, then brings us in a gentle ascent to the hut on Vrtača. From the hut, we continue straight on the marked path, which slowly turns slightly to the left and brings us after a shorter traverse ascent into a belt of dwarf pines. Further on, the path ascends more steeply for a short time and then brings us to a cart track (transport rescue road), which we follow in a moderate ascent to the mountain hut on Zelenica.
From the mountain hut on Zelenica, we continue right in the direction of Stol and Vrtača (left Begunjščica) on the path which immediately behind the hut turns left and ascends alongside the children's ski lift. Somewhere halfway up the cableway, we come to a less noticeable junction, where we continue right and traverse up over the ski slope (straight to the hut at the source of Završnica). Further, we cross a short belt of forest and the path brings us to the next ski lift, which we cross in a gentle descent. On the other side of the ski slope, we notice a larger rock and on it a mark, which directs us into the forest. The path ahead first descends slightly, then traverses up over the scree. The path soon flattens and turns somewhat to the left, where we come to a smaller unmarked junction. We continue straight on the even and marked mountain path, which a little further brings us to the place where an unmarked path branches off to the right into the valley of Suhega ruševja (cairn). We continue along it through patches of dwarf pines and sparse forest and past boulders towards the notch Žleb between Zelenjak and Palec. Just below the gully, we turn left and cross the scree of Zelenjak in an arc towards the foot of the eastern wall of Vrtača. The crossing is somewhat unpleasant due to the sliding gravel and rocks. When we step below the outlet of the gully, we must still ascend the steep scree to the wall, which is quite rugged, allowing quick progress. Higher up, the gully narrows considerably and divides into two narrower gullies. We continue on the left one, which is wider. In contrast to the right, it is also much easier, and the wall is not so steep. We ascend over gravel-filled rocky steps until we reach two jammed boulders, under which we must crawl. Then follows the key part of the tour, where we must climb two crumbly stone jumps on the right. Then we ascend through crumbly terrain to a saddle, from which we reach the summit in easier climbing.
More or less we ascended the whole time in the range of I.-II. difficulty grade.

Along the route: Koča Vrtača mountain hut (1288m), Dom na Zelenici mountain hut (1536m), Žleb (Suho ruševje) (1916m)

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