Podrožca / Rosenbach - Frauenkogel/Dovška Baba (via Hruški vrh)

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we drive on the highway towards Beljak, which we leave at the first exit. From the point where we left the highway, we follow the signs for the settlement Šentjakob v Rožu / Sankt Jakob im Rosental. When we get to the mentioned settlement, we leave the main road and continue driving right in the direction of the settlement Podrožca / Rosenbach. After a few kilometers of additional driving, we get near the railway station in Podrožca, where we continue left downwards, and then at the next crossroads right in the direction of the valley Medji Dol / Bärental. Further, we drive on a somewhat narrower asphalt road, which we follow to the first crossroads, by which we notice hiking signposts. We park at an appropriate place by the road.
From the toll station at Hrušica to the starting point, it is approximately 23 km.

Route description:
From the starting point, we head to the left road following the signs for Rožca / Rosenbachsattel (straight Kepa / Mittagskogel). The road first crosses a bridge over the stream Gračenica / Schönbrunnen, then it starts first gently, later moderately ascending through the forest. Further on, we ascend for quite some time on the forest road, then we arrive at a marked crossroads at an altitude of 900 meters.
Here, a road branches off to the left towards Golica / Kahlkogel, while we continue slightly right in the direction of Rožca. From the fork ahead, the road temporarily descends to the nearby stream, which it then also crosses. On the other side of the stream, we start ascending again, and the marked path splits into two parts. We can continue further on the road or left on the marked footpath, which starts to ascend more steeply and continues through the forest. Higher up, the path returns to the road and leaves it again at a sharp right bend. We continue through the forest on an occasionally steeper and, in the upper part, also more overgrown slope. Higher, we join a cart track and follow it to the left. From the cart track, we soon go left onto the path towards Rožca, while to the right the path to Koprivnjak continues.
The path ahead crosses a torrent, then we ascend a few more minutes through the forest. A little further, the path turns right and takes us out of the forest, where we quickly reach the mountain pasture Rožca, where on the right side we notice a larger shepherd hut.
A little before the hut, yellow hiking signposts direct us left in the direction of Koča na Golici, the saddle Rožca and Hruški vrh. The path ahead first leads transversely across the mountain pasture, then starts first gently, then moderately ascending, following the blazes at this point, as the trail across the pasture is occasionally hard to follow. When we reach the edge of the pasture, the path turns slightly right and becomes clearly visible. Further on, in a few rare zigzags, we start ascending towards the state border with Slovenia. Higher, with ever more beautiful views, we reach the border ridge, from where we also get a beautiful view of the Slovenian mountains.
From the saddle, we continue right in the direction of Hruški vrh (left Klek, slightly left Koča na Golici, straight down hut on Rožca) and continue along the initially gentle ridge. Already after a few minutes, the path becomes somewhat steeper and leads us, with beautiful views, mainly along the Slovenian side of the border. Higher up, the path levels out, and only a short walk along the border ridge separates us from Hruški vrh.
From Hruški vrh, where there is a chapel of St. Izidor, we start descending along the ridge; when the descent ends, a marked path joins from the left, which bypasses Hruški vrh; a few steps further, a marked Austrian path also joins from the right, leading over the summit of Koprivnjak. We walk only a few steps along the marked path, then continue slightly right onto an unmarked path that continues along the ridge (the path that veers slightly left from the ridge leads towards the mountain pasture Dovška Rožca).
Further on, we mainly ascend moderately along a relatively wide ridge overgrown with dwarf pines in some sections. Higher, as we approach Baba (1849 m) - Baba is the eastern forepeak of Dovška Baba - the path veers slightly left from the ridge, crossing a shorter, steeper slope that is especially slippery when wet. When the crossing ends, the path returns to the ridge, and we ascend to the summit of Dovška Baba in a few minutes of further walking.
Podrožca - planina Rožca 2:45, planina Rožca - Rožca 35 minutes, Rožca - Hruški vrh 30 minutes, Hruški vrh - Dovška Baba 50 minutes.

Along the route: Roschitzaalm (1407m), Rosenbachsattel/Rožca (1587m), Rosenkogel/Hruški vrh (1776m), Baba (1849m)

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