Bodenbauer - Hochstuhl/Stol (via Karweg)

Access to starting point:
From highway Ljubljana - Jesenice we go to the exit Ljubelj (Tržič), and then we continue driving in the direction of Celovec / Klagenfurt. After the Ljubelj tunnel the road starts descending, and we follow it to a crossroad, where the road into a valley Poden / Bodental branches off to the left. We go on the mentioned road which further leads through Slovenji Plajberk / Windisch Bleiberg and higher Žabnica / Bodental. The mentioned road, we follow to the end of the asphalt by inn Podnar / Bodenbauer, where on an appropriate place by the road we also park.

Path description:
From Podnar near of which we park on extended road we go on a macadam and for public traffic closed forest road in the direction of Mlaka / Märchenwiese and Celovška koča / Klagenfurter Hütte. The road which starts gently ascending soon brings us to the first crossing, where the path towards the farm Vgriz / Ogrisbauer branches off to the right, and we continue straight in the direction of the mountain hut Celovška koča. The road goes a little further in the forest and splits into two parts. We choose the left marked road, and which after approximately 30 minutes of walking from the starting point brings us to Mlaka (flat, ample and panoramic meadow).
Here the road turns slightly to the right, and we continue straight on parallel, but a little poorly visible marked path which continues over the meadow. On the other side of the meadow, the path returns into the forest and it gradually starts moderately ascending. After a short ascent, we get to a smaller crossing, where ski touring path branches off to the left, and we continue straight on a smaller torrent ditch. Some 10 strides higher we leave the ditch, because blazes point us to right (straight at first on and by the ditch, higher through ample scree leads rough partly pathless footpath towards the saddle Belščica) on the path which only a few meters higher joins the forest road. When we step on the road, we follow it to the left and we walk there only to first right turn. At the end of the turn, we leave the marked path, which at first continues on the road and we continue sharply left on unmarked, but easy to follow footpath. The footpath already after few meters turns slightly to the right and starts ascending diagonally through the forest. Higher, the footpath starts ascending steep through the forest, which after a time starts to get thinner. Even a little further forest is gradually changed by a lane of dwarf pines and bushes, the path with increasingly beautiful view, from which views are opening up to mountain walls of Palec, Zelenjak, Vrtača and nearby Svačica, brings us to the spot, where we return on a marked path (marked path is a little longer and technically demanding, but well-secured). When we reach a marked path at first we ascend on it to a smaller well, and from there also to the nearby crossing on the saddle Vrata / Matschatcher Sattel.
On the mentioned saddle worse beaten unmarked footpath branches off to the left, which leads "direct" to a saddle Belščica, and we continue straight and start descending towards the mountain hut Celovška koča. On the part of the path, where the footpath widen into a cart track, marked path on Ovčji vrh (Kozjak) / Geissberg branches off to the right, and we still continue on the path which is slightly descending. A little further, the cart track splits into two parts, and we choose right, on which in few minutes we get to the mountain hut Celovška koča, from which a nice view opens up towards Stol and Vajnež.
From the mountain hut, we go left in the direction of Stol / Hochstuhl, Svačica / Bielschitza and mountain hut Prešernova koča and we continue on a gentle cart track which a little lower changes into a mountain path, and which through a lane of dwarf pines brings us to scree below Svačica. The path ahead ascends diagonally over the first scree, and then it brings us to a short steep part, where at the crossing we have a steel cable for help. Short and technically not very demanding part of the path quickly ends, and the path continues over the scree, over which leads us wide and well maintained path. With a view on the nearby mountain walls, then without any bigger problems we ascend to a saddle Belščica, where there is a marked crossing.
From the saddle Belščica, from where the path on Svačica branches off to the left, we continue straight and we continue in the direction of Vrtača, mountain hut Prešernova koča and Zelenica. For few minutes we cross grassy slopes, and then we get to the spot, where the path on Vrtača branches off to the left, and we continue straight downwards. The path ahead at first steeply descends through the gully, and then turns to the right, where passes on ample scree, through which is ascending diagonally. Higher, we leave the scree and slightly descend to a nearby crossing, where upper and bottom path and the path from Završnica join.
Here we continue straight, and the path from a small valley between Srednja peč 1920 meters (Srednja peč is a less known peak on the left) and the ridge of Orlice (Orlice are harder accessible ridge between saddle Belščica and Stol) gradually passes on larger scree, on which we diagonally ascend towards the right, and then the path gradually passes into steeper valley between Mali Stol on the left and Stol on the right. Here the path steeply ascends, and then it gradually flattens and it brings us to a marked crossing, where the path towards the nearby mountain Prešernova koča branches off to the left to which is 5 minutes, and we continue right and in 10 minutes of additional walking, we ascend on the highest peak of Karawanks.

On the way: Vrata / Matschatcher Sattel (1714m), Celovška koča/Klagenfurter Hutte (1664m), Sedlo Belščica (1840m)