Brinje - Planica (via Vrse)
Starting point: Brinje (1040 m)
Starting point Lat/Lon: 46.4749°N 13.9566°E
Path name: via Vrse
Time of walking: 1 h 45 min
Difficulty: partly demanding unmarked way
Difficulty of skiing: demanding
Altitude difference: 468 m
Altitude difference (by path): 500 m
Map: Kranjska Gora 1:30.000
Access to starting point:
We leave Gorenjska highway at exit Jesenice - west (Hrušica) and we continue driving towards Kranjska Gora. After approximately 5 km of driving from the spot, when we left the highway, signs for Dovje point us to the right. We drive into the mentioned settlement, through which we follow the signs for Kepa and Dovška Baba. Soon above Dovje asphalt ends, and the road only about 100 meters ahead brings us to the marked crossroad, where signs for Kepa point us sharply left (straight Dovška Baba). Ahead we drive for quite some time, and in doing so "we ignore" all smaller crossroads. Higher, we get to a little bigger crossroad, where a road branches off to the left towards Rovt Vrse, and straight the road continues towards Erjavčev rovt (signs by the road for Kepa). We park on a parking lot by the mentioned crossroad, or we can also for some time continue driving on the left road.
Path description:
From the parking lot, we go on the left road which starts at first moderately ascending, and then it entirely flattens and crosses slopes towards the left. The road, from which occasionally nice views open up on Julian Alps, after approximately 15 to 20 minutes brings us to the spot, where we will notice on the right side smaller cairn, where the footpath branches off, which leads on Borovje (Borovje on a ridge).
We continue straight and we follow the road for few minutes, after that only about 100 meters above sharp right turn, we notice a wide cart track which from the road goes right. We go on the mentioned cart track, where also arrow on a nearby tree points us to. The path ahead quickly brings us out of the forest, and by the edge of the forest, we ascend to cottages on Rovt Vrse.
Here we continue straight, so on the left side of both cottages, where above the meadow we notice a little poorly beaten footpath which higher passes on a cart track which is ascending through at first a thin forest. Cart track soon ends, and we continue the ascent at first by the torrent ditch, and higher footpath passes into ditch, which isn't so distinct anymore. On the mentioned ditch we in few minutes ascend on a small saddle between Planica on the left and Borovje on the right.
When we reach the saddle we continue sharply left upwards (left - Kepa via Kurejeki, straight downwards - Erjavčev rovt on pathless terrain (very demanding), right - Borovje) on the path which starts ascending on a side ridge. For a short time, we are ascending on the mentioned ridge and then the path turns a little to the left and it brings us on the main ridge of Planica. Here we go left and we continue the ascent on and by the ridge, from which at first only rarely views open up towards Kepa and surrounding peaks. A little higher, the footpath flattens and passes on the left side of the ridge, where it occasionally crosses some panoramic slopes. Higher, the path returns on the ridge and it narrows and becomes partly exposed. After the exposed ridge the path for some time returns into the forest and then in a gentle descent crosses another slightly exposed gully. Follows a short steep ascent and an increasingly panoramic path brings us to the top of Planica.
Pictures:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44