Olipova planina - Potoški Stol

Access to starting point:
From highway Ljubljana - Jesenice we go to the exit Lesce and follow the road ahead in the direction of Žirovnica and Jesenice. After few km of driving, we will get to a crossroad, where the road in Žirovnica and Moste branches off to the right (from the direction of Jesenice left). Only few meters ahead in the next crossroad, we turn left in Moste (right Žirovnica). Further, we drive past a monument to fallen soldiers, where the road starts ascending on a hill below the railway track. On top of the slope, we turn right (at the sign Vila Karin), and then drive towards the lake Završniško jezero and Valvasorjev dom. The road then flattens and it brings us to a crossroad, where the road to Valvasorjeve dom branches off to the left. We go on the mentioned road (straight mountain hut Koča pri izviru Završnice), that starts to at first gently, and then steeper and steeper ascending on an occasionally quite rough road (the most steep parts are paved with asphalt). Higher, the road brings us to a little bigger crossroad, where we continue left in the direction of Potoška planina (right Doslovška planina). The road then flattens and a little further brings us to the next crossing, where a road towards the mountain hut Valvasorjev dom branches off to the right, and we continue on the left bottom road which then for quite some time continues without large changes in altitude. The road then leads us past a turn-off of the path on Ajdna and then starts ascending steeper on an occasionally quite rough road. The road then again flattens and past the mountain pasture Potoška planina brings us to a well Urbas, near of which is few smaller parking spots. We continue to drive, and the road leads us over some smaller crossroads, where we stick to the one, which is the most beaten. The road then again steeply ascends and a little higher brings us to a larger parking lot, where we park.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue on a worse macadam road which gradually changes into a wide cart track, and it past a trough with water brings us on the edge of the mountain pasture Stamare, from which a nice view towards Juliian Alps opens up.
From the mountain pasture, we continue right past shepherd and hunting cottage on at first a little poorly visible footpath which goes higher in the forest and joins wider path, which comes form other part of the mountain pasture. Further, the path turns slightly right and starts ascending steeply. Higher, the path passes out of the forest on slopes covered with dwarf pines and turns a little towards the left. Next follows light diagonal ascent and the path brings us to the mountain pasture Hrašenska planina, where we notice a shepherd hut.
Here before we cross a grazing fence we turn right and we ascend on at first still easy to follow path. After a short ascent through dwarf pines path passes on a slightly vegetated grassy slopes, where it starts vanishing (look for cairns). Further, we follow occasionally barely visible footpath which crosses slopes towards the east. The footpath then again becomes easier to follow and it brings us to the shepherd hut on the mountain pasture below Belščica.
From the mountain pasture, we continue in a gentle diagonal ascent towards the bivouac (direction east), which we already see in front of us and we reach it after good 10 minutes of additional walking.
Only a little left from the bivouac we will notice a poorly visible footpath which is further ascending towards the east. Further, we are ascending on the mentioned footpath which is ascending diagonally over occasionally little steeper slopes. The path which crosses two more distinct gullies higher brings us on a marked path, which we follow to the right. Already after few steps of walking on a marked path, the path to Vajnež branches off to the left (20 minutes), and we continue straight on the path which slightly turns to the right and after few steps of descent brings us in a small valley between Vajnež and Potoški Stol (near the saddle Vajneževo sedlo). The path mentioned small valley only crosses and then steeply ascends towards the ridge of Potoški Stol. On the ridge the marked path turns left, and we follow it to the spot, where it leaves the ridge. We continue straight on a wide and gentle ridge, all the way to the top of Potoški Stol, which we reach in few 10 strides of walking.
From the top, we can descend few ten meters to the cross on Potoški Stol. In fog we will hardly find the cross.
The starting point - Planina Stamare 15 minutes, Planina Stamare - Hrašenska planina 45 minutes, Hrašenska planina - bivouac on Belščica 40 minutes, bivouac on Belščica - Potoški Stol 1:00.

On the way: Planina Stamare (1400m), Hrašenska planina (1670m), Bivak na Belščici (1750m), Vajneževo sedlo (1972m)

Trip can be extended to: Weinasch/Vajnež , Hochstuhl/Stol