Podrošt - Gladki vrh (Ratitovec)

Access to starting point:
A) We drive to Železniki, and then we continue driving towards Soriška planina and Petrovo Brdo. When we get to a crossroad, where the road towards Petrovo Brdo and Tolmin branches off to the left, and in the direction of straight the road continues towards Sorica and Soriška planina, we are in Podrošt, where we notice signposts for Ratitovec. By mountain signposts there aren't any appropriate places for parking, therefore we park on an appropriate place somewhere nearby.
B) We drive into Baška grapa, and then we continue driving towards Železniki. After Petrovo Brdo the road starts descending, and we drive to a crossroad, where the road from Soriška planina joins. Here we go right and by the road, we notice signs for Ratitovec. By mountain signposts there aren't any appropriate places for parking, therefore we park on an appropriate place somewhere nearby.
C) From Bohinjska Bistrica we ascend to Soriška planina, and then we start descending towards Sorica and Železniki. When we get into a valley, we are in Podrošt, where only a little further from the crossroad, where joins the road from Petrovo Brdo, we notice signs for Ratitovec. By mountain signposts there aren't any appropriate places for parking, therefore we park on an appropriate place somewhere nearby.

Path description:
Signs for Ratitovec from the main road point us on a side road which leads us past snack bar Podrošt, and then we continue past the gate, which is preventing further driving. Behind the gate on the left we notice a smaller dam, above which is situated smaller artificial lake. Only a little further, we leave the road and we continue right on a marked path which starts ascending diagonally towards the left. The path ahead leads us on once well-settled and wide path, which is today on many spots damaged, and poorly beaten and consequently quite overgrown. During the crossing of slopes of the peak Lajtnik, where we walk above the riverbed of the stream Štajnpoh, the path few times splits, and at all crossings we follow the blazes or signs for Ratitovec. When we are already little higher, on some parts, when we look back, a nice view opens up towards Porezen, otherwise path mostly runs through the forest. Higher, we reach riverbed of a torrent stream Ravenska grapa, which we cross, by high water level is crossing because of slippery rocks around stream quite clumsy. For a short time, we still walk by the stream and then we reach the macadam road which we follow to the right (left road below the summit Štoment ends). Here we cross another stream and then we go little ahead left on a marked path, on which we quickly ascend to a pasture, where by its left lower edge we are for some time ascending, and higher we pass over in lane of bushes through which we ascend to other road, where we reach the village Ravne.
Further, the path leads us past few individual houses, and occasionally we cross some road or for a short time, we also continue there. After the crossing of asphalt road, on which it is possible to continue to the village Torka, Ravne ends, and we still follow the signs for Ratitovec. Still relatively well-marked, but poorly beaten path then leads us by route of a high voltage power line, and by the power line we continue to a marked crossing on the saddle Povden.
We continue in the direction of the mountain hut Koča na Ratitovcu, and the path on the right side of information board, which marks area Natura 2000, leads in the forest. Next follows an ascent through a quite dense forest, and when the path flattens a little from the left joins the path from the village Torka. From the crossing for a short time, we walk on a cart track, and then signs for Ratitovec point us to the right on the mountain path. The path ahead starts ascending steeper, and at an altitude around 1500 meters brings us out of the forest. We continue with increasingly beautiful views, on a steeper slope, where in the winter time is a great risk of triggering avalanches. Higher, the path leads through short secured part (undemanding), and then the path turns left and flattens. Next follows few minutes of easy ascent on pastures of Ratitovec and we get to the mountain hut Krekova koča na Ratitovcu.
From the mountain hut, we continue in the direction of Gladki vrh, and on a footpath that runs on a grassy slope, in 5 minutes we ascend on a panoramic peak.
Podrošt - Ravne 1:20, Ravne - Povden 40 minutes, Povden - Krekova koča 1:00, Krekova koča - Gladki vrh 5 minutes.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in the year 2018 (May).

On the way: Ravne (1024m), Povden (1264m), Krekova koča na Ratitovcu mountain hut (1642m)