Žabnica / Bodental - Kosmatica / Kosmatitza

Access to starting point:
Over the border crossing Ljubelj we drive to Austria, and after few kilometers we turn left towards the valley Poden / Bodental. Next follows some ascent, and then we get to the settlement Slovenji Plajberk / Windisch Bleiberg, and a little after the mentioned settlement road turns left. Higher, we get to the settlement Žabnica / Bodental, where we park on a parking lot by inn Gasthof Sereinig.

Path description:
After the inn signs for Celovška koča / Klagenfurter Hütte and Mlaka / Märchenwiese point us to the right, on the path which on the right side bypasses a bigger chapel and at first continues by the foot of the nearby ski slope. Few minutes we walk on a gently sloping grassy path, and then we reach an asphalt road, on which we continue light ascent. After the mill or after the house number Žabnica / Bodental 53, we continue right in the direction of boarding house Lužekar / BergPension Lausegger (straight Mlaka and Celovška koča). Next follows crossing of the stream Žabnica / Bodenbach, after the crossing we go also past the chapel, and then we slightly ascend to a hamlet of few houses, where the path from Lužekar joins and where at the crossroads we follow the signs for Celovška koča. The path ahead leads us past another chapel, behind which blazes of the path 603 show up, and the road starts ascending diagonally. We walk on the road past individual houses, and at the crossroads, we follow the blazes or signs for mountain hut Celovška koča.
Above the farm Vgriz / Ogrisbauer, asphalt ends, and by the path, we notice a notification, that we are entering the bear area. Some 10 strides ahead from the left joins the path from Podnart / Bodenbauer, the road which is further with a traffic sign closed for public traffic, splits. We continue on the left road which is getting worse and by which there are the blazes. A little further for some time a nice view opens up, and then the road returns into the forest and it brings us to the next crossing. To the right an old wooden sign is pointing towards Veliki rob / Grosser Rain (1464 meters), and we continue left, on the road which changes into a cart track. Cart track further leads into a small indistinct valley, where we go past a smaller source, and after the source we start steeply ascending on a footpath. We quickly reach the ridge, where from the right also a little worse beaten path joins, which leads from Veliki rob, and we continue left and we some time walk on and by the ridge and occasionally on this part a nice view opens up, which reaches all the way to High Tauern. Higher, the path avoids the ridge to the left and it passes on quite steep eastern slopes of Kosmatica / Kosmatitza (1659 meters), where we mostly only cross the slopes without large changes in altitude. When the slope flattens a little, the path turns right, crosses a grazing fence and out of the forest brings us on the edge of the mountain pasture Vgrizeva planina. Next follows a short walk and we get to older and newer cottages on the mountain pasture, from where an outstanding view opens up on Vrtača and surrounding mountains.
Before the both cottages on the mountain pasture, we continue sharply right, where on a less beaten, but followable footpath we start ascending on a grassy slope. Higher, we reach the ridge and in few minutes of additional walking, we reach the peak of Kosmatica.
Žabnica - Vgrizeva planina 2:25. Vgrizeva planina - Kosmatica 0:15.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in the year 2018 (November).

On the way: Ogrisalm/Vgrizeva planina (1569m)