Ravenska Kočna - Ravenska Kočna (General)

Rating:
Country:	Slovenia
Mountain range:	Kamnik-Savinja Alps
Trailhead:	Ravenska Kočna (1000 m)
Destination:	Ravenska Kočna (1000 m)
Trailhead latitude/longitude:	46.385 / 14.5364
Destination latitude/longitude:	46.385 / 14.5364
Difficulty:	Very difficult marked route
Recommended equipment:	Hiking poles Water Snack Helmet

At Zgornji Jezersko, look at the road that branches off the main road to the right (towards Planšarsko jezero). The road then leads us past the lake and climbs steeply behind it for a short time. Higher up, the road flattens out and loses its asphalt surface at the beginning of a large meadow. The dirt road is then followed to a marked large car park.

From the car park, continue along the macadam road following the signs "Češka koča, Ledine" and after about 15 minutes' walk you will reach the freight cableway. From here, the trail leads nicely towards the Češka koča (Czech Cottage) on Spodnje Ravne, which takes 1 hour to reach. From the hut, continue to the right along the path in the direction of Kočna, Grintovec and Vratce (on the left Kranjska hut via Žrelo). After a short climb, you will reach flat ground marked H (intended for helicopter landing). The path continues along the initially folded scree, which is partly overgrown with pine trees. In the lower part of the scree, the path to Vratec branches off to the right, and we continue straight on in the direction of Kočna and Grintovec. Continue along the left path towards Grintovec (Kočna on the right) on a path that quickly leads to the start of the wall. Here we put on our helmets and start the climbing part of the route. The wall you climb then becomes steeper and belays are more and more common. Climbing then follows natural passages through grooves, gullies and ledges. Throughout the climb, there are beautiful views of Jezersko and the surrounding peaks. After nearly two hours of "climbing", we leave the rock face at the Mlinar saddle, from where a view opens up to the south. Here we are at a crossroads, where we turn right (to the left Dolgi hrbet and Skuta, straight down to the bivouac under Grintovec) and continue walking along and along the initially unexposed ridge. The path then switches to the axis side of the ridge, where it becomes more difficult again, but there are numerous guardrails to help us. The path, which is still exposed to falling rocks, leads us to the top of Grintovec after about 1 hour's walk from Mlinarski sedlo. To descend, continue in the direction of the approach to Mlinarski sedlo and follow the path in the left direction towards Skuta, from here you can extend to Dolgego hrbta and Štruce. When descending from Skuta, continue in the direction of the bivouac below Skuta on Mali podi, where you can spend the night if you wish and continue the route in the morning... The bivouac under Skuta is an excellent starting point for a visit to Turka gora, Brana or Rinki, we opt for the latter. From the bivouac we continue along a poorly visible and still poorly marked path along an undistinguished ridge, which leads us after a 15-minute walk from the bivouac to the marked path Kamniško sedlo - Kokrsko sedlo. Here we continue to the right and after a few minutes we arrive at a crossroads where we continue sharp left in the direction of Skute and Rink. Only a little further on we come to the next crossroads, where we continue right up towards Rink (straight Skuta). The way forward climbs steeply for a short time, and then leads us to an undistinguished ridge along and along which we then climb. When the marked path turns to the left and starts to descend, leave it and continue to the right along the easier trackless path, after which you will reach the top of Mala Rinka within a minute's walk. In the fog, orientation above the bivouac below Skuta is very difficult. Continue to the stub between Mala and Štajerská Rinka. On the other side of the stubble, the marked path starts climbing again and after a few minutes of further walking leads us to a marked crossroads where we continue straight in the direction of the Kranjska Rinka (to the right the Koroška Rinka, which we visited last time as we wanted to descend to Ledine). The path continues crossing the slopes of the Koroška Rinka, then turns slightly to the left where it climbs steeply. There is a short, very steep climb, and then the path leads to the main ridge, which takes a few steps up to the top of Kranjska Rinka. From Kranjska Rinka we return to the crossroads and climb Koroška Rinka. It takes about 3 hours, after which you will descend from Koroška Rinka along the Slovenian Route, which is very exposed in places and, as a further warning, unmaintained, to the Kranjska Cottage in Lediny and back to the starting point. It will take 3 hours to descend. For a two-day trip in the Kamniško Saviny Alps we needed 14 hours. The route is demanding and requires a great deal of caution.

Take plenty of water on your journey in summer!