Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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45.46160°N / 14.46780°E |
Route Type:
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Hike |
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Time Required:
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Half a day |
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Difficulty:
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Walk-up |
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About route
This route is for those that don’t like rock scramble and climbing, also claustrophobic feeling of Mudna Dolina valley. After initial steep climb through oak forest once path reaches soft grassy slopes views are beautiful. If you like all of the mentioned joys of mountaineering this route is better for descend while Mudna Dolina is better for ascent. This route is much shorter But has two completely different variations as they touch only at their beginning and end. If you are avoiding Mudna Dolina route use one for ascent and the other for descent. One variation ascends left of Borovica valley and is called Pod Kolci (kolci = wood poles) because of the wood poles that are used for marks on grassy slopes. The right one ascends through its beginning to the grassy slopes right above it. It is called variation Kraj Ceke (ceka, pronounce cheka = shooting stand) which means by the hunters shooting stand which is placed near the path. These two names are indicated on the junctions. Second is more beautiful and is considered to be Normal Potkilavac route.
Potkilavac – Borovica – Hahlici: 2-2.30h
How to reach Potkilavac is described in ‘Getting There’ section. Road goes through the village which is placed at the edge of Grobnik field. Behind the last houses you’ll reach narrow bridge over dry creek bed. Behind the bridge is immediate junction where left leads first Potkilavac route towards Hahlici. Leave car here.
Continue using right macadam road while the left one ascends in direction of first variation. In next kilometer or 15mins, through rare oaks and pines, you’ll reach another junction where towards left leads Normal Potkilavac route, straight is Mudna Dolina route. You can also leave your car here if 15mins of additional walking on return is too much for you. Macadam ends here.
Over rocky meadows and through oak and pine groves path approaches once green Borovica valley. Now it is disaster area as lifeless black pine trunks point towards sky, probably asking what did we do so wrong to be punished like this. Those that caused Borovica valley genocide or pineocide by reckless barbecue handling will probably have bad memory for rest of their lives. But they should think before how dangerous is to barbecue in pine forest, and in the year of worst drought in more than 50 years. After 5mins you cross the dry bed of Borovacki Potok creek and ascent begins.
In next 45mins path ascents steeply surmounting right side of Borovica valley. After some 10mins from the creek bed you’ll get out of black pine forests as above it oak which mostly survived. Opposite side of the valley was completely under pine so is black totally. When path changes direction and turns right into shallow side valley your are out on grass soon.
Once out of Borovica valley view expand rapidly. Next hour to Hahlici is beautiful as path ascend over soft grassy slopes which are full of flowers in spring. Ascent is quite steep all the time except one short falt section in the middle.