Podljubelj (Lajb) - Zajmenove peči

Access to the starting point:
Leave the Gorenjska Motorway at the Podtabor junction and continue to Border crossing Ljubelj. Continue past the Bistrica pri Tržiču turnoff, and higher up, past the turnoff for Podljubelj. Just after the 4. 5 km marker, turn right after the underpass and then right again into Podljubelj. Park in a suitable place by the sign marking the start of Podljubelj.

Path description:
From the starting point, we continue along the local road leading towards the centre of Podljubelj, and we walk along it to the hamlet of Črni Gozd (Black Forest), which we reach after an easy 5 minute walk along an asphalt road.
At the hamlet, turn left onto a minor forest road, which splits into two cart track roads at the edge of the forest. Continue on the left cart track, which continues along the edge of the meadow, and at the next fork go straight ahead (the right cart track bypasses Rjavka 998 m on the south side, and it is also possible to get to Zajmenove stove). The cart track forks again just a little further on, and this time we continue to the right, gradually entering the valley north of Rjavka. The ascent follows the cart track, which climbs quite steeply through the forest, and at a higher level splits transiently into a left less steep and a right steeper one. At higher altitudes the cart track merge, and then at a small crossroads continue on the wider right cart track, which leads out of the valley onto the slope. This is followed by a cross-climb to the right, with the path leading over the ridge north-east of Rjavka. Cart track makes a left serpentine a little further on, followed by a few small switchbacks where we follow the wider cart track. Higher up, the south-facing undistinguished ridge is reached, descending towards the valley from Zajmenove peči. At this point cart track ends, and we continue for some 10 paces across to the right, where a fainter path appears on the undefined ridge (here we join the path from the other starting points). We continue ascending on the fainter path, which disappears completely here and there, and along it we see some cairns. We keep climbing steeply in roughly the same direction, with the ridge becoming less distinct and the slope steeper. Higher up, the occasional track disappears almost completely, and the individual cairns direct us a few steps to the left, where we reach a kind of grassy gully, after which we continue our ascent. The grassy slope is interrupted by occasional strips of sparse woodland or dwarf pines, but the route of ascent remains the same, i. e. straight up. The shorter rocky cliffs are bypassed on the left and, crossing steep grasses and dwarf pines, the Zajmenove peči ridge is reached, from where a fine view opens up. If you reach the ridge to the left of the summit, continue to the right and, with good views, reach a bench and, a few steps further on, the top of the Zajmen stoves. Description and figures refer to the situation in 2018 (September).

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