The stage starts at the bus station next to the Aljaž monument and leads north up the tarmac road to the village of Dovje (704 m). After 300 m, there is a junction in the village. Follow the road to the right. After 400 m, in the new part of Dovje, the road branches off to the left towards the Dovška Rožca meadow. Cross the meadow, pass another junction where a road branches off to the left, and cross the bridge over the Mlinca stream. The road turns left after a short distance and climbs a steep hill. Climb up through wood and meadows to the forest path on the Goreljše pasture. From the meadow, the village of Mojstrana and the Vrata valley can be seen below. 1h 20 min. Follow the road running north-east to the end of the pasture. When the road takes a right turn, path marks direct you across the road into the forest and up the steep, rocky southern slope of Bela peč (1,459 m). The track then levels out and runs around the rocky slope of Bela peč to its eastern face and the road to the Dovška Rožca pasture. Turn left to the Lahov preval pass (1,370 m). 30 min. Follow the path for a short distance from the pass. Turn off the path when it makes a sharp right turn and continue climbing along the edge of the forest, following the path marks. A salubrious stream (Starka) runs only 20 m from here. Climb up through the forest to the Dovška Rožca pasture, from where you can reach a renovated shepherd's hut (1,630 m). 30 min. There is a junction of several paths at the pasture. Follow the path that branches off to the right slightly above the valley and runs below Dovška Baba to the pass between Baba and Hruški vrh - the Slovene balcony trail. The Via Alpina route crosses the peak of Dovška Baba and joins the trail at the pass. From the shepherd's hut, cross the meadow and climb up to the peak of Dovška Baba (1,891 m). The climb takes 45 min and is rewarded with a spectacular view of both sides of the Karawanken. The walk from Dovje takes 3h. Climb down the ridge from the summit to the pass, then continue along the ridge past Hruški vrh and walk down the steep and grassy slope to the Rožca pass. 45 min. There is a border crossing at the pass, as well as a crossroads of several routes. Continue the climb up the ridge in the direction of Klek and bypass the peak along the southern slope. You will arrive at a rather unpleasant gully which must be descended. The route then levels out and leads to Jekljevo sedlo pass (1,488 m). 1h. There are two possible routes from here. One leads down to Koča na Golici (1h), whilst the other is a climb up to Golica and its highest peak, Velika Golica (1,835 m). 1h 15 min. From the peak, walk along the ridge then follow the path marks to Koča na Golici (1,582 m), which stands on the southern slope at the periphery of a spacious meadow. During the Spring, the meadow is covered with daffodils, which are a protected species in Slovenia. 30 min. The walk along the ridge from Dovška Baba takes 3h 30 min.
Source: Dobnik, Jože; Slovenska planinska pot: planinski vodnik, Planinska zveza Slovenije, Založba PZS, 1998; Klinar, Stanko; Karavanke: planinski vodnik, Planinska zveza Slovenije, Založba PZS, 1997; Atlas Slovenije, 3. izpopolnjena in razširjena izdaja, Mladinska knjiga in Geodetski zavod Slovenije (GZS), Ljubljana 1996; Julijske Alpe - vzhodni del, 1:50.000 GZS, Planinska založba PZS, Ljubljana 2003 Gorenjska, izletniška karta1:50.000, GZS, Ljubljana 1998
(Peter Šilak)

The Sava valley separates the Julian Alps to the south from the Karawanken mountain range to the north. There has been a route running through the valley for centuries, linking the two mountain ranges and influencing economic and social development. Despite the steep gradients and height of the Karawanken, there are several comfortable passes between the Sava and Drava valleys. Before the First World War, the Mlinca, Rožca and Jekelj passes were used frequently by the inhabitants of the Upper Sava valley, who had close connections to Koroška. The railway tunnel, the Korenska road and the Yugoslav – Austrian border brought an end to pedestrian mountain crossing. The most recent tunnel through the Karawanken runs underneath Hriški vrh peak and is 7,864 m long. It was built in 1989 in order to relieve the heavy traffic. The road running through Korensko sedlo, the only pass in the area, is very steep on the Austrian side and difficult to negotiate. Not far away, a railway tunnel runs underneath the Rožca pass. The tunnel was built as part of the Karawanken – Bohinj railway line which linked the port of Trieste to central Europe. The tunnel (7,975 m) was built by a Viennese company employing local labourers and workers from Tyrol, Friuli, Croatia and Macedonia. Tunnelling began in 1901 and was completed five years later.
Golica (1,853 m) is an imposing mountain whose bare Triassic limestone and dolomite rock can be seen from quite a distance. It is renowned for the daffodils (Narcissus stellaris) that cover its slopes in late spring. The snow-white blossoms are called "ključavnice" ("locks") by the natives. According to tradition, the bees failed to honour the Lord's Day by collecting honey on Sundays. God punished them by "locking" the blossoms. The daffodils, in whose honour the traditional "Daffodil Day" is held, are a threatened species because their habitat is being destroyed by two characteristic processes of contemporary farming: the abandonment of land cultivation and consequent forest growth on the one hand, and the intensification of agriculture, including repeated mowing, on the other. The daffodil's life cycle is adapted to extensive farming with the first mowing taking place in early summer, after the flowers have blossomed and their stalk and leaves have withered.
Bibliography: Pilz, I. (2000). Čudoviti svet Karavank in Kamniško-Savinjskih Alp. Ljubljana. Mihelič, T. (2003). Mountaineering in Slovenia : the Julian Alps, the Kamik-Savinja Alps, the Karavanke. Ljubljana.
(Mimi Urbanc)