Očnjak
Once you enter Grebaja valley and have a clear visibility one peak will catch your sight immediately and that is Očnjak. With 2185 meters it soars about 1 km over Grebaja valley and looks reachable only using climbing gear.
In reality it can be scrambled fairly easily as the normal route has grade I of difficulty and the way to and from is roughly 6 km. Nevertheless it is demanding scramble with exposed sections.
Finding the beginning of the trail taking to the top might be tricky, walking from the parking lot get the earliest opportunity to turn left. First part of the ascent goes through the forest but there is also a bit exposed rocky traverse quite early. Once the forest is over the views open and still steep ascent up the grassy slope continues.
Fun begins with the third section when trail turns right to enter grassy shelves running along north face of Očnjak. Terrain has tendency to slide here and grass makes a poor hold. Two metal wires on the way. I had my shoes full of sliding ground and dirt. After about 200 meters north face is fully traversed, ascent changes direction to southern. Here the quality of the trail gets better but you will need to climb at least two chimneys and traverse a bit exposed sections. The views are already great turning into fantastic after about 15 minutes when the peak is reached.
Descent goes the same way, pay special attention when in steep grassy shelves section.
Sunny and warm temperatures, ascent started around the noon.
Marked in red, difficult to find the start, secured in key moments but lacking securing in some mixed grassy-rocky terrain giving some trouble on descent.
I stayed at nearby Guest house Kolata (10 EUR per night) located in Vusanje, but if you plan to stay in Grebaje valley a bit longer a good option would be to to visit mountain hut Branko Kotlajić
Grebaje valley can be reached by car, on foot or hitchhiked. The nearest bus stop is in Gusinje. It's a national park therefore there's a fee of 2 EUR (not sure if for car only).
Links:Parking location
3 hours is the estimated time to get to the top of Očnjak. Though short in distance this trip is a bit challenging physically but offers great views in the heart of National Park of Accursed Mountains. Personally it was warm-up trip on the first day of stay in the area.
Vipers (mind your steps in grassy passages), falling rocks, exposed sections.
Helmet, 20L rucksack, trekking poles, 10m of 7mm cord
