In the previous post, I covered my three-day trip at the beginning of May. In this post, I’ll share photos and memories of the three one-day hikes I did in May.

A strange trio

The first hike was on the very first day of the month, but was in plan for a couple of days longer – I’ve been talking with my sister about going on a hike with her during April, and the extra day off my country has on the 1st was a good target. When I contacted her, she said she was already planning to go to the hills with her boyfriend, but saw no problem with combining that. I accepted, hoping that I’ll be rid of the planning for once, but she was soon back to ask if I have any idea for something “nice and close that I can walk” as she’s not used to 25km hikes as I am.

I chose a “memory trip” that was mostly based on a hike we did with our parents when I was 8 and my sister 6, though I shortened it to 16km (down from 20). We also had some discussion about when to start as the time she suggested seemed way too late for my standards.

In the end, it was me, my sister, her boyfriend, and her BF’s dog – a rescue from an abusive owner that supposedly takes a while to warm up to people but accepted me just fine. For most of the hike, it was me in the lead, my sister with her BF around 20-30 meters behind, and the dog running between me and them.

I wasn’t just keeping to myself all the time, as it might sound, and found the man a chill guy who had experience hiking – judging by the fact that my sister was the only one tired from the short walk. But it was a nice day in the sunny hills.

And, with the hike relatively short, I still had a bit of the day left for myself.

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No rest for the wicked

Following the three-day trip, my week was quite eventful. A concert on Wednesday, then helping my grandmother in her garden the day after. Unfortunately, the evening ended up colder (and windier) than I expected and put me down with light cold. Friday was horrible. It seemed that the next hike – a club hike I was to lead – would end up with me taking the shortest trail.

Well, I woke up feeling much better. Not perfect, but enough to dismiss the idea of the shortest hike. And, as I walked, it didn’t hinder me at all, though I chose a lighter pace this time.

The destination was a peak not that far away from Trenčín and the castle I visited on Monday of the same week, just 5 days prior. The weather wasn’t as nice, with a lot of clouds, but that didn’t bother me, as it helped me to prevent overheating.

By the second peak, I knew there would be no reason to shorten anything. I was leading the group of 8 without any hindrance from the light cold with plenty of time to spare.

Nearing the main peak, the trail got busier than we expected with a mountain run race being held there. Such was easily overcame with mutual respect, so I faced no issue walking uphill with so many people rushing downhill towards their next checkpoint.

The sight from the peak presented vibrant mixed woods with the backdrop of cloudy skies. Unfortunately, it was windy up there, so I cut my break and set off at a light pace (well, as soon as I dealt with the initial sharp descent, that was a higher pace) to keep a stable body temperature.

The next peak didn’t provide lookout better than the main one but was forested, so I had my break there, snacking in the shade of trees. Then, back towards the pass, through the first village, and up to the last hill – which once held a fort or a castle of some kind, but all that was left was a small pile of eroded masonry.

And from there on, it was just a short descent to the final village. Despite the light cold, I managed the full 25km hike just fine, with almost two hours left. I guess that unless it directly affects my legs, it’s hard to stop me.

That said, I skipped a hike the next weekend, despite the warm weather, to give my body some rest. Thus still keeping with my practice this year so far: one weekend without hiking.

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Muddy memories

May’s last weekend led me to a place I visited maybe 15 years ago. Back then, the weather was horrible – full of mist, and the land soaked by autumn rain to the point it was hard to keep traction on the muddy trail.

This time, it was the exact opposite – a warm and sunny day. There was also a new lookout built above the village, supposedly the highest tower in the area, but quite a boring steel design. The view was worth it, though.

From there, we had a choice: backtrack to the village and loop around to the valley trail, or find our own way to the main trail. It seemed there should be a faint footpath, so we decided to go with some adventure. I led a group of 7-or-so people down an increasingly faint footpath, but we managed to reach the main trail just fine.

What awaited us next was a very steep descent to the pass, then ascending again to the peak across the pass, and weaving around its slopes (with a stop at a small chalet) back to the pass, then up the steep hill again. After finishing this loop, we walked a pleasant trail toward the next pass.

At this point, the trail turned to follow above the settlements lining the valley.

At first, this lead through woods and fields – one of which had this tree that seemed wind-beaten from one direction more than the others.

But the closer we were to our destination, the sturdier the path became, until it turned into a poor road used to reach the houses and chalets above the valley.

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In the end, I was quite satisfied with my May hikes. And despite the fickle weather, I’m keeping high hopes for June.