As I’ve said at the end of my previous hiking post, I had an extended weekend stay planned for the end of October. The promise of colorful woods and rolling fog was the main treat but the end of October is when the weather starts leaning towards the rainy day of November so being prepared for rain was crucial.
Continue readingTag Archives: Slovakia
September hiking pt.1: Don’t try this at home
After the active August, my first hike in September came after two weeks of break on 14th. But I made it count.
Continue readingAugust hiking pt.3: Place I love
The Slovakian ‘Malá Fatra’ mountain range is a place where I’ve walked most of the main trails and a good deal of the side trails – and I still love to return there.
Continue readingSlovakian fields
So, I am back with another hike post. This one is something I’ll start on a bit of detour: back in May 2017 when the hiking club was putting together a plan for 2018 (with me as a guest to the 9 leaders), we lacked something for the ‘slot’ of 30.6. and a few days before, there was a video from Slovakian mountain resort where a group of bikers was startled by a bear on one of the trails. And I had the ‘genius’ idea to suggest to go there. Surprisingly, the suggestion was accepted.
So, that’s the backstory, now for the hike itself.
Goodbye, summer…
I know that astronomically, it’s over for more than a week, but especially in the last years, it’s not like weather cared much for that. Yes, the days are colder, but late September and sometimes even early October are still great time for a hike, especially when it combines the warmth and the autumn colors.
And that’s how my last cross-border hike of 2017 looked like…
Slovakian hike journal, day eight
With the seven days in Západné Tatry gone, it was time for the short epilogue, the two limestone valleys that are part of ‘Chočské vrchy’ mountain range. It was to be half-day hike so the other half would be for the return journey. After the farewell given by hotel staff, the bus took us to the lower end of the first valley.
Rocks above the valley
Slovakian hike journal, day seven
Seventh day, the grand finale. With some 127 km already walked in the previous six days, it was surely to be tough goodbye to the mountains. The plan was to get to the fourth highest peak, ‘Baníkov’, and if everything goes well, continue through the ridge through ‘Hrubá kopa’ and ‘Tri kopy’ on what is one of the most dangerous trails in this location with steep drops and exposed rocks all over the place.
Valley in the morning
Slovakian hike journal, day six
The sixth day was to be quite relaxing, at least by hike length. The decision to take the shorter, 14km version was not so much to make it easier, but because the longer version was what I did in 2007, only in reversed direction. This way, I would ascend the peak from a bit different side. For the first time of this 8-day stay, it was ascending the peak right away, then down immediately, and then relax for the rest of the day.
Slovakian hike journal, day five
So, the holiday was half-way over. Fifth day, another sunny morning and promise of being one with the wild. In the previous two days I walked through the ‘Jamnická dolina’ and ‘Račkova dolina’ valleys, this day I would ascend the ridge that separates them. Unlike the previous days where the starts was calm, often with two hours of walk through a valley before serious ascension started, this day, it was the opposite and made slightly harder.
Slovakian hike journal, day four
After the almost perfect weather in the previous day, the forecast was just as shiny for the fourth one. The plan was to go for the highest peak of the mountain range at 2248 meters and by this day it was likely that the next three days after would go for the second, third and fourth respectively.
The two main prepared options were both similar: ascend through one valley and descend through another, moved by one valley compared to each other. I chose the “easier” one still, but it was almost the same by distance, slightly easier by elevation and for reasons that will be seen later, a very lucky pick.
Scenery in the valley
Tomas - the wandering dreamer 
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