Dumbier

Dumbier from the west

 30-08-12

Started south of Chopok at Sredisko (1213m) which I discovered by chance as I did not have a map. This had a nice cool covered car park underneath the chair skilift. I did not use the ski lifts, and there was a new one being built higher up to take you near to the summit of Chopok. There is already a lift that goes all the way on the north side.

Used tiny and sketchy map on a skilift leaflet, which at times was not over-helpful . Directions on the signposts for Dumbier itself  only  appeared quite near the summit - highest point in Niske Tatry (2043m P1143)..

From the ski-centre I took the yellow marked track which zigzagged through the trees to the left of the ski run and came out in the middle of the building work. There was some vague attempt to divert the path around the works – however, the British HSE would have had a fit. At one point, I had to walk through ankle high very loose earth whilst JCB driver temporarily stopped long enough for me to get by. I then followed a blue marked path that traversed the hill eastwards for quite a while to Razcestie na Krupovo sedlo where there was a curious junction with a red marked path that doubled back sharply. Initially I thought it was just a variant of the path that I was already on. This  takes you up to the saddle just below Dumbier and where the first sign for Dumbier appeared. It was 20 minutes from there to the summit, that sports another of the Slovakian double crosses, plus a range of other markers. There were a few other people there, but not a lot. Most people seem to be content with just going to Chopok which is the second highest point on the ridge.

Dumb and Dumbier

I followed the ridge back westwards on a paved track to the Kamenna Chata refuge which is just below the summit of Chopok (2024m). After bagging the very crowded summit I went in the even more crowded refuge for a large cup of sweet tea and potato cakes.

Chopok from Dumbier

Chopok

To the west is another top, Derese (2003m). Very few people bother with it and, in fact, the path bypasses it. I was one of the few – although the large number of  silly looking small cairns  built all around it showed that there are enough visitors to spoil things.

Derese

From Derese I doubled back to an unsignposted yellow marked track that descended the hill. It soon became apparent why it was not signposted as it was quite unlike any other path I have used in Czech R/Poland/Slovakia – there has been no attempt to smooth it out in terms of direction or terrain. It changed direction dramatically without apparent reason, it sometimes went back uphill and it was narrow with dwarf pines lining the sides much of the way and it was deeply grooved with plenty of roots and rocks to trip you up. In other words, it would have been a pleasure to do if not already tired by a long walk. It was also lined at times by bushes full of bilberries and redcurrants – delicious.

Eventually I found the blue marked traverse path that took me back to the head of the ski-run, where I ignored all the keep out signs and descended steeply and directly to the ski-centre for a welcome cup of tea.

Where did the path go?

Low Tatry

Nizke or Low Tatry National Park

 29-08-12

About 30 km south of the High Tatry/Vysoke Tatry is another range of lower hills called the Low Tatry/Nizke Tatry. I could see them when the air was clear enough from the tops of the High Tatry and, in particular I could make out the TV mast almost on the summit of Kralova hola (hill of the Kings meadow) (1946m P756) - what I didn't see is the equally ugly educational centre which surely must be a soviet legacy.
Started from Sumiac (drove through to top of village and road ends on a big bend with plenty of parking space. Blue marked path actually starts in the village), without a map and, for once, no helpful signposts, so it was much of a guess that the blue marked trail would get me there. However, as ever, it was quite a popular track and so it was 'dobry den' all the way. 
At the top you will see in the photo below that the summit post has a side branch. A group of women arrived shortly after me and I did not need to understand Slovenian to know what they were giggling about - and it became most obvious when they asked me to take their group photo and one of them demonstrated quite graphically what the branch represented for her. Good job that my face is already red from the sun.

I returned by the same route as I ascended.

Holding on

Kravola Hola summit sign - censored. That's the High Tatry in the background

TV mast and educational centre spoil the summit view.

To the ridiculous?

26-08-12

Vel'ka Svist'ovka summit

Sneaky view of the Vel'ka from Cierne Pleso

View down from the magistrala

After the exertions of Gerlach today's destination seems a mere bimble - but just imagine if this hill was in Cumbria! Wainwright would have devoted many pages to it.
First of all, I cheated by taking the cable car from Tatranska Lomnica to SkalnatePleso at 1751m.
The debate about using the ski lifts from Skalnate Pleso to bag the second highest point in the Tatry i.e. Lomnicky Stit (2634m) had both ethical and economic dimensions. Ethically, is it OK to bag something by merely stepping off a ski-lift. Economically, that even with a 'senior' discount it would have cost a further 40 Euros. However, as it happens, the outcome of the debate was decided by the fact that the lifts were not operating because of high winds at the summit.
It was easy walking to the summit of Vel'ka Svist'ovka (2038/P20?) using the Tatranska magistrala - a path that traverses  high up much of the way across all the High Tatry on the Slovakian side. Although it was fine weather there was mist on the tops, so not a lot to see. The Tatranska magistrala thens drops quite dramatically but with easy walking much of the way, with only one chained section, that I avoided by sliding down smooth rocks. To arrive at the refuge/chata Zelene Pleso. From there I should have just followed the rough road back down to the valley, however I continued on the magistrala to Velke Biele pleso - pleso means lake.* And it then started to pour with rain as the electrical storm was much earlier in the day than usual- let's just say I got wet and so did the stones on the path through the pine forest to the valley. Slipping and a sliding all the way.
There is a problem with beetles in the forest - so many trees are dying or dead and the path was diverted at one point because they are treating the trees with chemicals.
I reached the valley road at Biela Voda just as there was a fresh downpour of rain. Thankfully I did not have to wait too long for a bus back to T. Lomnica

*Actually, talking of the meaning of words. English 'hut', Norwegian 'hytta', Polish 'chata', French 'chateau' - got to have a common origin.

Aren't literal translations great?

From the sublime

25-08-12

Early morning on Gerlach

Gerlachovsky Stit or Gerlach (2654m/P2355). Highest point in the High Tatry/Vysoke Tatry. Highest point in Slovakia. Highest mountain in the Carpathians. Highest European mountain north of the Alps. Twelfth most prominent mountain in Europe. My fifth Ultra and bloody difficult to do.

Tatranska Polianka station

Despite having a working railway station and a nearby hotel that is open, the hamlet of Tatranska Polianka has an air of abandonment about it.
It was very early in the morning that we set off from there to the refuge at Sliezky Dom and into the Velicky Dolina (valley). The route picks its way across some roche moutonnee and then the climbing begins up the steep eastern side of Gerlach, to reach a small notch on the ridge.

Roped up on Gerlach

Looking east down into Velicka Dolina

 From there all the action is on the west side with a series of rising and falling traverses on difficult rock and the occasional permanent artificial aid. Finding the route is difficult, but careful inspection of the rocks shows where others have gone before. There is also evidence of old markings from a former time when the route was open to all - until, apparently, the MRT got fed up of  almost daily rescuing lost and stranded 'walkers'.
The top is graced with a cross and there is just enough room to stand on the very summit. Unfortunately the mist restricted the view down - as ever, the mist cleared afterwards.

Gerlachovsky Stit summit

The descent route was alongside a couloir that leads into the Batizovsky Zlab - it is very steep, with a bit more permanent artificial aids than the ascent routes. Route finding is again quite difficult and however tempting we had to keep out of the couloir itself because of the looseness of the rock.

Going down

Gerlach from Batizovsky Zlab

Descent route

Phew made it, now there is just a long walk back

Batizovska Dolina

It was with a sense of relief when finally reaching the relatively less steep bottom of the Batizovska Dolina and it became a standard Tatry scramble over rocks and boulders to join a tourist path at Batizovske Pleso. Then it was just an hour's walk out to the Sliezky Dom refuge for a celebratory beer.

Down by Batizovske Pleso

The bride's carriage

The refuge itself was being used for a wedding party and it was a bit odd to see men in suits and women in frocks in such a setting. The bride had obviously arrived on a snowplough.
 
Then there was the weary walk back down to T. Polianka and a large ice-cream.

And, thankfully we did not come across any park rangers so I did not have to try and fool them into thinking my Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) membership card meant I was a member of a climbing club.
.

Raising the Slovakian flag

23-08-12

On the Slovakian flag there is a double cross on top of the middle one of three blue mountains. Where can this cross be found? The middle mountain is Krivan (2494m/P400) and on the summit there is such a cross and consequently Krivan is known as Slovakia's national mountain

Krivan's summit cross

 As the campsite was not much dearer than the parking charge in Strbske Pleso, I caught the cog train from Tatranska Strba.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A0trbsk%C3%A9_Pleso_-_%C5%A0trba_rack_railway



This time I left Strbske Pleso on the red marked track that goes north-west skirting the pleso/lake itself and then through the forested area - or what is left of the forest after the February 2004 Tatranska Bora (katabatic wind) and the subsequent bark beetle infection. Large areas of the forest were devastated in a period of two hours as the wind smashed its way through.

Krivan from the west -with evidence of the Tatranska Bora still showing

 Near the Jamske pleso a blue marked track heads north and this is where the uphill climb starts, initially through forest, then dwarf pine and then on open ground that becomes increasingly steeper and bouldery.

Krivan from the south

 By the time the track reaches Krivan's southern ridge there are a number of sections of scrambling. I was surprised to find that none of these sections had chains as found elsewhere in the Tatry in similar situations - there were a handful of people who were clearly struggling to get up or down in places. It was also the first mountain in the Tatry where there was evidence that people use a variety of different routes to the one that is marked out - presumably in a vain attempt to find an easier way.
Being Slovakia's national mountain I expected it to be more crowded than it was. That could be partly because it is is of less interest to the Poles and partly because I had set out quite late.
The view from the summit was great. The only problem was that I realised that my water bottle was empty and I was thirsty.

Britain's national symbol meets the Slovakian one - laterally.

Looking east from Krivan summit

I used the ascent route as my route of descent. At least this meant I knew how far I had to go before I would reach a water source - which was almost down by the Jamske pleso. After drinking the stream dry, I realised I had 50 minutes to the next cog train which only runs once an hour.  The sign said 75 minutes to Strbske Pleso. Despite pushing a pace that was short of actually running I missed the train by three minutes - for once, the timing on the sign was not as generous as others.
Most of the bars/restaurants in the resort close at 7.00 pm, so it was a bit of a struggle to find one that was still open and have a beer, which is extremely cheap in Slovakia. Quite literally, beer is cheaper than water in the shops and bars.
When I got on the 8.00 pm train I realised I had left my wallet in the bar - it was a mad dash there and back and I only just managed to get  back on it in time. The train was full - full of tired, sunburned, sweaty but happy walkers of all ages - a few I recognised as having met earlier in the day and on previous days.