E8 Trail

I have travelled to Slovakia for a three-day hiking trip. After the disappointment of last time (more than one year ago!) I am now back in the middle of summer. No chances for any snow where I will be hiking this time! Last night I took the last bus from Brezno in Zavadka nad Hronom. It goes through a quite mountain valley, passing some small villages. Some of them have a very typical scenery: when the bus approaches the village it first passes one or two backstreets where gipsies live in houses without windows or doors. The next minute the bus passes some streets with regular Slovakian houses, followed by the centre of the village with a church or town hall. Then the bus passes again some streets with regular Slovakian houses, followed by again one or two backstreets where gipsies live in worndown houses. When I left the bus in Zavadka I smelled a very strong scent of flowers, coming from the gardens of the houses, and from the fields surrounding the village. It is clear that the air over here is so much cleaner than it is back home, that your sense organs give very strong impulses to your brain about what they sense.  It’s a special experience. In the very early morning I am back at the Sedlo Oravcova where I had to quit the last time. In order to be able to find my way without problems I wait for the sunrise. At approx. 3.30am a huge thunderstorm crashes its way into the Lower Tatras, leaving everything shocked and wet.

 The distance that needs to be covered today is long (including the section from Zavadka up the mountain to my starting point). Also the many meters climbing and descending will not make it easier. In addition the weather forecast for today is not so good. At 4.15am I start my hike, for which I have been mentally preparing for a long time now. Due to the thunderstorm and rain all the grass, bushes and trees are wet. The Trail follows a path that is very narrow. Passing trees without touching them is impossible. At 4.25am, only 10 minutes after my start, I am soaken wet from my toes up to my waist. Completely soaken wet! I do my best to maintain a constant pace. After two hours I pass a shelter that is situated just behind the top of the Vel’ka Vapenica. It is robust, dry and there’s nobody around. I take off my shoes and socks and try to get them to dry a little bit.

Andrejcova Bivouac

After the short break I continue my way. It starts to rain and the visibilty, which was okay so far, is getting less and less. The Trail follows the main ridge of the Lower Tatras, which looks simple on the map but is not so easy in reality. Many turns and curves, even with compass at hand, make it very difficult to find my way. Fortunately there are many signs, mostly on big rocks along the Trail, as well as on sticks of 1.5 meter height. The fogg gets thicker while I am climbing up to the top of the Orlova, where the highest section of this part of the Lower Tatras is situated. I follow the signs, not being able to see beyond 20 or 30 meters. All of a sudden I realize I have seen a certain rock with signs before. My compass confirms to me that, indeed, I am not going eastbound anymore, but west! I turn around and carefully make sure I stay on the right track. After the Orlova, at 1800+ meters altitude, the wind is blowing fiercely, the visibility is next to nothing, and the rain is pouring down constantly. I can follow the Trail without difficulty and when I pass a big rock I almost bump into two hikers that are going in the oposite direction. They are starteled as well and after a short “good luck” we continue our ways. The top of the Kral’ova Hola is right in front of me, I know, as I can see it on the map. Only four minutes before I pass the huge broadcast tower I start to see it through the fogg.

four minutes to go to the Král’ova Hola

Funny that I saw it when I was 40 kilometers further away, but hardly today, even when I am passing it at some 50 meters distance! The wind (storm?) and the rain really make this a horrible place to be right now. After passing the top the road goes down and after a few minutes the Trail leaves the road and crosses some lovely meadows and fields. Lovely on a bright summer day, but today everything is wet and slippery.

the Trail, slippery when wet!

I manage to find my way down, but I can not avoid for my trousers to get covered with dirt and mud. The closer I get to the village of Telgart, down in the valley, the better the weather gets. There is no more wind, and halfway down the mountain it stops raining. An hour later, around 2.45pm, down in the valley, the weather is almost summerlike, with a some clouds along the blue sky. Looking back up the mountain the peak is still covered in clouds, and it looks like there’s still a storm going on up there.

Telgart is only a very small village, so when I pass a very small grocery shop I go in and buy some snacks and food for tomorrow’s stage. I continue my way to Pension Telgart, which is situated directly along the Trail, and where I stay for the night. The owner of the pension gives me all the old newspapers that he has so I can try to get my shoes dry before the morning.

remainders of map nr. 123

Today is the last day of my two-day hiking trip. Although this is an official mountain refuge any West-Alpine situations are unheard of. No climbers that get up at 1.00am or 2.00am to prepare for their big climb. Over here the breakfast is served as of 8.00am. Today, I am the first who gets his. I only have a short stage ahead of me, going down to the pass of Certovica, where the next bus stop is situated. I would have time enough to do some more kilometers, but after Certovica the Trail enters into the eastern part of the Lower Tatra, which are not so well exploited as the western part. Between Certovica and Telgart there are almost 40 kilometers of the Trail to be done, but without break or return possibility along the trail. I will have to leave the eastern part of the Lower Tatra for the next trip.

At 8.30am I leave the refuge. The weather is again very nice, lots of sun, not too warm, gentle breeze. Descending is not my favorite activity, so I keep any easy pace, having no need to rush downhill. I pass the Dumbier, the highest peak of the Lower Tatras. It is an extra hour to climb this peak as well, which is not worth it to me. The view from the Chopok yesterday was superb, matching the Dumbier’s. In addition I have to catch a bus at the Certovica pass, and I don’t want to rush, so I continue my way down. South of the Dumbier I pass the refuge Chata Generala Stefanicka.

Chata Gen. Stefanicka and the Dumbier

Also on this side of the mountain range there are many tourists on their way, even in the morning. After a short break I continue my way down. The view straight ahead is magnificent, with it the far distance the enormous tower on top of the Král’ova Hola. The soil here is very dry, even between the bushes. Only dry sand and dust. Further down the slope there’s also grass. Just above the pass Certovica the slope gets steep and the descent is uncomfortably and requires attention and energy. At 11.20am I arrive at Certovica.

signs at Certovica

Certovica is the name of the pass, where some worndown buildings are situated, plus a pension that is still in business. In the past, when the roads in Slovakia were not of high quality this used to be a common break during a one or two-day trip across the country. Nowadays one drives in 6 or 7 hours from one side of Slovakia to the other, and the pension/restaurant at Certovica is only used for a small stop. The bus picks me up exactly according to schedule. A great trip is coming to an end.

I travel to Slovakia for a two-day hiking trip. Yesterday I came to Kremnica, where I had a reservation in a local hotel. There was nobody around when I called at the front door, so I decided to go to one of the B&B addresses that I had with me. The owner was friendly and we had a chat about being outdoors. He showed me his wounds and bruses that he got last week when he crashed with his ATB in the hills. He was riding straight down the hill without braking, after drinking half a bottle of vodka . . . .  He was kindly enough warning me for bears that live out here in the woods, and what I should be doing if I have the bad luck to meet one. As I am planning a big day for today I take the first bus that drives from Kremnica to Kremnicke bane. When I leave the B&B at 5.45am (on a Sunday morning) I find that there are already many people out. Many cars are driving, pedestrians are everywhere, it looks like life has already begun a few hours ago! The bus takes about 10 minutes to drive to Kremnicke Bane. The road is full of curves and unexpected steep sections.

A few minutes after the start I pass already the first highlight of today. The chapel and memorial rock that indicate the Centre of the World. In the late Middle Ages the centre of the maps of the world, as it was known at that time, was this location.

centre of the world

The weather is great, clear blue sky, early morning sun shining bright and a slight gentle breeze. I pass the village of Krahule. The focus of the attention of this village is the winter season; there are some ski facilities, like in many other villages in the hills in Slovakia. I continue my way up the hill, towards the top of the Skalka.

The climb coveres some 400 meters, and it goes straight up the hill. On the upper part of the hill there are, again, ski facilities that should comfort winter tourists. A huge hotel is being constructed when I pass along. There are a few other tourists up here, but no others hikers. Large sections of the north and east side of the Skalka are cleaned from trees in order to create skislopes. Further along the Trail the path is crossing dense forrests that block any potential view in all directions. Too bad, in the east the city of Banska Bystrica is situated, one of the biggest cities in the country. The Trail continuous its way northbound. After the hill Svrcinnik the map indicates that the path goes down to the pass Sedlo Maly Sturec, where the main road is crossed. Unfortunately the path has many short climbs and desecents that are too little to be identified on the map, but they are big enough to break my pace and energy. Long before arriving on the Sedlo Maly Sturec I hear noises of motorcycles pulling up and slowing down. By the time I reach the Sedlo I find out that these are guys that come racing from down the valley up to the pass, turn around and race down again. There are many of them, racing for several hours. I continue my way up the hill, northbound. I take a short lunchbreak when I arrive in the shade again. The temperature is getting hot, and I do not have much drinking water with me today. The half a liter is perhaps sufficient on an average day, but today I have to make a lot of efforts to go up and down the hills of the Velky Fatra, in the warm summer weather. After the break I continue my way up to the refuge Kralova Studna in a modest pace, trying to use as much as possible the shades. The final part of the stage, the last climb to the refuge, is inconvenient; I feel light and dizzy in my head, my lips and mouth are dry and it’s about time this stage comes to an end. At 2.55pm I arrive in the refuge.

refuge Kralova Studna

The refuge is situated just above the trees, at 1300 meters. The view to the south is very nice. The refuge is being reconstructed, and it is only partly available. The diningroom is situated on the first floor, and it is crowded with hikers and some day tourists. The number of besd that are available is limited, but I get a single room with my own bathroom. It is still partly under construction but it is comfortable. I drink a lot of mineral water to recover from the thirst. Later, during dinner, a big group of hikers arrive in the refuge. It is an international group of students, including some Dutch people. They turn out to be students from the university in Nijmegen, situated only 40 kilometers from my home town. It’s a small world.

Today is the last day of my four-day hiking trip. I leave my luggage in the hotel in Turcianske Teplice, as I plan to be back here tonight. I take an early bus from Turcianske Teplice back to Jasenovo, and I walk up to the pass on the side of the (very!) busy road. When big trucks are passing there’s hardly enough space for me to step aside.

The weather is totally different from yesterday: rain, wind, and of course fog. From the Sedlo I go up the hill past a farm and through the woods up to the Vysehrad hill, which is 250 meters higher than de pass. The visibility is zero and the wind makes it very unpleasant to be up here. I follow the Trail to the south, and later to the southeast. My feet are hurting, the weather is bad, and it’s cold. The Trail is very well hidden between the trees, and it is no big fun to be out here, today. One of the Trail signs that I pass on my way indicates the way, but ignores the hikers as the sign is not readable from the path. I have to leave the path and go between the trees in order to be able read what’s on it.

road sign, ignoring the hikers

 After a few hours I pass the village of Sklene on my left hand side. It’s 12.45pm, I take a lunch break and I consider my options. I am not amusing myself up here, and I could go to Sklene and take a bus back to Turcianske Teplice. The alternative is to stick to the plan: follow the Trail to the village of Kremnicke Bane and take a bus or train from there. I decide to use the few hours of daylight that are left to get as far as possible. Today is my last day of this trip, and it would not be motivating to break off early on your last day and take that as a memory with you for the time (next year?). In addition, Sklene would be not an easy start location for the next trip, as it is hidden in the hills, with only a few buses per day that go there. I decide to continue my way. After climbing the first hill I manage to keep a steady pace, as the Trail is not climbing or descending anymore fopr a few kilometers. At the Sedlo Pod Vysokou the Trail changes its course and goes straight east. After 20 minutes the Trail leaves the forrest and continues in a meadow or field. The visibility in this section is really poor, some 50 meters, and there is nothing to see. It’s a huge plain field that I am crossing. There are no Trail signs visible and by using the map and compass I am able to walk east, without seeing any landmark. After half an hour I cross a fieldroad. It is marked on the map. If the map is really acurately drawn, then some 100 meters north of me there should be a tree. I decide to check this in order to make sure where on the map my current position is. After 2 minutes I see indeed a tree popping up in the fog. And in addition, it has a Trail sign indicating that I was right on the Trail. I continue my way with more confidence than before. After another half an hour I cross a road, and a Trail sign that indicates that I should follow this road to the village of Kunesov. The small village is situated only five minutes further, and I continue along the regular road to Kremnicke Bane. Walking on concrete I am able to increase my pace a little bit, and finally at 4.40pm I arrive in the village of Kremnicke Bane.

On the map this village looks medium sized, so I hope to find a shop there, for some snack or refreshment. The village turns out to be another Slovakian example of lack of land use planning. In a wide area of some square kilometers there are all kinds of houses built, with much unused land in between. There is also a church and in my Western mindset this is usually the centre of the village. Over here it is on the side of the village, in the middle of much unused land. There is also a gasstation where I buy some chocolate bars. The railwaystation is situated north of the village. I have to wait more than two hours for the next train to Turcianska Teplice. I have the feeling I am really far from home, now.

Today is the third day of my four-day hiking trip.

I leave at a decent hour, the sun is already up, and I had a regular breakfast in the inn where I was staying. The weather forecast for today reported dry and cloudless weather. It turns out to be correct. The autumn sun makes long shadows, and it gives a warm glow to the trees that are changing their colours. I leave Cicmany using the road that I had inspected yesterday. Behind the hill Javorinka, that is well visibile from the village, the Trail goes east, following the main ridge of the hills at approx. 900 meters altitude. After two hours I arrive at the Fackovske Sedlo, after a steep decent along the skilifts. The Trail crosses here the regular road, that crosses the hill after some steep climbing. There is a small restaurant, where I get a refresment and give my feet a break. After two days I have already some blisters, and sitting down for some 20 minutes is a big relief. It’s not busy in the restaurant, mainly truck drivers. After the break I continue my way, eastbound. The Trail remains more or less at the same altitude for a while and it is easy to keep a steady pace. After the hill Baran the Trail changes its direction to the south. The sections on the map that are drawn to be forrests are not all that bad; the trees are very low, allowing me to catch some sunlight, or the trees are widely spread.

Mala Fatra hills

During the next kilometers my pace is getting slower, as I can see on the map where the estimated time per section is given. The weather is very comforting and my feet are hurting, so I make sure I continue without disruptions. The Trail crosses the regular road at the Vysehradske Sedlo, west of the village of Jasenovo. The last kilometer to the Sedlo leads through a meadow, where I am confused by the different signs that I see here and there. The Sedlo itself is visible behind a gentle hill, due to the big antenne installation that is situated there. I take the direct path and arrive at approximately 4.00pm at the pass.

It is very busy with big trucks driving in both directions. The road is not wide and when it was designed nobody included a pedestrian in the plan. I go left, to Jasenovo, which is only some 20 minutes. At home I had prepared some bus time tables, including the one from jasenovo to Turcianske Teplice, the nearest small city. At 5.00pm the bus pickes me up, exactly according to schedule. By that time the sun has disappeared behind the hills, and it has turned cold outside. After some 20 minutes it drops me in Turcianske Teplice. On the map it shows as a mid-sized (Slovakian) city and I am apalled by the lack of infrastructural design. The railway station is at the end of a shabby street where here and there some houses are situated, between unused land. Walking towards the rest of the city there is more unused land, also next to some supermarkets, or busy roads. Also the central busstation is situated in the middle of a residential area. It is almost dark when I arrive there. I find myself a small hotel near the busstation and have dinner in the pizzeria next door.

Today is the second day of my four-day hiking trip. I get up in a decent hour, and after a good breakfast I start my hike at 7.30am.

I walk out of the village, passing the local grammar school, where all the local kids are dropping in for another boring schoolweek. The climb of the Vapec hill gave me worries, as it is Slovakian tradition to make any path directly and straight up the slope. No curves or serpentines that break the steepness, just straight up. The Vapec is no exception to this tradition, but fortunately I am able to make it in a reasonable pace. On the top I enjoy the great view, on Horna Poruba and its surroundings. I have the feeling I am far away from home.

Vapec (955m)

After the short break I start the descent, following the signs and the map. After a few minutes I loose the signs, but the map is clear and the path is clear as well. Half an hour later, after finding my way in the good direction to get back to the Trail again, I come across three other hikers. They are hiking the Trans-Slovakian E8 in the opposite direction, from east to west. We exchange experiences of today’s stage and they show me their map, which is more recent than mine. On their map the E8 is situated on another part of the hill, more direct (of course) than the path that I ahve been following. I good spirits I continue; it’s the first time I meet other hikers “in the field”. Shortly after I smell the smoke of petroleumstoves. It reminds me very strongly of my grandparants village in the Austrian mountains. In the autumn and winter the regular way of heating the house was with petroleum, and its smell has a nostalgic odour to me. Shortly after smelling the smoke I pass the village of Kopec. I continue in a nice pace to the village of Kosecke Rovne. From there the Trail uses the regular road for a small section, to the next village Zliechov. After Zlichov the last effort for today needs to be done: climbing the Strazov hill, covering 600 meters uphill. The first part of the climb is steep (of course), but then it gets easier. I am able to keep a comfortable, but not fast, pace. Once up the hill only the descent to Cicmany is left for today. The weather continues to be great, but by now, at the end of the afternoon, it gets chilly. I arrive in Cicmany around 5.00pm.

I stay in one of the two pensions that are available. Cicmany is nationwide known for its typical decoration on the old houses. Especially in the summer weekends many tourists come here, but on this Monday afternoon there’s no excitement.

Cicmany

After dinner I test the first 10 minutes of tomorrow’s hike. The Trail will pass the skilift that is clearly visible from the village, and continue eastbound. When I arrive back at the hotel the owner tells me that the ski-installations are only three years old, but that eversince they’re operational there has never been a single day in the winter that they could be used, due to the high temperatures and a lack of snow. I am happy with the temperature during this trip, and that it is dry. It was very different in my previous trips in Slovakia.

I have travelled to Slovakia for a four-day hiking trip. I arrived late last night at Bratislava airport and I take this morning the first train to Trencin. I walk from the railway station back to where I left the Trail in the city centre.

At 6.30am I start my hike for today. The city centre is quiet, and after a few minutes I pass the railway station again, and a few minutes later I am already outside the city, past the football stadium. I have a long day ahead of me, as I will try to cover 47 kilometers to Cicmany. There are many hills that need to be climbed along the way, but fortunately on the map the don’t scare me too much. Traditionally I have not excercised in walking before going to Slovakia, so it is always a bit experiencing how mylegs feel and what pace I am able to keep. The weather is great, sunny, mild breeze, nice temperature. The pace that I can keep in the first 10 kilometers is reasonably well. I arrive in the former health resort village Trencianske Teplice. I buy a bottle of Coke to make sure I have sufficient liquids with me today. I had only packed a small bottle of water this morning. After crossing the local park and its funny sculptures, I continue my way in the hills again. The temperatures are getting to me, and I have more and more difficulties to keep a steady pace. In addition, I start to get thirsty already. I take a rest, which turns out to kill my pace for the rest of the day. In the next kilometers I have difficulty to continue for more than 15 or 20 minutes at the time, due to hunger and thirst.

in the Trenciansa Vrchovina hills

I believe that It will be difficult (read: dreaming) to expect that I can end up today in Cicmany. I pass the hill Holazne at 1.15pm. I was hoping beforehand that I would have been here a few hours earlier; about 20 kilometers in 6.5 hours is not impressive. I take another break while enjoying the view on the village Horna Poruba, that is in the valley below. Behind the village the top of the Vapec hill is dominating the view and it’s impressive. Of course, the Trail goes from the village straight up to the peak. It does not look comforting having to do that on this sunny afternoon.

Horna Poruba

After arriving in Horna Poruba I look for a place to drink first. There are two bars in the village, and one has a terrace in the sun. I get a couple of mineral waters and Coke’s and consider my options. In the meantime I start a converstaion with some local students that enjoy an easy indian summer Sunday doing nothing. I decide to call it a day and to contue tomorrow.

In stead of having to go by bus to the nearest city for a place to sleep my new found friends arrange for me a bed & breakfast place in Horna Poruba. In the meantime we arrange dinner by ordering some pizza’s from Ilava, some 10 kilometer down the valley. When we finished I pay for the dinner & the drinks and they show me my B&B. The room that I have is big, has a nice view on the area, and there’s a bathroom with a huge bath. It’s old, outdated but clean, and cheap. It was a great afternoon, the first time I really interacted with Slovakian people. Perhaps I should not try to walk from early in the mornings untill late in teh evenings, but take it a little bit easier. It’s enjoyable.