The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Trekking the High Tatras of Poland and Slovakia

Hard on the heels (so to speak) of trekking in Bulgaria, I flew to Krakow, Poland to begin my next trekking adventure. The Tatra mountains represent the last high mountains in the Carpathians, and from a Polish perspective are divided into three parts: the Western Tatras, the High Tatras, and the White Tatras. Our week-long KE Adventures group focused on the most interesting of these, the High Tatras. We hiked for three days in Poland, after transferring by public bus to the mountain town of Zakopane, and afterwards transferred by private bus to Slovakia for three additional days hiking. The Slovakian trekking included an ascent of Mount Rysy, ironically the highest point in Poland. Enjoy the photos highlighting my week in the Tatras!

Willow Gentians (Gentiana asclepiadea). We saw these nearly everywhere in the forests. The weather was poor on the first day, so most of the few photos I took were of flowers!
Siklawica Waterfall in the mist on Day 1. Our trekking this day was in two distinct parts; this waterfall hike, a short transfer from Zakopane, was the first. As it was a Sunday, the trail was packed with tourists despite the bad weather.
The second portion of our first day trek was a path that from another valley headed towards Roztoka Hut, our lodging for the next two nights. The rains had swollen the streams we encountered.
On Day 2 we first hiked up to Morskie Oko (Fish Eye Lake), a popular tourist destination, from Roztoka Hut.
A view from above Morskie Oko on Day 2. The weather was slowly improving, but mountain vistas were nonexistent.
Siklawa Waterfall, the second highlight of Day 2
One of Nicole’s photos of Siklawa Waterfall. It is obvious which of the two of us is a professional photographer! More of her photos later on. . .
Stream Roztoka on our descent back to Roztoka Hut
A mountain church (left) seen on our descent route from Roztoka hut to the roadhead, in another valley from where we had ascended the prior day.
Sunrise on Poprodske Pleso, Day 4. We had transferred to Slovakia where we spent two nights at a basic hotel on this lake. I took this photo from my balcony.
Day 4 was our summit day of Mount Rysy. We started hiking through the forest and sub-alpine ecosystems. Here is a Monkshood (Aconitum napellus)
Delphinium verdunense, Day 4
Adenostyles alliariae, also Day 4. So much for the flowers, Now the climbing began. . .
Mount Rysy from Frog Lake. Rysy is the highest point, in the center of the photo. There are actually two summits, one in Slovakia and (the lower) one on the Slovak-Polish border.
Another view of Frog Lake, with Satan Peak in the background. We climbed to a col above the lake, with some cables to assist us in a couple of sections. Note the hikers in the extreme lower left for scale.
Rysy hut (2250m) the highest hut in Slovakia and in the Tatras. We stopped for a long break here before the final summit climb.
Clouds attempting to cross Polish-Slovak border near the summit of Rysy. Definitely this week Slovakia was the sunny side of the Tatras!
KE summit group photo on Mount Rysy’s Polish high point (2499m), with some extraneous people present as the summit was rammed on this relatively fine weather day in late summer. I and a few others next climbed Rysy’s true high point (2503m) in Slovakia, far less crowded and requiring a touch of scrambling.
The Popradske Pleso Hotel, seen as we walk back to the road-head on Day 5. In addition to large dorm rooms, there were a limited number of ensuite double rooms. I upgraded for privacy and to escape the snoring.
A stream as we headed back towards the road-head. Rysy in the morning light is in the background.
With Nicole on Velka Svitovska. The second part of our Day 5 hike included a train transfer and then a gondola lift before the second hike, to Green Lake. It proved another long day, but not nearly as arduous as the Rysy climb the previous day.
The Vagabond Hiker waiting in the shade for other KE clients on the hike to Green Lake (Zelene Pleso). Our group included several who were not regular hikers, and the overall pace was SLOW. Completely different from the week before in Bulgaria!
The Green Lake bowl where we stayed for our final night in the mountains. It was a long descent, tough on old knees.
Martin, seen on the descent to Green Lake. A part of this route had cables for assistance, though I avoided them altogether. Martin has been on nearly 50 KE trips, putting my 18 or so to shame!
Arriving at Green Lake and Hut
A photo of Green Lake photo taken by Nicole taken near sunset on Day 5.
View of the High Tatras from Green Lake in the early morning of Day 6, also courtesy of Nicole. Between earplugs and Aleve PM, I overslept the wonderful morning light. Fortunately, Nicole did not!
Triangle Lake, one of the White Lakes, on our last day’s descent in the White Tatras. We had left the High Tatras behind for something completely different.
Alpine Pasque flower (Anemone alpina). One usually only sees the seed pods this late in the year. Perhaps there is a cooler micro-climate here?
A typical White Tatras view, we descended this valley back to the roadhead.
A small gorge on the descent to Tatranska Javorina, the end point for our week’s trekking.

As this blog posts, I will be in Finland for a few days on the Baltic Sea near Helsinki. While I won’t post directly from my city break trip to Tallinn and Finland, I am planning as many as three more posts over the coming weeks before my return to the States. Stay tuned!

The Vagabond Hiker.

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