Gerlachovský kotol

Kotol means cirque or bowl. It's seen here from above, from close to the saddle at the top of the Velický žl'ab. The route description to Gerlachovský štit that I'm following doesn't mention it by name, but says that, from the saddle, the route crosses three gullies. This must be the first. The gullies are separated by rocky ridges. Ignoring the nearby gendarme on the left, the ridge in the background, descending to the left, is the first one. It is the SW ridge of Kotlový štit (2601m), a prominent subsidiary about 300 m SE of Gerlachovský štit. If you look closely at the original version of this image, you can see what looks like a trail on grassy slopes, ascending the ridge on the other side of the bowl. That implies that, from here, I have to drop down a little to traverse the bowl. But though this image doesn't show it, there are traces of a trail nearby as well, so I'll start by following those. 25 Aug 2016.