The tablelands of the Central Sudetes (please see this map) are bounded on the northwest and the northeast by the Kamienne (Stone) Mountains - several ranges of hills made of hard volcanic rocks, namely porphyries – late-Paleozoic of age and reddish in colour. Their highest range, which straddles the Czech-Polish border east from the upper course of the Ścinawka River, is called the Suche (Dry) Mountains by the Poles while the Czechs call them the Javoří (Sycamore Maple) Mountains. They are all covered with woodland in which sycamore maple trees are not uncommon, so there is no mystery behind the Czech name. But how come these green hills got their Polish name which translates as the Dry Mountains? They are formed of hard, impermeable rock, their slopes are steep and the soil layer is thin. As a result, the rain which hasn't been caught by vegetation runs off pretty quickly and there are hardly any springs there.
Bushwhacking up northwest side of Suchawa.
Thanks to what they are composed of these porphyry hills have surprisingly bold, often conical silhouettes, contrasting with the flat summits of the mountain ranges that surround them. On the trails there hiking can be surprisingly challenging owing to the steepness of the slopes (plus that off the beaten track there is recently more and more bushwhacking involved as the hiking tradition fades). The highest summit in the Suche Mountains is Waligóra (934m) in Poland, whereas on the border rises Ruprechtický Špičák (880m) with a new Czech observation tower offering vast vistas of the Central as well as the Western Sudetes. An interesting mountain is Suchawa, the second highest hill (928m). What makes it attractive is not its top (which does provide a view, to the northwest) but a unique phenomenon in the Sudetes: An active cliff-talus system within the forest zone. ! Please do not try to climb the rocks or tread on the talus cone for two reasons: 1- the place has been designated a nature monument; 2 - the rock is extremely chossy. However, one can climb up around the talus and cliff, which involves walking elusive deer paths as well as bushwhacking.
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