Somewhat in the second half of September I set off for my yearly fall hike to the Belianske Tatry mountains in Slovakia
There was first frost and fog in the shadow valleys and the leaves started changing their colors into yellow, orange, brown and gold. It was simply beautiful morning. I stopped my car at the distance of some ten kilometers to the mountains to pick some pictures of Belianske Tatry mountains with their a little snowy summits. Then I crossed the border with Slovakia and left my car in the parking lot near Ski area center Strednica. Well, now let’s look for a starting point of marked route to the main pass Kopske Sedlo in the Belianske Tatry ridge. Somewhat I couldn’t find it. I saw some road in the forest at the end of the parking and followed this forest road. .Needless to say that I didn’t see any marked signs. Well, I thought maybe they were on the trees which collapsed in connection to the gale some years earlier and now being removed. But the further into the forest I went the weaker got the road and at last I could see only traces of removed tree logs. What to do ? I returned back to the parking lot and decided to ask somebody in the maintained pub in the ski area center. Once in front of the pub I saw marked route .The pub has just been the starting point. of the route. Now, it all was clear. I began descent to the stream and paid some fee (It is perhaps the only route in Slovak Tatras You have to pay).And then the route started ascent. First through the forested cold shadow valley. Next, pine dwarf trees and mountain meadows appeared. Of course, The sun appeared too and it got warmer. Not far from the pass Siroke sedlo 1826m on the grassy slopes of Placliva skala I spotted maybe 30 grazing chamois. Nice view. Once on the pass I rested for a while and had my lunch .Here there were first tourists I met. Further,the path ascended the highest point on my route the pass of Vysne kopske sedlo 1934m The views towards High Tatras were wonderful (as you can see in the pictures).But then the film in my camera has just ended.
I had much time and I started to thinking what to do. I looked at the map to find something interesting. And at last I made my mind up. I spotted on map some unmarked path leading towards Kolove pleso tarn. So I started my way down the Zadne Medodoly valley. There were nice views towards snow capped summits of Siroka and Woloszyn. But no filmL.The route traversed slopes of Havran mountain and at last reached the stream .Just here started unmarked forest road to foresters’ hut so called chata na burdeli. I neared the hut and started looking for the path towards the tarn. Just behind the hut .there was a path which had tendency of going down .I followed this path but it seemed to me that it was wrong direction. When the path crossed the stream I was sure the path was wrong one. I returned to the hut .It took me 1 hour using this path .Heartbroken I sat near the hut ,had some sandwiches and started thinking .There must be other path leading up to the tarn .Let’s find it. Well ,I was fortunate and found it. I followed this path up the stream first trough the forest and next through the dwarf pine trees. Needless to say that there were some remnants left by bears. So I was a little scared .At last I reached the tarn .What a miraculous place. I was amazed by beauty of unforgotten sights. According to the words told by the pope JPII, I could say “There are only three of us here- God, Mountains and Me.”
I rested here for half an hour and returned back to the marked route leading towards Javorova Dolina valley. Passed beautiful gorge Branka ,some meadows and achieved at last Tatranska Javorina village .Here after 20 minutes I got in the bus and came to Strednica ,where my car waited for me. It was my last trip to Tatras mountains this year.
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