New Snow!

From last Sunday near Velké Karlovice, Czech Republic.  It was a winter wonderland, and I felt so blessed to be able to be out in it.

Note my footprints--the only ones there.  :)  

Vel'ká Fatra, Slovakia--Biking Gaderská Dolina

The Gaderská valley follows the most beautiful stream, a magical blue color that must be due to some mineral in the water (combined with the white rocks it runs over and the absolute clarity of the water).  I didn't get to enjoy the stream enough the day before on my fantastic hike, so I decided to rent a bike the second day and bike the paved bike path to Čertova Brána (The Devil's Gate), a narrow rock "gate" on a side valley.   

The Devil's Gate:

The pictures don't really capture the blue, but this one tries:

The bike rental shop was closed and I had to text them to open it just for me, then the bike they gave me had a pedal that kept coming loose, despite me tightening it three times, so I exchanged it basically on the honor system (the guy just left a couple of bikes out for me to choose).  In exchange for the trouble, he gave me the bike for the whole day.  

I wondered for a while if there was something wrong with it too, because it felt harder to pedal than it should, but once I turned around and started coming back, I realized why.  The gradient had been steeper than it looked.  I coasted entire sections of the return trip, sometimes too fast for my comfort.  Most of the rest only require a bit of gentle pedaling periodically.  Another fantastic day.  Since I had time, I also explored a bit of the (unpaved) Blatnická Dolina, where a bit of blue sky peeked out for a few minutes, and then walked around the pretty town of Blatnica. 

I highly recommend this area if ever you're in the Vel'ká Fatra.

Bike trip total:  20.9 km, 226 meters elevation gain (13 miles, 741 feet)

Vel'ká Fatra, Slovakia--Tlstá and Ostrá loop

In mid-November, I spent a long weekend in the Vel'ká Fatra, a national park in western Slovakia.  It was a fantastic trip, in some gorgeous mountains I'd never been to before.  Even the weather cooperated:  cloudy but not rainy and warm for the season.  The clouds often lent the landscape a beautiful, mysterious feel.

The first day, I took a fantastic hike that included one castle whose ruins I could explore on my own, two caves which were also free to explore, and two gorgeous and very different mountain peaks, with a lot of fun trail between.  All that in one day.  I felt very blessed.  

Me at the trailhead, the beautiful Gaderská Dolina, near Blatnica:

Blatnica Castle:

Views from the castle:

From inside the first cave:

Inside the second cave (Mažarná):

Just some little views from the trail:

Approaching the top of Tlstá Peak ("fat peak"):

Views from Tlstá (1373 meters above sea level):

Views of the trail ahead, near Ostrá:

The last scramble to the top of Ostrá, complete with chains to help you climb the rocks:

And this hole you have to climb through:

Fantastic trip.  So much variety and natural beauty.  I didn't quite get back before dark, but almost.  And once I was back in Gaderská Dolina, I found the energy to run half the rest of the way to the bus stop and got there about two minutes before the bus came.  Total success of a day.

Mileage estimate:  18.4 km, 1067 meters elevation gain (11.4 miles, 3500 feet).

Autumn Leaves in mid October-Czech Republic

These are from my hike in the Beskydy Mountains in western Czech Republic on October 19.  I don't think I really need to say any more.  I'll let the pictures speak.