The second part of the ascent, from the Caves toward the summit.
By the time we reached, what appeared the halfway stage, one of us thought it, arguably, the best hike we've done. On what basis does one of you keep making those bold (foolish) pronouncements? We're pleased you asked. Well, it's like this. Firstly, you should know the surface could be a lot softer. Currently, it's mostly karst which is a formation comprising dolomite and limestone. It's particularly horrible should one place the foot in molds slightly smaller than the sole and have the stone squeeze the foot into a different shape like we'd imagine a torturer would. You should try it sometime—the relief afterwards is soothing. Second point is the hikes begin some 30-40 minutes from the parking lot. Of course, one walks through the canyon to get to the so called-trailhead—no shuttle available, no roads either. Thirdly, the hikes are long and mostly steep or if not steep, very steep. Other than that, they are a walk in the park. This hike is the only day hike, and still one of very few out of all, rated 4.5 out of 5 for difficulty. By the way, with regard to their ratings and allotted times, they certainly 'don't fool around'.
We thought we'd take you on this stroll with us, trying to provide an indication of the feel, highlights and general idea. We began early, the park was almost empty. Two days earlier, from a higher vantage point across the canyon, we noticed segments of the initial part of the trail cut into the mountain. It's always a good sight. (Picture below). The trail takes one to the caves and one of the highlight icons of the park. We spent some time at the Cango Caves in South Africa and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico not long ago so we decided to skip these. From there it's, at times, a tricky climb and rock scramble to reach and crest the summit. There are some steel cables in various places to aid a person and the rocky, rough surfaces allow boots to grip beautifully which is a boon. By the way, the trail is well-marked with the red targets/markers which are essential. Without them, we don't know what would happen but it would be interesting... The sights from the position at the top and just below it were magnificent. It's an amazing feeling to reach difficult and strenuous positions in of themselves and further, to admire the sights thereafter. It makes the experience more meaningful.
We moved down and around, stopped for our usual brunch and continued to make our way toward ground-level. We thought we would reach sea level, some 2,800 feet below the summit, and then cross over to the car park through the forest once we negotiated our way down. After a long slog, we did move towards the car park, general direction only but then made a surprising upward move and climbed hundreds of feet more. We had thought the climbing was over for the day. When we reached our third top, we were surprised to realize we had not gone down the whole way, earlier. In fact, with the latest ascent, we appeared to be about 1,200 to 1,500 feet above the canyon floor. The invigorating part was the canyon floor lay almost vertically below. We were a little tired, sore and slightly frustrated and faced quite an ordeal down. Although tired, one has to be most vigilant because the consequences of carelessness is unforgiving. (Elevation gain for the day was in excess of 3,000 feet.)
Fortunately, we love climbs like the one we faced, up or down, so the experience was wonderful and the frustration dissipated within moments. Back on ground-level, the world looked a whole lost less interesting but far safer.
Someone's feeling good about her ascent thus far.
Taken from a previous hike, across the canyon and much higher. The current, initial part of the trail we found irresistible.
"Who're you calling lazy, Buster?"
The editor negotiates her way down.
He sits some 1,200 feet above the canyon floor and wonders...We had already made our way down a substantial amount. I suppose we were taking a smoke break—everyone seems to smoke in Eastern/Central Europe.
A view from the top.
An icon of the park, Anica Kuk, at rear and two little icons in the front.
One more big one and then ... a few more big ones.
Another top view in the other direction.
He sure looks like he's lost his way. He does know the next move is not rightwards.
Big mountains. The previous hike took us to the peak at some 3,400 feet, across the canyon.
A particularly meaningful position and beautiful sight.
Jen approaches the crest with the aid of the steel cables, one which had pulled out of the rock face.
Looks like a naughty face as she smiles at the top....thank Heaven. We found the mountains to be large and overpowering.
With relief, we felt good knowing there might be one less hazard. They do say, "Keep on the Trail".
Extract from the signboard and park maps.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
Next stop: The somewhat 'Blue Danube'.
Not the same shot, but along the same lines with parliament on the right, at night (Budapest).
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