For my last day in the High Tatras I took a train to Strbské Pleso and chose the popular route to Popradske Pleso. It felt so much busier than the other trails I’ve done. Perhaps it was because it was Friday, perhaps because the sun was finally out and the sky was mostly blue. Lots of people were arriving in the small town and heading either for the ski lift or the trails. Right from the start of the trail I noticed a lot of people chose the same route I did. I had hoped that after the snow from 2 days ago I would be able to go a bit further than Popradske Pleso, to Hincovo Pleso, but I had never thought I’d be able to climb even higher. Today was the day of the unexpected.
The morning started easy, with a pleasant forest path that wasn’t too challenging. I slowly ascended, passing all types of people, from families to retired couples. On my left I saw the ski jump and shortly after that I disappeared into the forest to come out again on the other side. The trail was now following the edge of the mountainside and provided stunning views over the plains down South and the mountains ahead. I was surrounded by the yellows and reds of falls, but in the distance I still saw snow on the peaks. The walk to the Poprad lake was only an hour or so and when arrived it was very quiet. The mountain chalets looks lifeless and the lake was still, the sun strongly reflecting in the smooth surface.
I went back to the crossing of trails. Other people were making their way up, so I decided to see how far I’d get and crossed my fingers I’d make it to the next lake. The hike started to ascend slowly through the forest. In the shade there was still snow and at times a bit of ice, but the power of the sun was strong and a lot of sections had gotten a bit muddy. It didn’t take long until I was rewarded with the most amazing views. This was the first day where I could clearly see the rugged mountain tops and had a view way down the valley.
I crossed a river, stepping from stone to stone, and then I hit the challenging part. Well, the first challenge. My mountain lake was at 1948 meters altitude, whereas the first lake, Popradske Pleso, was only at 1494 meters. This time the climb was not gradual, but rather a challenging staircase made of rocks of all sizes. It was a struggle, since many rocks were higher than your knees and small sections involved some scrambling. I wasn’t struggling alone. Couples with dogs, high school students, older groups of friends… it got busy. After scrambling up a particularly high, icy rock, I came to a viewpoint and took a rest, enjoying the sun on my face. The view was breathtaking. I could see the trail for a while, leading back through the green valley, enclosed by rocky walls on all other sides.
I couldn’t sit for too long as I was cooling down fast, so I picked myself up and slowly, step by step, continued on nature’s staircase. At this point all that motivated me was the feeling of almost being there. When the path finally flattened out, it felt amazing. Out in front of me was flat-ish path of stones, with muddy patch filled with footprints around it. On the sides was yellow grass alternated with patches of snow. Way ahead was the lake, surrounded by the grey and white mountainsides. I had almost reached my destination: Hincovo lake.
But where were all those people? It turns out the majority of people continued on from here, all the way up the hill. Well… let’s see what’s there then. The way up to the saddle (at 2145m) was steep! At least this time you could see where you were going. No surprises, just the steep zigzagging way ahead. At times it was slippery and was careful about placing my feet. I adjusted to a rather slow, but pleasant trot. The distance got shorter and shorter until I stood on the top, and… saw that people went even further. So I kept going too. First there was a pleasant straight section before another killer hike up.
This last bit was the ascend to the Kôprovský štít, the top at 2363 meters, at the end of the Mengusovská valley I’d just hiked through. It got increasingly challenging. The higher I got, the bigger the rocks. On the last meters before what I thought was the top, I used my hands and feet to get up. I hadn’t planned to get here and I didn’t quite have enough food and water. Disappointed to see I was not actually at the top, I sat down, put on my jacket and gobbled up my 2 tiny apples. As I sat there, the clouds drifted in, surrounding me and the peak. I looked over at the peak, 39 meters higher in altitude, about 10 minutes of walking. Well walking… it was a scramble over what seemed like a small ridge. People took forever to cross even a few meters and I saw people coming down on their ass. I decided to turn around and not risk my unstable feet slipping off a rock.
I went down as quickly as possible on the slippery terrain and enjoyed the scenery. The clouds disappeared again and the sun warmed my face. I was so hungry and thus so happy to return to Popradské Pleso, where the chalet served hot tea and a delicious bean soup. It was just what I needed to make it back to Strbské Pleso, where I enjoyed a real meal before heading back to my hotel.
