Beautiful route leading along a brook in Studená Dolina and through two saddles: Prielom (2288 m a.s.l.) and Poľský hrebeň (eng. Polish Comb) at 2200 m a.s.l. First part of route was easy trial with lovely views of brook and waterfall but Prielom and Poľský hrebeň gave us a hard time.
We started our trip in village Tatranská Lesná where begins yellow trail leading to small waterfalls (Vodopády studeného potoka). It was hot so trail along a brook was perfect.
We spent some time resting at waterfalls, we ate lunch at Zamkovskeho chata close to this place and we started to wonder, what next. Our trip one year earlier was exhausting to my friends, so this time we were planning easier route. But it was early and if we went red trail to Skalnatá chata as we have planned before, we would come there few hours before sunset. We didn’t want to finish trip so early so we decided to spend a night in Zbojnicka Chata. I warned my friends that if we go there, next day we would go back the same trail or go to Prielom and Poľský hrebeň which didn’t look easy on a map, but they decided to take this challenge. I marked our route on mapa-turystyczna.pl.
Trail to Zbojnicka Chata was beautiful and again along a brook. Me and my boyfriend were drinking water from the brooks whole day and we were regreting we bought bottles of water.
Zbojnicka Chata surprised us with prices. I was expecting similiar prices to Poland and I don’t remember how much we paid but it was much more expensive than huts in Poland. We were waiting for more tourists to come because the staff didn’t want to let us pay for sleeping on a floor until there were free beds in a room and we didn’t want to spend so much money for a bed. Fortunately it was Saturday so the hut was full shortly thereafter and about 30 people were sleeping on the floor. Conditions in this hut are not comfortable. No shower, only sinks and wooden toilets outside.
Next day, at about 7:30 am we set out on a trip. According to the map, the trip should take about 6-7 h so we were planning to be back in Warsaw in the evening. In reality, it took us much more time, because we didn’t expect it to be so hard. Although it was beginning of July, there was much snow yet and going down from Prielom and then from Polish Comb was really difficult. Crampons would be very helpful but we didn’t have ones. Additionally it started to rain… My friend who has fear of heights was terrified there and I also was scared. I’m still wondering what was more dangerous – dry Orla Perć which is considered the most difficult trail in Tatra Mountains or descending from Polish Comb on wet frozen slippy snow… I’m more inclined to the second one. Two of my friends slided down few metres and I also slipped in one place although I was very carefull.
Despite difficulties, after about 10 hours, luckily with no serious contusions and everyone alive, we reached to village Tatranská Polianka, where we took a train to Tatranská Lesná.
We found some small brook to wash a little before a journey to Warsaw, we sat in a car, everyone tired but happy that we rest in a car and… it didn’t move… only smell of petrol but engine didn’t work. We went out, under the car we saw pool of petrol, boys tried to check what was going on but they couldn’t find what was the problem. Sunday evening, owner of car didn’t buy insurance for abroad, so what to do now? We decided to go to nearby hotel and ask the staff if they knew a phone to some car service. Very pleasant woman in a hotel helped us to find a phone (by the way we saw prices in this hotel – it was so cheap that I decided to improve my condition before next trip to Slovakia Tatras so that I wouldn’t need to sleep in mountain hut). We returned to the car, we were going to phone to the car service, but friend decided to check once again why the car didn’t work. And he found! It turned out it was enough to press some plug under a chassis.
We were so happy! We saved money and we didn’t have to spend a night at Slovakia. But it wasn’t last adventure ;) During the ride to Warsaw me and my boyfriend started to have nausea. We thought that maybe it’s because of smell of petrol in the car but shortly thereafter we knew it was food poisoning. I think it was because of hard-boiled eggs that we made at home before a trip and we ate it on Sunday but I suspect also too much water from brooks.
For two days I couldn’t eat anything and I fully recovered after about a week. My boyfriend suffered it even more. It was tough trip…
Thank you :)
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