Králický Sněžník to Králický: Day 153

A long descent today to the town of Králický.

I slept poorly, and worried every time I moved for fear I would disturb the others. So I was pleased when at 6:30 am my room mates began to stir. Breakfast was not until 8 am although the others had left by then.

Fortified by scrambled eggs with sausage and a mug of coffee I reclimbed the mountain under grey skies to the observation tower on the summit of Králický Sněžník. From the top of the tower I could see down on clouds pooling in the valleys below, but not for long. Clouds, vague, wispy and ethereal at first, blew over the mountain obscuring the landscape in a white, wet blanket.

I progressed south on the top of the ridge or on its east (Czech) side, sometimes on paths, strewn with awkward shaped rocks, other times on forest tracks (one of which was having a big hole dug in it), always among conifers and often on the Czech-Polish border following the boundary stones. I met others but was not sure whether to say "Dobrý den" (Czech) or "Dzień dobry" (Polish), until the other people spoke.

I met two men who had backpacks with obvious camping equipment. I had said Dzień dobry to them, so they thought me Polish, and they were Czech. Once it was sorted that I was English I asked them if they were camping in the woods (they were) and whether it was a problem. They said no, provided you avoided the tourist areas and those specially protected.

I met them at a second wooden observation tower, constructed of logs with, what looked to me, some "make shift" supports added as an after thought. From the top I could see more clouds in the valley, fluffing at the edges. As it had been lightly raining most of the morning, and would continue for the remainder of the day, visibility was not great.

Eventually the conifers were replaced by large meadows and periodic patches of mixed woodlands. I was coming down to the town of Králický. A little before it I was surprised to see a concrete bunker from the Second World War. It was attached to a small museum about the fortifications and another of tanks, armoured vehicles and other armaments of war. The actual bunker or minor military fortress was part of the border defences built by Czechoslovakia in the 1930s to defend against a possible German invasion. They were never used. A shameful event in British history when Britain, with France, handed over the Sudetenland at the Munich conference. Without any allies and Poland and Hungary also wishing to take territory from Czechoslovakia, the country was isolated. President Beneš did not believe he had a option. It was either agree to Hitler's demands or fight a war they could not win. By allowing the aggressor to take territory, in the hope that they will not want more, was a mistake one hopes America will not make with Ukraine. Today the border the Czech Republic faces at Králický is not with Germany but with Poland.

Reaching the town of Králický I stopped at a coffee shop for a latte and cake. Walking around the attractive, cobbled square afterwards I found there were other interesting museums. Unfortunately there was no time left to visit any of them.

I had a room booked above a restaurant just over the Polish border a few miles from Králický and a couple of hours later I was having a quick shower there before dinner.

Paprsek to Králický Sněžník: Day 152

Up and down on tracks through the forest today,  before a final climb to the summit of Králický Sněžník.

Heavy rain last night left large puddles of water on the track this morning which I carefully avoided to keep my trousers clean. The sky was overcast and grey. Apart from Králický summit at the end of day, my hike was all through spruce forest, climbing and falling as the route manoeuvred around the mountains.

Buzzing of chainsaws signalled that there was forestry work in progress nearby, invisible in the trees. Huge vehicles which grip, cut and move trees were parked at the trackside. They had muddied the trail with their fat wheels. Kilometres later I marvelled at how quiet it was. Aside from a little cawing of crows all I could hear was my tinnitus.

A warning sign made me wonder what the hazard was, on translating I discovered it said "ATTENTION! STATE BORDERS". I skirted the Czech-Polish border a few times today, marked by white boundary stones with red tops. On looking at one of them I noticed the "CS" carved on the stone had been painted over and replaced by a black "C". A reflection that what is now Czechia (a.k.a. the Czech Republic) was once Czechoslovakia.

I passed a white painted shrine with pictures of the Virgin Mary inside. Nearby was a cross mounted on a concrete slab on which was inscribed "Erected in 1940 by charitable donors. To the Church of God". It was written in German, an indication that German speakers once inhabited the area.

Initially I was alone in the forest, in the morning I only saw one couple picking fungi (they looked to big to be mushrooms). Later, as I approached the mountain top of Králický Sněžník, the numbers of people out walking greatly increased. The summit, reached after a long climb, was the main interest in the area, with crowds of excited youngsters. At the top was an observation tower. As the mountain was in the clouds, there seemed little point in climbing the stairs for a view of whiteness, but many people were doing so. After becoming warm with the exertions of my climb, on stopping on the summit my temperature rapidly dropped in the brisk cold wind that swept over the ridge. After adding two layers I began my descent to a nearby mountain hut just across the border in Poland, where I had arranged accommodation for the night by text.

The mountain hut was not the most modern but a bunk is a bunk. Despite language issues I was shown a bed and managed to acquire a meal. Hearing English being spoken behind me as I finished my food, I asked the couple speaking what brought them to the area. The answer was bryology, the study of mosses. They had joined a Polish group to help with a survey.

The dining room was closed at 6 pm so I retired to my four bed dormitory. Including me there are three of us, a shepherd, a lady hiker and myself. The Polish lady spoke English and gave me a cup of tea. She helped me by suggesting books by Polish authors that I might like to read. By reading books by people who live in a country I hope to gain a little more insight. However the Czech book I am currently reading by an acclaimed authour is not too engrossing.

Ovčárna to Paprsek: Day 151

A day in the spruce coated mountains passing small Ski resorts.

My route today visited four ski resorts, starting with Ovčárna, then Červenohorské Sedlo, Ramozá and finally Paprsek where I am staying the night. None of them were large, not disgracing themselves with two many runs destroying the forest. At this time of year they attracted hikers like myself. On the trail were lots of people, most with daypacks but a few with multiday camping-sized backpacks. A few dogs joined their owners, straining on their leads and looking inquisitive at the new sights. I exchanged  Dobrý Dens and Ahoys with those whose eye I caught. In the afternoon, on a good section of track, there were two large parties of cyclists. In winter I might have seen cross country skiiers as the signs indicated I was also on a skiing route. Although I was told the amount of snow had been disappointing in recent years.

Tracks varied from tarmac to gravel to scattered lumps of rock that tried to trip me up. I played a game of trying not to displace any fragment of loose rock by carefully placing my feet. One downhill section was heavily eroded, slowing me down as I picked my way over protruding lumps of schist. At the other extreme there were lengths of boardwalk. By walking on the planks of wood, one avoided damaging the fragile peat bog, formed in poorly drained land between the trees (a sign informed me). Unfortunately nature was decaying the planks of wood so one had to be careful of tripping where rotten pieces had collapsed. 

There was a long stretch marked with boundary stones, numbered and many marked "BB". A helpful sign with a paragraph in English told me that these marked the borders between three ancient estates dating from the 14th Century, estates owned by the Liechtensteins, the Žerotins and the Bishop of Wroclaw.

I passed two small buildings looking like shrines. In the first there were plaques on the wall with the names of people and for some, the years they lived between. A place commemorating those who died in the mountains maybe. The second structure was above a spring with pictures of the Madonna and Child and a rope ladder leading to a loft where I suppose you could sleep in an emergency. The spring was emitting only slow drips. An elderly lady sitting nearby pressed a bottle of water into my hand and spoke at length in Czech. It seemed rude not to accept the bottle although I had plenty of water, but then maybe it was Holy Water from the spring the lady had patiently collected, blessed by the Madonna. 

A curious wayside monument expressed gratitude to the 2,500 Czechoslovak airmen who served in the RAF in World War 2. Google Translate struggled with the last sentence, it probably refered to how they subsequently suffered at the hands of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, who viewed them with suspicion. Periodically there was a view of trees spilling down the sides of valleys and in the hazy distance, fields and towns.

I am now at the Hotel Paprsek. Yesterday I gave much thought as to where I should stay. This hotel was a bit far to walk at 32 kilometres with a thousand metre total ascent (i.e. a lot of hills to climb), but the nearer alternatives were booked, or in one case required me to walk an extra 2.5 kilometres for the key. Wild camping was an option but the various signs telling people not to leave the trail would by implication discourage camping. Despite this I passed a number of people with camping gear. I rationalised that staying in a hotel helped the local economy, and anyway, rain was forecast for this evening, rain which is now falling fast outside my bedroom window. I managed the 32 kilometres pretty well, having left before breakfast. The breakfast box the hotel gave me had plenty for both breakfast and lunch. I walked about 10 kilometres before I ate my breakfast so as to break up the length of the day. The final climb, a kilometre or so before the hotel, was the most difficult, it was steep, the became steeper and I was tired, however I was pleased I managed it.

I am now feeling rather full. For dessert this evening I had Blueberry Dumplings. The menu offered options of one, two or three dumplings. Thinking this must mean they were quite small, I ordered two. A mistake, they were huge. I did eat them but it was really too much of a good thing.

Ovčárna rest day: Day 150

I decided on a rest day to give my calf a chance to recover from wearing my knee brace and the redness has declined. There were also some long days coming up. I selected Ovčárna as a place to stay as it was a short walk from my hotel to the top of Mount Praděd, the highest peak in Moravia (the part of Czechia I was in).

On the summit of there is a TV transmission tower, built above a hotel and with a high observation deck. Completed in 1983 it had an air of being a grand Soviet style statement piece. I was looking forward to the view from the tower but was disappointed. The observation level was closed, they appeared to be renovating it. Flakes of paint descended on me when I was on the ground and a white cloud was drifting out from the side of the tower before dissolving into nothingness in the light winds. I assume they were using a jet of water to blast away the old paint ready for repainting. I was even prevented from walking around the wide base of the tower by temporary metal barriers. Beyond them were "No Entry" signs similar to those I had seen yesterday, intended to protect the grass and blueberry bushes. There was a busy restaurant however I settled for a large, two tone, ice cream (i.e. a cone of soft ice cream delivered from a machine such that half was pink (strawberry?) and half was white). Many people had walked up the road to the tower and I suspect a few of them were likewise disappointed.

Back at the hotel I did various jobs such as planning my next few nights and washing my socks. That latter job was urgent as the smell was obnoxious.

Rýmařov to Ovčárna: Day 149

Today a change of landscape as I ascended into the mountains.

For the last seven days of walking I have been crossing lower hills between the Carpathian Mountains and the Sudeten (or Sudetes) Mountains. Today I climbed into the Sudetes. 

First there was a gentle walk mainly on roads among houses. Janovice "castle" was beside the route. On the outside this large mansion looked in need of renovation (brickwork at the side badly needed repointing and rerendering)  although reviews said the inside was impressive. As it was closed today I could not confirm this.

After a timber yard and sawmill smelling of fresh cut wood, I began climbing through a forest of spruce trees. I was glad of a change from the deciduous woodlands I had recently been hiking through (although the conifers were interspersed with occasional red berried rowan, beech and birch). Fortunately the gradient was not great and I gained height on the single track road without tiring. It ended at Alfrédova Chata, which serves drinks and snacks at certain times. Today it was marked Zavřeno (Closed). 

From there a steep uphill path ran beneath a rusting ski tow which will never work again as trees have grown under it! The path, stoney with numerous ants, continued upwards through the trees, finally breaking into open grassland and reddening blueberry bushes at Jelení Studánka, at 1300 metres. Studánka means a spring, one was flowing there at good rate and at the nearby small stone hut you could possibly bed down for the night.

From Jelení Studánka the path followed the ridge. Angular blocks of schist tried to trip me, forcing me to focus on the ground ahead of me despite the surrounding vistas. To my right, beyond tree covered slopes I could see farmland and patches of woodland with villages, indistinct in the haze. On my left there were more mountains, challenges for the days ahead. Compared with my trip so far there were many more people about, walking in groups, as couples and on their own; brightly coloured spots moving over the straw coloured slopes.

The path crawled over the gentle swellings in the ridge until eventually I could see the slender white tower on top of Mount Praděd. My hotel was in the forested pass below. Increasingly there were signs forbidding entry to the right and left of the path, enforced by fences in places, apparently to protect delicate plants. Steel pylons of ski tows did jar with this desire to preserve the natural environment. 

My path started to descend rapidly. I was meeting red faced people trying to work there way up, breathing heavily, men's bellies bulging. They came from a group of hotels beside the road, packed with cars and a touring coach.

My hotel was a little higher up so I stopped at a "bufet" for a soft drink and a piece of home made blueberry cake. After a final climb I am now at the hotel eating dinner, wondering what the procedure is for paying for my dinner buffet.

Ryžoviště to Rýmařov: Day 148

Another day of walking through trees and by fields of grass before reaching the historic town of Rýmařov.

Examining my left leg last night before bed I found the skin mottled red from the my use of the compression sleeve, mainly between its base and the top of my sock, a discolouration still there this morning. I also found a small blister where the lower end of the brace rubbed my leg. There was also a blister on my right heel but that often happens on these trips, I just live with them. However I was not sure how the skin damage associated with the brace would develop over the course of my walk. Consequently I decided on a rest day in two days time after the first big climb of my walk.

After breakfast I discovered I had locked myself out of my room for a second time! Using Google Translate I had to ask the lady to open it again before she left with her husband for church.

Today's walk, like previous days was through woodland and by large grass fields. In the woods there were areas of very tall thin beech trees. Branches of rowan trees beside the road were bending down under the weight of all their red berries. Yellow and white flowers dotted the roadside beside swathes of cut grass. On the smooth tarmac of a lengthy road section cyclists out for a Sunday ride sped by, as did two sports cars nose to tail.

I diverted off the track to visit Strálek Castle. Or at least I could have in the 13th and 14th century. All that remained were mounds and ditches in the forest, covered with trees. I also passed a sign pointing to a place for rescuing disabled animals, like owls with broken wings judging by the pictures. Periodically there were large scale maps posted on information boards which were helpful to quickly see how much ground I had covered and what was coming next.

Only having 18 kilometres to walk I arrived at Rýmařov around 2 pm. On the outskirts the apartment blocks had been tastefully painted in pastel colours. In the centre the town square was also attractive with well maintained buildings. Photographs in the town museum showed that little had changed in the square in the last hundred years except the cars and people. One picture from the Second World War period showed massed German troops in formation. Many Germans once lived in the area but were expelled after the War. A helpful member of staff showed me around the museum, explaining the exhibits in halting English (all the written descriptions were in Czech). There were the usual bits of pottery from archaeological digs, boundary stones, mineral specimens and religious vestments. There were once mines in the surrounding country and the town had a textile industry, which was responsible for the tall brick chimneys still standing. The museum had paintings by a local artist and photographs sensitively taken of people in nearby villages by a fellow called Jindřich Štreit. The lady showing me around also spoke about some of the local traditions. On Easter Monday one of these involved men going around with willow whips to symbolically strike ladies on the legs, in return the ladies give them painted Easter eggs or chocolates. It did not sound a politically correct or pleasant tradition, echos of a pagan custom. 

Leaving the museum behind I walked to the campsite 30 minutes away where the town stretched into the next ones. Unfortunately it was closed (contrary to reports on the internet), a couple with a pair of white, furry samoyeds were tidying up after a wedding. So I had to walk 30 minutes back into town to a hotel which fortunately had a room for me at a reasonable price and a restaurant open for food.

Budišov nad Budišovkou to Ryžoviště: Day 147

A day crossing large fields and woodland spread over hills, with a few villages on the way.

Leaving Budišov nad Budišovkou early, on a gravel road through fields, I met two dog walkers. The first dog looked at me suspiciously, the other came up for a sniff, his owner smiled and said something in Czech, so I smiled to. 

Yesterday and this morning I could see a large lookout tower. I was hoping my route would take me to it. The trail plunged into woodland close to it but my GPS indicated my route left the main track by a small crucifix and shelter, avoiding this structure. A sign indicated I should stay on the gravel track to reach the tower so I made a deviation off the E3 to visit the landmark. At the observation tower I found a young couple in a sheltered area beneath it, their sleeping bags wrapped around them and their bicycles nearby. Somewhat embarrassed by their obvious demonstration of affection for each other, after a quick "Dobry Den" I climbed the many stairs to the top. It was a tall one. I could see back to Budišov and across the surrounding hills. In the other direction, the high Sudeten Mountains rose in the distance, mountains I would be climbing soon. At the tower's base there were a series of information boards, unfortunately not in English, and as the affectionate couple were very much  focused on each other, blocking my access to some of the boards, I decided to make a swift departure.

The first village was Dvorce with some deary appartment blocks in need of brightening up, although intermittent showers and grey skies did not show them at their best. I found a mini-market where I picked up a late breakfast and stopped to eat it in the main square.

Easy walking on tarmaced and gravel roads followed as the skies gradually cleared. There was a long section beside a stream lined with mature trees of ash and maple, beyond which was a field to the left and a rising wooded slope to my right.

Later I walked beside large fields of grass and wheat. After the next two villages I followed tracks through woodland, beech and spruce, to the top of a hill where there was a red and white radio tower at the summit. From there it was downhill (steeply) to the village of Dětřichov nad Bystřici. 

The shop where I was hoping to pick up a snack for lunch closed early on Saturday so I went to the "Motorest". This was set up for meals with lines of tables so there was a bit of confusion when I just wanted a lemonade and soup.

Then it was 6 kilometres along a road that was in the process of being resurfaced. It was closed to vehicles altough a few came along anyway and as it was the weekend, no work was being done.

Ryžovišitě, the village where I am staying tonight has had a bit of care. The appartment blocks have been painted in attractive squares of pastel green and grey. 

My accommodation was in a village house, there was no sign outside but I confirmed from the picture on booking.com which one it was. The lady was very apologetic for no particular reason, and struggling to say a few things in English until she managed to master Google Translate. I offered her Google Translate on my phone but she persevered with hers.  

Dinner was roasted knee, as I ordered. Rather a lot of fat but the pork went well with the horseradish sauce, dill pickles and "garlic" bread which had herbs instead of garlic. Raw garlic and onions were provided but I decided against them. Dessert was bramborové šišky, I did a Google Search on it. A bit like gnocchi in shape it is made of potato, flour and egg mix, cooked, drizzled with melted butter and dusted with poppy seeds and icing sugar. Better than it sounds.

I ate my dinner at a table outside. Typical of many other village houses things were a little higgeldy-piggeldy. Old abandoned appliances were visible and the house extension was a bit makeshift. For this I liked it as I was sitting at a typical Czech village house eating local food, I travel to enjoy different things and hotels can be rather similar. A couple were making use of the sauna. They came out in their towels large, pink and shiny with a beer in their hands. Was this the beer sauna I wondered?