Suprisingly, my left knee did not have much fluid on it this morning. Maybe the effect of an early finish yesterday followed by use of my compression sleeve? First job this morning was to buy some food at the Coop for breakfast and wild camping tonight. After doing that I managed to buy an Expresso Lungo at the bar next door from the lady cleaning the tables.
Today was a walk along a ridge over numerous summits. I decided to divert around three of these summits. The first hill was a diversion off the road, which made little sense to me, I just followed the road. In doing so I passed three cabins selling local produce such as cheese and also coffee and tea as a sideline. None of them was doing any business on a rainy Monday morning. Feeling sorry for them I stopped for another coffee at a stall with chairs, sheltered from the rain by umbrellas, just before I left the main road.
Continuing up a side road and then a good track, I was pleased to gain some height on a good surface although sweating with the effort in my waterproofs.
Reaching a point where the E3 (waymarked with red) climbed over two summits I decided to follow a yellow route around them. I did not feel too guilty about this departure from the E3 as the visibility in the mountains could be measured in metres, there would be no views from them today. In addition the path over one of the summits was closed according to the "Mapy" app. It was a route involving ladders. Even if the path was open, climbing up and down ladders plus the associated rocks in the rain did not seem prudent.
I had feared that my yellow route might be blocked by fallen trees but it proved a pleasant and easy path to follow. Although there were some significant uphill sectioms much of it contoured the mountainside which I particularly appreciated.
After rejoining the E3 I took another opportunity to divert around a summit on a yellow trail. This one was not so successful. There was much climbing over the gnarly roots of trees on the side of the steep slope, and outcrops of rock requiring hands as well as feet. The continuing rain made everything slick and to avoid an accident I was forced to move at a crawl (sometimes literally), carefully picking where to place my feet.
Rejoining the E3 there was then a steep downhill. Water was running down the path turning the earth into a surface impossible to avoid slipping in. I diverted onto the surrounding vegetation among the trees and made full use of my trekking poles, placing them ahead of me for support as my muddy boots were not gripping.
Fortunately the path flattened out and I then made good progress along the ridge. There were numerous summits with rocks poking through, and the stones made for better grip. Each side of me the ridge dropped away steeply, disappearing into white mist. The ridge was free of trees and being so high up, on a clear day the views must be magnificent. I will be continuing along the ridge tomorrow and hopefully visibility will be better then.
Now I was on higher ground there were flowers I had not seen before, such as delicate blue Alpine Snowbells, white and yellow Mountain Avens and blue Alpen-Kreuzeblume.
The highest peak I reached was Chleb at 1646 metres. After the peak there was a saddle, Snilovské Sedlo. Unlike previous days I encountered no shelters or covered areas where I could have lunch out of the rain. As Snilovské Sedlo was at the top of a couple of ski lifts I was hoping for something there, but the two cabins were both padlocked. I was forced to content myself with a "Snickers" eaten quickly before I became too cold.
Having crossed Pekelnik summit, the point I planned to reach today I started looking for a place to camp. Finding a flat area, sheltered somewhat from the wind coming over the ridge, I decided to pitch there. It was only 4 pm but the rain had now penetrated my waterproofs and I was beginning to feel cold, nor was I sure that any flat spots would be available later, much of the ridge is quite sharp. In addition tomorrow's forecast was better, so maybe I will be able to see the surrounding countryside.
Despite seeing no-one other than a shepherd with his dog and flock of sheep shortly after leaving the road, a few minutes after getting settled in my tent someone walked by talking to his phone or a companion. He did not stop. I was a little concerned as I had seen signs including the no camping symbol, but having not seen anyone I had not tried to hide my tent from the path.
Everything is pretty damp.
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