18th of January, 2022.
I don’t stand in the road for too long. A man in working clothes and a shining jacket stops his pick-up. Martin had passed a few times by me before, so I get a bit suspicious. He tells me that his colleagues are going to Proprad (here I go again to Proprad!), so they can drop me in the way to Tatranská Štrba, and from there I can go to Štrbské Pleso, and after, to my actual destination: Popradské Pleso.
When we drive to this factory, where the gate is still closed and everything around it seems like abandoned, I feel a bit suspicious, as I am in a movie. But at the same time, I don’t feel anything bad coming from him. Could my sixth sense be so wrong?
I meet his colleagues, Peter and Martin, and they are also workers at this factory. They are transporting some products to Proprad. They talk a lot about where they could drop me. They even call someone to ask about it. Hum… I feel like saying – Hey, guys! Why don’t you just take a look in the map and show it to me, so I can tell you where is the best place. But I don’t want to be rude. So after all, they decide to drive me to Tatranská Štrba. Yay!So my sixth sense it is still working after all…
Once in there, I have to find my way up to the next town: Štrbské Pleso. A lady tells me about taking the bus. It costs about 2 Euros but it will take sometime until it comes, so I start to hitchhike at the bus stop. Soon enough a car stops.
Driving the car is a very pleasant man and he is a cook in one of the hotels in Štrbské Pleso. He drops me in one of the Parking Lots. I ask in a coffee shop if I can leave my backpack there for a few hours. They say yes! Because I will hike up to Popradské Pleso, for about one hour up and another hour down, I decide to also leave my computer in there. But instead of just hiding in my backpack, I ask them to keep it behind the reception. They do!
Yay! I am so happy to be able to go hiking Tatra Mountains! And high Tatra! I was hoping to even get a lift up or down, just to save sometime, but for a difference of one minute or so, it does not happen. Either up or down. The trail is not so up hill or difficult, but the ice it makes a bit complicated. And yes, I am still a bit afraid of walking in the snow.
When I arrive at Popradské Lake, a surprise: because of the quantity of snow, it is not really possible to get a good view, better saying, to go to the place where you can take a great photograph of it. The reasons why I came up here instead of just staying at Štrbské Pleso are: is less touristic, so less people; there is only 2 restaurants up here and only one appears in the view; it is a smaller lake so I thought it would look cuter; and because it is higher and deeper inside Tatra Mountains.
I don’t know what it got on me. I saw a trail through the snow. Through the deep snow, about 30 cm, and I decide to follow it. I can see that it leads to a better view / place for a photograph. But how much that it worth it? I knew it would make me more tired and cold. Plus my boots would get more wet. But isn’t for that I came here after all?
Anyway, at half way I started to feel stupid and wanted to go back but that it would have been even more stupid, so I carry on. The photograph definitely does not worth the effort, not only of the trail but the whole hiking. Shame.
Going down is even more tricky than up. Icy. But I manage to do it without any fall. I have to admit that because of my accident in Scotland, I am much more careful and aware of the dangers of the ice. Maybe that is the reason why that happened.
Once back in Štrbské Pleso, I go also to see its lake. It is gorgeous! The view is better than up there, I have to admit. But now I don’t have enough time to sit here and admire for a long time. The sun is going down soon and I have to get out of here before it gets dark. Better saying, I have to get to a bigger town so I can ask for shelter in a church.
