The original plan for this day was Malá Fatra, but when we arrived at the place it was raining heavily. We checked the forecasts (I use the Ventusky application, where I can see the weather development by the hour) and the decision was made to finally move to Veľka Fatra, where it was not supposed to rain all day, but only for about two hours. A quick replanning of the route and off we go.
We stop in the village of Podhradie, from where we climb almost 1000 vertical meters to Kľak. After about the first kilometer it starts to rain, so we put on waterproof jackets, but our feet are completely wet. The rain accompanies us all the way to the last meadow just below Kľak.
But for me, it has its own charm, the water evaporating and creating a rolling fog is mystical, and we hardly meet anyone on the hiking trails.
I’ve been to Kľak once before, but now the surroundings, shrouded in mist, look completely different. At the top, I’m pleased with the stone with the inscription: A crown that not everyone can bear -> the goal. However, for us, Kľak is not the goal, but only part of the journey:)
We are considering whether to just go along Jarabiná and back from there, or turn off at Malý Lysec. It is not raining, although our feet are constantly wet, because the narrow path leads through dense blueberry bushes, on which a lot of water still remains. However, at Jarabiná we continue along the ridge, the running is good and we do not want to end prematurely.
After the small Lysec we turn to Lysec, the sun is breaking through the fog and it is hot, but at its peak the fog completely covers our views. It doesn’t matter, the path leads through a beautifully flowered mountain meadow and makes up for it. From Lysec we go down to the valley, the path is muddy and slippery, I don’t know how we managed to stay on our feet the whole time and not bathe in the mud:D
We continue to Sklabinsky podzámok, where the signposts promise craft beer, I’m starting to get excited. However, there’s a sign in front of the restaurant door that says they’re only opening at 4 today due to the rain. I like beer, but I’m definitely not going to wait two hours for it 🙂
We climb the Katova skala (Executioner’s Rock), a viewpoint from which we return to Podhradie. The Executioner’s Rock owes its name to the executioner from Sklabin Castle, for whom it served as a place of execution. The rock is also associated with a tragic legend. According to it, a young girl is cursed in the rock, who was locked in it by a tyrant to force her to become his wife.
