We get up at 4:30 in the morning, and after our morning routine and a cup of coffee, we hop in the car and head toward Trenčín. We have breakfast on the way, and just before reaching Trenčín, we watch the sunrise. It’s cold—I panic a little when the car thermometer shows -2 degrees Celsius; I’m definitely not dressed for this! We pull up at the same Lidl where we finished the last stage, and I’m freezing. Luckily, it looks like the sun will come out soon (well, in an hour or so :D), and it’ll finally get warmer. I hate the cold…
We set off through the streets of Trenčín, leaving the city behind after about five kilometers. Passing through small patches of forest and meadows, we reach Drietoma; we run past the first spring, but ignore it—I haven’t even taken a sip from my bottles yet, as I tend to drink significantly less in the cold. Beyond Drietoma, a rather steep ascent awaits us; what starts as an innocent little rise turns into a proper hill. There are no sweeping views at the top, though—just a small meadow and a steep descent on the other side 🙂 We arrive at the saddle below Sokolí Kameň, where we find a beautifully restored spring that, despite the prolonged dry season, is still flowing abundantly.
Next comes Sokolí kameň itself—a large rock formation serving as a viewpoint—which will offer us the first spectacular views of the day.
Next comes Machnáč, followed by the border with the Czech Republic; here, the SNP Heroes’ Trail joins the well-known long-distance route, Stezka Českem (Trail Through Czechia). We run alongside the border markers for a while before finally crossing over into the Czech Republic. At a refreshment stand on Mikulčin vrch, we meet Jožko, who had dropped off a car at the finish line and run out to meet us. We stop for coffee and our first sandwich—we’re at the halfway point, having covered 22 kilometers. It’s going quite quickly.
The route continues along asphalt, meadows, and forest paths; since most of the elevation gain is already behind us, we are able to run almost the entire way. We pass a stone hut, where a sign indicates that Veľká Javorina is just 3 kilometers away. However, these final 3 kilometers still include one last, rather steep ascent.
We arrive at our destination at two in the afternoon—a really great time. Had we known that things would go so well, perhaps we wouldn’t have booked accommodation at the Holuby Hut. Then again, maybe we would have; we were actually quite curious about it.
The mountain hut has a full terrace and a restaurant packed with guests; the food is delicious, and the beer is excellent. We spend the afternoon going for a walk, eating, relaxing, and then eating again 😀 Breakfast needs to be ordered a day in advance—we choose ham and eggs and sausages. The restaurant is nice and renovated, though the same cannot be said for the rooms and showers (which are shared and located in the hallway). Honestly, the only place we’ve stayed that had a worse room was in Štós, but since the price isn’t too high and the food is truly great, we don’t mind it all that much.
In the morning, we’ll pack up, have breakfast and coffee, and at 8:00 we’ll set off for a very short jog to Myjava.
Our route runs along the border for a long stretch and follows a beautiful tree-lined path—a truly lovely section. After five kilometers, the terrain begins to slope downward, and for the next five, we get to enjoy gentle descents along forest trails.
Then, near Stará Myjava, we join an asphalt road, which leads us all the way to the destination in Myjava.
