From Baťovka to Korcháň – day 3
30.3.2024 Saturday
Javorinka pass – Lookout tower above Hrabové
→ 44,96 km – total 104,02 km
The wind blows all night, so the rustling tent walls keep waking me, but I still manage decent sleep overall. We’re up before 6am. Jozef makes coffee, Asian instant noodles, and chia porridge for me. We pack up while the first runner of the day passes by us. We descend into Čičmany.
We check whether any shop’s open, but the place is deserted apart from one other hiker, apparently on the SNP trail, who looks Czech — very much the classic tramp look. We continue along the yellow trail on the main road. Then we turn off into a valley onto a forest road and climb gently up to Samostrel pass. From there we climb toward Hrubá Kečka, or Kačka — the name varies depending the type of map. Over 250 meters of gain in 1 km. Same like Hnilická Kýčera, where in places I’m knee-deep in leaves.
We ascent it in under half an hour — the signpost said 50 minutes, so I’m pretty pleased. The top is completely flat, the name fits perfectly. There are views up there too, though visibility’s a bit hazy from dust in the air. Yesterday we’d debated going via Kľak instead, but given the views aren’t up to much here either, I’m glad we chose this route. The descent off Hrubá Kečka is as steep as the climb was, but we try to jog a bit of it at least. We join a forest road, passing by the Priepasť medzi Kačkami sinkhole — a 40-meter-deep chasm leading into an underground cave system.
We continue through lovely forest to Čelková Lehota, from where we go off-trail across a hill on farm road into Domaniža. We need to buy groceries today, so we’re moving fast. I change into shorts. It’s pleasantly warm and beautiful here, meadows with pine forest.
We’re in Domaniža around 11:30am. The shop’s open until 2pm. First we go eat at Pizza Bar Batterista. It looks like you’re walking into someone’s house, but there’s a real restaurant in here. I have pizza, Jozef a burger, plus a beer each. The pizza’s really good — apparently it even got 3 stars on the show Áno, šéfe! (“Yes, Chef!”). Shopping goes better on a full stomach. It’s a typical small-village Jednota — half the things we want aren’t there, and Jozef gets stressed because the aisles are narrow and full of ladies with shopping baskets. We get out of there fast, even though I’d wanted to grab a few other things. Next time we really need to write a list so we’re not standing around thinking in the shop. I’d also wanted a coffee at the pub, but after standing there 5 minutes with the woman busy serving regulars, we decide to just push on instead — we’ve still got a lot of ground to cover. The trail follows the main road for 2 km, so we move quickly. I’m walking really well today. Jozef asks what demon’s possessed me, but honestly I’m just enjoying the walk. We pass through Vráta, a rock formation between Domaniža and Bodina. I love that we chose this particular route — there’s not a soul around, and we probably never would have come this way if it weren’t for this crossing. It’s genuinely beautiful here, and there’s a swing too!
We descend along the contour through beech forest. You can tell nobody’s walked through here in a while. Past Bodina we stop for a cookie break. The trail’s gentle, easy walking. In Vrchteplá we stop at a pub — Jozef has a non-alcoholic beer, I go for a Kofola and a coffee. I ask the woman there to fill our water too, and the local regulars suggest she pour me a vodka instead, that I’ll walk better with it. I firmly deny that claim. At the edge of the village there’s a spring, so I rinse out Jozef’s shirt there, since the merino’s been making his back itch. We head toward Súľov-Hradná on the green trail. We’re back among lovely meadows again — my absolute favorite scenery.
An hour later we’re in Súľov. It’s getting fairly late and there’s still 6 km ahead, but I manage to talk Jozef into ice cream. We don’t take any more water — the lighter we are, the faster we’ll move, and the sooner we’ll reach the next spring. We climb briskly through the Súľov rocks.
We’ve both been here before, so we just take the fastest way through. Jozef warns me a runner’s coming toward us, to move aside, and a kid of about 4 years comes darting out from behind a hill — with excellent running form. From Sedlo pod Bradou we turn off onto the blue trail heading toward Bytča. It’s an easy path, we jog bits of it, though I’m not entirely sure the spring marked on the map actually exists — sometimes it shows up, sometimes it doesn’t. The sun’s already set by the time we reach an absolutely pristine little spring, complete with its own small pool — so tonight, we shower.
We are looking for a spot to pitch the tent but can’t find anywhere flat. So we wash up first, change into cleaner clothes, and keep going. We walk in the dusk toward a lookout tower above Hrabové. It’s a fairly kitschy and pretty pointless tower — maybe three meters tall, and you’d get the same view just standing in the meadow. At least the ground next to it is nice and flat, so we pitch the tent there, sheltered from the wind. It’s actually pleasantly tonight, even in the evening. Jozef cooks and I inflate the sleeping pads. We’ve got a view over Bytča and the highway. We really pushed ourselves today, so we’ll see how we’re feeling tomorrow. Time’s moving on by an hour during night, and tomorrow’s the fourth day — the critical one.
