Koruna Turca – summary
9 days, over 230 km and 12 500 meters of elevation
Malá Fatra, Veľká Fatra Kremnické Vrchy a Žiar
3 nights in a tent, 4 nights in a shelter, 1 night in a hut
Well, this hike really went well for us! We started off unsure whether we’d even finish it, but the further we went, the better it got. It runs through my favorite mountain ranges in Slovakia, and yet it still manages to show new, unfamiliar stretches.
We got beautiful Indian-summer weather and only had thick fog on the hills for one day. The timing was perfect, since the clocks changed on the day we got back. I loved these autumn days, in the morning I only needed to get up at 6:30am to catch sunrise, and in the evening I didn’t have to wait long for the stars to come out for photos. On top of that I got a good night’s sleep every night and recovered well. On the other hand, these shorter days meant we had to fit our daily kilometers into a set time window, with fewer breaks and sometimes even running downhill. It was tougher than I’d expected, especially the second half of Veľká Fatra, which isn’t as popular and had a lot of fallen trees.
This isn’t a hike I’d recommend to a beginner. But if you’ve already got some experience and want to try something harder, or train for an alpine crossing, it’s the right choice. At a normal pace you can manage it in 10 days, faster in a week, slower in two weeks.
There are plenty of shelters and places to restock along the way. Whenever we passed through a village or a hut, we’d eat there, and cooked the rest ourselves on the gas stove. We used up one 230g canister and a bit of another, and that’s with fairly cold conditions where we made a lot of tea and coffee too. For our next autumn crossing we’ll probably bring an alcohol stove, so we don’t have to worry about low temperatures. Our down sleeping bags have a 4°C comfort rating and we managed fine even at -3°C, wearing an extra down layer and, of course, sleeping pads with high thermal resistance. As for clothing, we had the same gear as in summer, just layered as needed.
Costs
“Food” means ready meals bought at a hut or restaurant, and “groceries” were bought at a shop. “Drinks” includes beer, coffee, and soft drinks. Total: €377.30.
Closing thoughts
Thank you for being with us again, and I hope our hikes inspire you to get out into nature too. It’s amazing out there! And no, we really didn’t run into a bear.
I’d love it if you left a comment here or sent me a message, it would make my day. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. You can message me on Instagram or email info@stupky.com.
Take care, happy trails, and see you next time.
