Certainly the most famous route up Rysy, the icon and highest mountain of Polish Tatras is challenging and does require a certain degree of fitness. Going up in a day from the valley requires good preparation if you are depended on public transport and don't have the luxury of using the entire day light.
From Zakopane, we caught the first minibus to Palenica Białczańska. There isn't a fix schedule, but around 5 am, the driver circles around the small town until full. If you can afford it, taxis are always an option.
Arrived just outside the park after an hour, we pay the entrance fee and start our journey. There is a very long and not so nice hike to Morskie Oko Hut and the famous lake with the same name. To be more accurate, about 8km of road. The only cars allowed we assumed to be of local workers. Later in the day you can pay a carriage if wished. Even at that hour there're a lot of hikers and we pick up the pace, but still takes us 90 minutes to get there.
The route to Rysy starts just below the hut, near the lake, on a flat man made stony path, but no long after ascends on a series of rock steps. At a col, we go around another big lake, Czarny Staw pod Rysami, to the left and gradually make our way up to the rock face. It is only now that the real climb starts. Steep and loose, it's hard going and not easy to overtake other hikers which by now have formed a queue. Staying at the hut gives you the advantage of leaving with the first light, but only if you manage to book it with more than 1 year in advance.
Do take time to look back and admire the view. Higher up, at a small plateau the edge of a cliff offers an amazing birds eye view over the two lakes and valley floor. Best spot for an Instagram photo. From here up, the hike becomes a scramble on good rock, aided by metal chains. But the route is so crowded that often bottlenecks occur and having to wait tests our patience. We manage to get up fairly quickly, taking over groups of tourists But at the top, another bottleneck just before a one way exposed crossing to the final steps of the summit. Finally on the top! It's extremely crowded but we manage to squeeze through for an amazing view over Poland and Slovenia Tatra Mountains.
The way down is much quicker if you make use of the chains and quickly abseil on them. But no trip should end without a funny story. Cosmin hits the jackpot when his pants seams decide to split leaving him exposed half way up the mountain. After a good laugh we make our way down to the hut and enjoy a well deserved cold Polish beer. The way back to the bus seems to never end and we wished we've taken the carriage, but it feels like cheating so we continue on foot. The mini bus is already there and once full, departs for the journey back to Zakopane.
24km in just under 8 hours of actual hiking/climbing time and the highest point in Poland ticked of the list. At last, a day with no clouds and rain!
#hikingRysy #PolishTatra #Besthikes
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