MALÁ FATRA RIDGE TRAIL IN TWO DAYS

INTRODUCTION & LOCATION

Malá Fatra or Little Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in the north-west of Central Slovakia, consisting of two subdivisions separated by the Váh river near Strečno - Lúčanská Malá Fatra and Krivánska Malá Fatra. 

Me and my friends (group of four young man hungry for an adventrue) have chosen reportedly more interesting and higher Krivánska Malá Fatra, which some people consider as one of the most beautiful ridge trail in Slovakia. None of us have ever taken part in several days taking hike, however we were all looking forward to the great fun ahead.

THE TRAIL IN NUMBERS:

Ascent:   2 726 meters
Descent: 3 004 meters
Total lenght: 36.6 km
Duration: 16 hours

Trail Elevation Profile

DAY 1

Highlights:

Štefanová - Veľký Rozsutec - Stoh - Poľudňový Grúň - Chleb - Chata pod Chlebom

Taking the first bus possible, we managed to get to our starting point - settlement Štefanová (625 m.a.s.l.), in the neighborhood of Terchová, which, according to general belief, is one the most Slovak village in Slovakia. We started to climb at 09:00, weather was excellent and despite of August, not very hot. Our aim was to reach the chalet "Chata pod Chlebom" (1 424 m.a.s.l.). Our initial excitement and wide smile was replaced after first 5 minutes of walking by streams of sweat and the thought, how the hell we can manage to keep walking for the next 9 hours, without someone dying from exthaustion. 

Aproximately after one and half hour of continual climbing, we reached the frst stop  - Medziholie saddle (1 185 m.a.s.l.). The saddle offered the sneak peak of what to expect within next two days. The first highlight of the day was just 1 hour and 15 minutes ahead - Veľký Rozsutec (1 609 m.a.s.l.).

Veľký Rozsutec (1 609 m.a.s.l.)

  

View from the top of Veľký Rozsutec

However the views from Veľký Rozsutec were amazing, we needed to keep going. Until this point, we were not sure if we can reach our final destination, Strečno, in only two days. After meeting a young couple telling us about their intention to finish in two days, all was clear. Are we worse than them? :)

Our next stop was Stoh (1 607 m.a.s.l.) - the first hill on the rigde. Somehow we managed to miss the mark leading straight to the top and instead of that, we took the route, which took us behind the hill. Despite of it, we decided to reach the top of the Stoh, even if we should finish a little bit later in the evening.

Climbing to Stoh (1 607 m.a.s.l)

The views were again spectacular, but we needed to catch up with our plan. Next stop was Poludňový Grúň (1 460 m.a.s.l.), which we reached about an hour later. From this place on, the ridge trail turned into a real ridge trail - going through the sharp edges of the hills - only few meters wide with deep valleys on both sides.

On the ridge of  Malá Fatra

The last hill of the Day 1 was Chleb (1 645 m.a.s.l). Even though we expected to be on the top little bit earlier (according to the markings and the fact we were always faster than predicted), we came to the chalet in really good mood, pleasantly exhausted. The irresistable smell of cabbage soup was noticeable from long distance - combined with draft beer became a absolute highlight of the day.

Our intention was to bivouac - for a symbolic fee (1€), we could unfold our sleeping pads next to the chalet, providing us an imaginary protection against possible confrontation with bear. There are only four spots in Mala Fatra which are officially allowed to bivouac, because of the highest protection measures in the national park. This was one of them and the experience was stunning - a million star hotel! :)

DAY 2

Highlights:

Veľký Kriváň - Malý Kriváň - Suchý - Chata pod Suchým - Strečno

Woke up at 07:00, we packed our equipement, ate the breakfast, and continued to climb.  Inicially planned sunrise observation was canceled, as our legs needed more rest to be able to get to our goal.  

Bivouacking under Chleb

Chata po Chlebom (1 424 m.a.s.l.)

Approximately after an hour climb, we reached our first peak - Veľký Kriváň (1 709 m.a.s.l.) - the highest peak of the Malá Fatra. Beautiful view from the top revealed the huge portion of the trail.

View from Veľký Kriváň

Proceeding with hike, beautiful panoramas did not stop to amaze us. Behind every peak we explored the whole new view - even more unique than the previous one.

Only a little bit lower - the second highest peak of the mountain - was Malý Kriváň (1 671 m.a.s.l.), which many consider to be nicer than his higher neighbour. Hard to say. For us, it was the ideal spot to have the lunch. Canned meat, however, was far from ideal and we fought really hard to finish it :).

Malý Kriváň (1 671 m.a.s.l.)

The last stop on the ridge trail was the Suchý (1 468 m.a.s.l.) peak. After 6 hours of walking it was a pleasant meeting. Second chalet on our way was "Chata pod Suchým" (Chalet under Suchý). Hour later we got to the chalet. None of us really knew why this name, since the chalet was way too far from Suchý :). Nevertheless, reward for our effort was totally worth it!

Glass of  solid chilled on Chata pod Suchým 1 075 (m.a.s.l.)

Touristic tables showed us two hours to our final destination - Strečno (360 m.a.s.l.), time schedule of the buses tells we have two hours to reach the last bus. Chllenge has been accepted and we started with brisk pace. After a while we hit the biggest descending part of our journey. Long and steep descending reflected to the fact that we almost stopped feeling our feet and until the end, we were not sure if we can make it in time. 

Two hours (of almost running) later, we finally reached the bus stop - only 5 minutes before the bus came. Barely standing on our feet, we felt this great adventure was only the beginning of something bigger. This particular trip started out our own exploration of our beautiful country - Slovakia.