I’m writing this in Word, as the internet has gone AWOL again, but being Wednesday, it is due, so I might as well be writing it now, and once the net returns, (if ever), I might be able to publish it.
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| Basalt columns under Somoskő Castle |
As my previous blog post was late last week, this will only contain 5 days’ worth of stuff. Obviously, the main, if not only story of last week is the hike I went on with Anna last Saturday. Early in the week I was getting quite worried, as I haven’t heard from her, but I shouldn’t have worried, as she was away for a week taking kids on a hiking camp holiday from her school. She did tell me about it some time ago, but I didn’t register the fact that it was due immediately before our hike.
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| Ancient oak tree |
According to her unfortunate habit, she was a full hour late again, so we didn’t get going until just after 11am. The hike wasn’t planned to be long, but the weather was quite hot and my physical state is getting more and more unpredictable. Also, this time round the terrain was a bit rough in places and that slowed us down too. It took us 7 hours to do 10 km, although there were a couple of stops for rest and/or food, plus photography, plus fuffing around with caches, so for a now full blown 74 year old with arthritis and heart problems, perhaps it wasn’t too bad a time.
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| Scree |
We left both cars at the castle car park in Somoskő, which is very convenient as well as free. The walk straight and steeply down to the stream was very rocky, but nice. We arrived quite quickly at the first cache to be checked by the Krúdy spring and it was totally OK. No maintenance, repair etc. was required. I noticed that the logbook was about 2/3rd used up, so I put in another one for the time when it will be full.
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| Exposed roots |
One of the steep climbs arrived soon after the spring, which slowed me right down, but I managed it eventually. It was really steep, but thankfully not too long. The next stop was at my cache above the Macacia quarry and I’m glad to say there was nothing wrong with that one either. I completely forgot that I put that one about 2.2 m high, but there is so much wind blow all the way round the tree, that there is no problem climbing up on those trunks and branches to reach it.
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| Anna at the edge of the quarry |
Anna was a bit tired herself, after a full week of hiking with kids, so she didn’t look too disappointed at having to wait for me while I dealt with my caches. When I found her again after my last cache, she was sitting at the very edge of the quarry, dangling her feet and taking photos. My heart missed a beat, but such is the recklessness of youth. Well, she is not in her twenties, or even in her thirties, but still a youth to me.
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| The abandoned quarry |
We walked a couple of hundred yards to the nearby lookout tower, where she climbed up to take photos of both castles in one picture, but I don’t think the light conditions were very good in that direction. I have taken some in the past, even before the tower was built, which came out fantastic, but for that you have to get there a lot earlier than we did this time.
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| Two castles in the distance |
The alternative password was supposed to be on the tower, but I couldn’t find it. As it happens, it is there, as I read it in a comment, but it doesn’t matter, it isn’t compulsory to put out an alternative, so I didn’t bother about it.
The real hard graft of the hike was the next leg, which was long and very rough in places. Looking at the map, I think I should have risked the unmarked paths on the other side of the border, crossing fields on the plateau, as they seemed shorter, not so rough and more straightforward. Still, who knows, they might have disappeared by now, as unmarked paths have a habit of doing so. As it happens, ever since we started, we were actually in Slovakia. Over half of this hike was planned to be on the other side of the border, with only the return route crossing back into Hungary.
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| The lookout tower |
The reason why we found rough ground was because not only there were no marked paths to our next destination, but there were no paths at all. I had the crazy idea that we should follow the border posts. Once, many moons ago, I joined some friends on a hike on the Medves Plateau, where we did that for a short while and I remembered that bit with fondness, the forest was so nice there.
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| Big columns of basalt at the back |
Well, it got a bit rougher since, and the roughest was on bits where I didn’t go last time. Having said that, we navigated it perfectly well. This cache was on the highest point above the plateau, and being somebody else’s, there was no maintenance to be done. For a number of years this cache seemed so out there on its own, after I found everything else in that area.
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| Rock transport |
As we came out of the forest, the panorama was breath taking. As I have never been there before, this was a new experience for me and I really missed my old camera, which would have taken panoramic photos. My phone doesn’t, but it still takes beautiful pictures and I like not having to lug the camera around.
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| Tree with tits |
On our return to the car we were both very tired and seriously considering giving up the last 2-parter multi cache, which is also mine and needed checking. Anna was a bit grumpy, so I offered her the opportunity to go straight for the car, while I proceed further to check that last one. The green trail, thankfully went straight past the first part of the multi and that was perfectly OK. When we arrived at the crossing where I suggested I’ll be OK for the rest, I think she felt a bit embarrassed and decided to stay with me.
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| Lonely tree on the plateau |
The second part was a bit weather beaten and inhabited by hundreds of black ants, but the contents were there and it was still sturdily fixed to the tree, so I didn’t do anything to it.
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| It wasn't just me who was tired |
We had another kilometre to get back to the car, but thankfully that was all downhill, so we got there quickly. We said our good byes and drove home. I felt extremely stiff for days after, but was very glad that I did it. This hike was the last one that was as strenuous as these parts can be.
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| Slovakia on the left, Hungary on the right |
I have only 6 more caches to check up on, one set of three will need a bit of hiking in West Nógrád, of the remaining three one is in BP, one is a drive in, but fairly long way away and the last one is in North Nógrád, with its first point being drive in and the second one a short hike. Hopefully, these can be done soon, preferably before September, so I can then concentrate on some in other parts of the country to go away to. With Roy only prepared to sleep one night away from home, we’ll have to be very efficient at getting as many as we can in just two days.
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| The plateau with mountains all around |
Staying with the topic of geocaching, something really good happened on Sunday evening. That was before the internet went and I was looking up something on the Geomap when I noticed that finally my friend Luki had put out a moving cache he has been sitting in for nearly two months. And it was situated somewhere reasonably clear. What was so special about this moving cache, that I have never found it before. Some cachers are mad moving cache chasers, I’m not one of those, except for the first time. Once I found it once, I only bother when I get near it anyway.
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| The rough road across the plateau |
This one was in the village of Alsótold en route to Hollókő, about 35 minutes’ drive from home. Roy and I jumped into the car, trying to get there before somebody grabbed it. And we were successful. I am glad this cache in now back in circulation, as sitting on it for two months, Luki was very lucky that nobody noticed, except me and I didn’t want to upset him by complaining. Normally, when somebody hangs on to one for 2 or 3 weeks, there is a scandal and lots of bitchy comments on the various forums.
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| A really weird, gnarled fallen tree |
And then the internet went. It is during these outages that we always realise that we are seriously badly dependent on it in this isolated, back of beyond little village. It is damn inconvenient, but there’s nothing that we can do about it. Unfortunately, our package is landline telephone, internet and TV all together, so we are without TV as well.
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| Waymark posts |
As for the cause of it, I realised that I shouldn’t be surprised, because they announced an IT switch-over weeks ago. It was supposed to cause no disruption to their basic services and should have finished 4 days ago. But if you believe any of that than you’re even more stupid than I am.
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| Finally on the top |
Roy, being deprived of his computer and television, embarked on yet another DIY project, which had been planned for months, even years. You may recall that a couple of years ago, he built a banister on the stairs for the dangerous side. He was very clever doing it, it still looks good and is serving its purpose perfectly.
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| Still some roses without burn marks |
Then he started moaning about not having anything to grab or hold on to on the wall side of the stairs. That would have to be fixed to the wall, which is always tricky, but finally, when we were in town some weeks ago, he found the exact bits of timber he wanted in OBI and now he is putting it together. He has slowed down considerably since he made the banister on the other side, so this will take him a while. Never mind, it occupies him while without the internet and TV, so I’m happy.
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| A deep red one |
Closing now as lunch is coming. I think we are having jacket potatoes, which I love, but currently probably not very wise to put the oven on in this heatwave. Still, we can’t always have the same things, and we definitely not had jacket potatoes for a long while.
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| Sundial by the moving cache |
PS: It's 8:30 in the evening and the internet is back. For how long I don't know, but I thought if it went again, in the meantime I'd better finish this post. We were without internet for 32 hours. As for our lunch, we did have jacket potatoes and they were delicious.
Next post next week, with any luck.
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