Slovakia & 🇵🇱 Poland – Gerlachovský štít (2,655 m) and Rysy (2,503 m)
🕒 Gerlachovský štít summit at 09:58 • Rysy summit at 15:30
📍 Coordinates: Gerlach 49.164028° N 20.134028° E • Rysy 49.179° N 20.088° E
🗺️ Route:
Tatranská Polianka – Velická Dolina – Gerlachovský štít – Batizovské Pleso – Popradské Pleso – Rysy – Morskie Oko – Palenica Białczańska
🚗 Transport to region: 1,019 km total
• 93 km drive Bălănești Hill → Chișinău
• 11 km drive Chișinău → Airport
• 760 km flight Chișinău → Kraków
• 155 km drive Kraków Airport → Tatranská Polianka
💤 Accommodation: Guesthouse in Poronin (night of 6/7 September)
🌤️ Conditions: Cloudy start with low mist on Gerlach → clear sun and perfect visibility on Rysy.
🌄 From Moldova’s hills to the High Tatras
The morning after leaving Moldova felt like crossing worlds. Within 24 hours, I went from the quiet farmland of Bălănești Hill to the granite heart of Europe’s most dramatic range, the Tatras. After a short flight to Kraków, I drove south into the mountains, arriving in Poronin as a cold front was breaking. The weather was unstable, but there was a small window coming.
Kuba, a friend from Zakopane, joined me for the approach at dawn. We parked at Tatranská Polianka and started the ascent by headlamp, the sky just beginning to glow over Slovakia. The goal was ambitious: Gerlachovský štít and Rysy in one day.
🧗 Gerlachovský štít – The mighty ridge
The trail through Velická Dolina was steep and wild from the very beginning, a maze of wet rocks, loose scree, and hidden ice patches in shadowed gullies. I moved fast and focused, alone most of the way. The cloud base hovered around 2,300 m, and occasionally the sun broke through, lighting the valley below like a painting.
By 09:58, I stepped onto the highest point of Slovakia, Gerlachovský štít, the crown of the Tatras. The world around me was silent except for the wind and the occasional raven circling above. Cloud ribbons moved through the valleys like ghosts. I stayed only a few minutes, long enough to breathe in the moment and feel that solitary power of standing on Slovakia’s roof.
🚶 Traverse to Rysy – The second summit
Most people would call it a day after Gerlach, but I was still full of energy, and the sky was clearing. After descending to Batizovské Pleso, I followed the trail toward Popradské Pleso, reaching it around 13:30. The reflections of the peaks in the lake were so perfect it felt almost unreal.
I decided to push on and attempt Rysy, the highest point of Poland. It was a long and steep climb on tired legs, but the conditions were ideal: crystal visibility, no wind, and not a cloud left in the sky. At 15:30, I stood on the summit, one foot in Slovakia, the other in Poland — looking down at Morskie Oko shimmering far below. The entire Tatra range unfolded around me in 360 degrees of light and stone.
🏞️ The descent and the reward
From the top, I descended the Polish side, past Czarny Staw, then the crowded trail to Morskie Oko, that magical lake I had seen so many times in photos. By the time I reached Palenica Białczańska, I had covered over 36 kilometres and 2,800 metres of ascent in one massive day.
A local bus took me to Zakopane, where Kuba picked me up. We drove back to Poronin under a burning sunset, sharing that strange mix of exhaustion and pure contentment that only the Tatras can give.
💭 Reflection
That day was one of the most complete experiences of the entire Crown of Europe project, a fusion of technical climbing, endurance, timing, and luck. From the mist on Gerlach to the golden light on Rysy, it was a 12-hour journey through everything I love about mountains: uncertainty, solitude, and the quiet joy of arriving exactly where you were meant to be.
📅 Date: 7 September 2025
