Hiking in High Tatras: Popradske Pleso And Koprovsky — Trip & Trail

Every year, the missus and I try to tick off at least one summit from our bucket list. Last time, since we love the High Tatras, we decided to go for Gerlakovsky-Slovakia’s highest peak. But life is what happens to us while making other plans, and as we were organizing the whole thing a pregnancy test came up positive, forcing us to adapt accordingly. Koprovsky (2363m), our next pick, would be as adventurous and challenging as Gerlach, but more accessible, with less scrambling, and no need for a mountain guide. It would be a ravishing two-day adventure.

Koprovsky is well deep in the Tatras, near the border with Poland. Instead of doing it the “easy” way and climb in a single day from the famous resort of Strbske pleso, we opted for a longer route. A two-day hike that would start from Hrebienok, a small funicular station above Stary Smolovec — the oldest and most quaint resort town in High Tatras. It was going to be our little expedition and we couldn’t wait. Our small band would be consisted of my wife Veronika, her father Marian — a seasoned climber like most Slovaks, and my self.

You can’t help but love the alpine character of Tatras. It’s a relatively compact granite massif whose numerous jugged peaks are divided by deep valleys adorned with dozens of crystal tarns. To make the experience even more noteworthy, a big part of High Tatras national park is out of bounds for most of the year, making each visit unique. When the gates close in November, some trails remain…