Today is our last day in Slovakia and its a semi day of rest. Yesterday was an achievement. After friday’s 20km walk to the waterfall and next town 7km away. We decided to take on the hike to Skalnate Pleso in the high Tatras yesterday. Each morning I look up and see the point where the cable car stops up by the lake. It’s a long way up and photos don’t really do it justice. We set off just after 9am and headed for the trail. Well trail might be an understatement, an assumed path is probably more accurate. Apart from trodden ground and the odd painted rock/ tree it’s not the best marked. We got off the road and started up the steep ascent below the cable cars, people watching us from above. We reached the first stop of the cable car about 45 minutes in. Quick stretch, fuel stop and the hard work began. Letting the dogs off as it was too hard to hold them. The way we went up was loose gravel and big boulders that had been washed down. There were several times we thought we had taken the wrong way up as it was so hard a climb. I must remind everyone this is a ski field in winter. Only a few people were going our way up and less were going down. It’s probably the hardest climb we have ever done and I think all the walking over the last 7 months has definitely helped. Several rest and photo stops later we reached Skalnate Pleso, the temperature at least 10 degrees cooler due to the altitude. The lake was crystal clear and the backdrop of the mountains stunning. The cable car to the summit of Lomnicky Stit at 2634m fading in and out of the clouds above. The other day Sherpas passed us on the way down from the waterfall. Some laden with kegs and assortments we think for the pubs up above. At first i thought they were pilgrims, until we saw the sherpa museum in the town below. The only thing that’s easy about the high Tatras is getting in the cable car. Id say all the trails are challenging in different ways. The beauty here is something to be seen. The towns beautiful with their ski/ summer seasons covered by eager tourists. The supermarket a buzz every morning as people pack their supplies for the day ahead. To eat around here is cheap and keeps everyone in business. It been the highlight of our time in Slovakia, there is something about fresh mountain air and a view that you could look at for ever…….