16.06.2019
České Švýcarsko National Park – Jetřichovice, Czech Republic (19 of 30)
Rain is appreciable especially when it brings clouds and lower temperatures to craft a perfect day for hiking. I drove from Mittelndorf early in the morning back to the Czech Republic to find a town that was 10 miles from where I hiked previously. Jetřichovice was a simple North Bohemian town located on the outskirts of České Švýcarsko. Near an abandoned sanitarium I found a free parking area where a national park sign could be found in front of a trail. After talking to some hikers, I learned the seven-mile trail through the mountains made a loop back to the starting point and I decided to start the trek.
Finding a trail less congested with other people made for a marvelous experience. It differed from the other in the way that it had marked paths along the loop that led to viewpoints high on top of the surrounding mountains. Stairs, ladders, and even a bit of scrambling was used to reach these areas that I found to be the highlights of the hike. The second viewpoint was the one that established a picture in my head of what makes České Švýcarsko so special. Endless hills, tall trees, and magnificent mountains could be seen with a small village visible in the distance. The epic church bells rang for an extended period and I saw a family taking in the scenery around them. They looked at the points of interest scattered through the region, some which I later found could be accessed on the trail. Sights like these could have never been obtained near Prague and the vast difference the countryside provides is a reason many Czechs have summer cottages. The land offers serenity and a source for the mind to take a step back and enjoy the natural world.
Life is in motion 