Tatras. Part 2

On the second day, we had to reach the main highlight of the "Polish Tatras" - Morskie Oko lake, and we also planned to climb the highest mountain in Poland - Rysy...    

  Interactive map of the second day :

 

   We set out on the route early... Clouds covered the peaks and gradually wrapped the Valley of Five Lakes in a white veil...

   Climbing to the Szpiglasowy Pass... 

   Szpiglasowy Pass (2110 m)...

    The summit of Szpiglasowy Wierch (2172 m)...

   Mount Mnich...

  On the way to Morskie Oko lake...

  Morskie Oko lake is the largest and most famous in the Tatras... It is located at an altitude of 1395 meters above sea level, with a length of 862 meters, a width of 566 meters, and a maximum depth of 51 meters...

  The mountains rise more than a kilometer above the lake...

   From Morskie Oko, we continued our ascent to the next lake - Czarny Staw...

  From Czarny Staw lake, we continued the climb to Rysy mountain...

 As we climbed higher, panoramic views of the lakes opened up to us...

 The summit of Rysy mountain (2503 m) was completely shrouded in clouds, making it difficult for us to see anything...

 A sudden gust of wind that dispersed the clouds for a few seconds caused great excitement among the people at the summit...

  The summit of Rysy mountain from the side...

  Descending back to Morskie Oko lake, we saw how the clouds stubbornly clung to the peaks...

   But the lakes themselves were very clearly visible...

  While descending to our lodging place, Dianka started feeling unwell - the long hike and significant altitude gains took their toll... Upon reaching the main administrative building, I paid 40 zlotys for two beds in the tourist hut, and we went to settle in. We were lucky to find available places without a prior reservation... This fact spared us from sleeping on the dining room floor... We settled in the tourist hut, ate, took a shower, and went to bed, without making any specific plans for the next day's route...

   To be continued... Tatras. Part 3