We cheated.

And we're not proud of it.

We did a hike yesterday to the top of Radhost Mountain. Problem is, we took a bus 90% of the way up! Every time we've done something like this, we've been kind of disappointed in ourselves, but we had been told to do it this way. And there was some justification to it.

Radhost Mountain is the tallest one in the area. It has a communications tower at the top, and it's only 3 kms from the little village of Pustevny which is nearly the same altitude. Plus, it serves as a ski hill so you can take a chair lift to the top. And there is also a chapel at the top, which was built in 1898.

So, similar to Mount Washington, when you give people lots of easy ways to get to the top, there will be lots of people at the top!

We left the house about 9:30am. Took the train to Roznov, and then the bus to Pustevny. The bus was fairly busy, but after it stopped for more passengers a few times it was packed full like sardines!

At Pustevny, there are some interesting Wallachian buildings that serve as restaurants and hotels.

Kind of touristy though.

Notice that it is misty again in the above pictures. It was also cold! Temperature up there was about 12C (54F) when we got off the bus!

A misty view from the first lookout point. Notice the people hiking up the path.

It did clear up enough to get a bit of a hazy view.

It was an easy 3 km (2 mile) walk to the top of Radhost Mountain from the village of Pustevny. Of course because it was easy, there were lots of people doing it!

Too many people for our liking.

See above.

Of course there is a large chalet at the top where you can buy overpriced food and beer, and pay to use the toilet.

There is a communications tower and a chapel at the top.

We had brought our lunch and we found a spot to sit and eat. By this time it was actually turning into a decent day and starting to warm up. We didn't spend much time at the top though. Now is where our hike started! yes, we had already done the 3 kms to the top, but we planned on hiking back down to Roznov, over 10 kms (6 miles) away. And downhill. So, this is where us and the crowds parted ways. Most people who got to Pustevny by car, bus, or chairlift would also be getting down that way.

Heading downhill, away from the crowds.

Us!

Where we had been.

Coming down into the city of Roznov.

And so we made it back into town, around 2:30. Of course it was downhill every step of the way. We did meet a couple of people heading up though, so not everybody cheated like we did! However, it was a bit of a boring hike and that was why we were told not to bother hiking up. Apparently it would have been more work than enjoyment, and we think that was probably true. We ended up doing a total of 13.2 kms (8.2 miles).

Just thought I'd let you know that the price of gas in Czech Republic is around 38 korunas ($1.90) per litre. That's about $7.18 a gallon in U.S. dollar terms. 

So it's a good thing beer is cheap! We stopped in at the Roznovsky Brewery, where they have been making beer since 1712. I had a nice cold beer, and Ruth had an ice cream!

Roznovsky Brewery, since 1712!

Overall, it was still a good day. You sure don't get the same satisfaction getting to the top of a mountain as you do when you hike it though!

Today is a travel day for us, and those always seem to be interesting. Next update will be from the country of Slovakia!