I came across Rysy on my first visit to the High Tatras back in 2017. Back then, I was just getting exposed to the outdoor world and was not capable enough to climb it. Six years later, I found myself in the foothills of the highest peak of Poland once again, in the town of Zakopane.

I visited Zakopane in September 2023 with my wife, her siblings, and my kid. This was supposed to be the holiday where we all take it easy, spend time walking around town, and relax in the spa, especially after my ongoing recovery from proximal-humerus surgery. But no visit to a mountain town is complete without a mission. So, one fine morning, off I drove with my brother-in-law Marek through the bear-ridden forests of the Polish Tatras. After a few minutes of driving, we parked our car at the trailhead and started our ascent of Rysy. It was going to be a long day with a 25 km hike and a 1,500 m elevation gain.

Rysy sits right between Slovakia and Poland and can be climbed from both sides. Given that we happened to be in Poland, we chose to climb it from the Polish side. The climb can be divided into three sections. The first is a relatively flat tarmac road that leads from the parking lot to a mountain hut located on the famous Morskie Oko Lake. I knew that this hike was popular, but I was not prepared for what I saw. Hikers, bikers, and horse carriages — yes, you read that right — people were flocking to the mountain hut in hundreds. I kept telling myself that the crowd would subside on the trail past the mountain hut.

The next section is where the proper hiking starts. The terrain changes from tarmac to small boulders. This section leads you up to the second lake with the unpronounceable name, Czarny Staw pod Rysami. The crowd subsided a bit but was still on the higher end. At this point, I accepted the fact that I was not the only one with the genius idea of climbing the most popular and the highest peak in Poland. What a surprise — another case of someone complaining about the crowd while being part of the crowd.

The final section of the hike starts a bit further up the second lake, distinguished by the presence of bolted chains on the trail to help prevent falling all the way down. This is where the gradient instantly increases and the stakes are higher, especially with only one arm to pull myself with. From here on, it was only big slippery boulders with chains bolted on them and a herd of hikers trying to go in both directions. I was less worried about my lack of a fully functional limb and more concerned about someone taking a tumble higher up the trail and taking me down along with them. My fears were justified even more when I saw some folks wearing sneakers in this terrain.

After hours of effort, we were on top. The view finally opened up in all directions, and we could see into both the Slovak and Polish sides of the High Tatras. It was one of the most crowded hikes I had done in a long time, but the summit views made up for all of that.

After a quick snack and a photo-op, we were on the way down. At this point, I was quite drained and also out of water — a rookie mistake. Always take a little more water than you think you need. If you have been following me for a while, you might know by now how much I dread descents. I blame it on my dodgy IT band. We had 1,500 meters to descend, and I was not looking forward to it.

Soon, at a snail's pace, we made it to the mountain hut where I treated myself to a liter of Fanta, cake, and some water. A bit recharged, I was ready to descend the rest of the way down. I have to be honest here; I did consider taking the horse carriage all the way down to the parking lot, which was still 6 km away. But that would not be good for the numbers, and numbers are important on Strava.

I finally made it safely down to the parking lot and was on my way to pamper myself at the spa and have a nice dinner. I was happy to check this long-awaited hike off my list. This hike was more crowded than I prefer, but if you are looking for something challenging yet accessible and not too isolated, this one ticks the boxes and can be carried out.

It took me a while to sit down and finally write this blog while my backlog of blog posts is growing. But just as I finish this one, I am already ready to get on to the next one and share the other adventures I went on. See you out on the trails and stay safe.