Hidden mountain of Rožňava, the Pozsálló

Itinerary

• From Csucsom (Čučma) we follow the Z marking to the Pozsálló (Skalisko) peak, passing by the Chata Volovec tourist lodge.
• From Pozsálló (Skalisko) we turn left onto the P marking and follow it until the next fork.
• At the fork we turn left onto the S marking, which leads back to the Chata Volovec building.
• From the Chata Volovec building we descend back to Csucsom (Čučma) on the Z marking.

Detailed description of the route

In the embrace of the ore mountains

At the end of Csucsom (Čučma) we set out on the Z marking towards the mountain ridge towering in front of us but hidden behind the deep valley's screen. In the 18-19th centuries, a unique, destructive natural phenomenon was recorded in the village: every 32-33 years the slope opposite Pozsálló (Skalisko) would "open," and powerful flash floods would arise from the spring below today's tourist lodge, washing away the houses in the narrow valley. It was thought this was due to a spring group whose underground reservoir would periodically fill and overflow, but it is more likely that these were classic flash floods caused by sudden snowmelt or heavy rains. Precipitation does not accumulate deep underground but flows quickly through the slate rocks of the mountain massif (which was aided by denuded, bare slopes after deforestation), and the floods, intensifying, reach the inhabited mouths of the long valleys.

Most of the inhabitants, mainly German-speaking, lived until the 16-17th centuries in the valley system; their house groups were located near mining sites, smelters, crushers, and mills. With the decline of mining sites, the population of Rožňava (Rozsnyó) also increased. We get a fine panorama of the town from above, but in the following hours, our route is dominated by the sight of the closed forest. A bilingual sign warns that we share the extensive uninhabited forests with bears – but there's no need to fear them, as, like other large predators, they avoid humans, and only a handful roam the area.

The hiking trail marked with Z crosses wide forestry roads through the beech forest that enjoys the valley's coolness, and as it climbs higher on the slope, it leads to a beautiful grassy-bottom oak forest. In the sun-exposed higher region, oak groves appear that are normally found lower than the beech, and we can notice the mixing of the two species. After a short, steep climb, we continue along the western slope. Along a mossy stone sea dotted with ferns, passing a spring, we come out of the deciduous forest. We reach the tourist lodge situated in a partly harvested pine grove, and to the left, for the first time, we see the limestone plateaus of Rozsnyó and the Gömör-Torna Karst.

On the ox's head, on the rock of Pozsálló

With a right turn towards the house, the building's roof appears for the first time. The trail is slightly difficult to traverse due to a clearing, but at the end of a short path, about 30 meters from the lodge, there's a covered fire pit – now in a vigorous pine forest. (On the opposite side of the resting place, about 10 meters away, there is a spring.) On the left is the Chata Volovec, formerly the Pozsálló shelter, a wooden-clad building inviting us. Beside the terraced cabin surrounded by resting spots, at the base of a rocky outcrop, drinkable spring water drips from a pipe, and the terrace in front of the railing is kept clear of pine trees so that from the tips of the remaining trees we can see the angular "carved" limestone region of the Gömör-Torna Karst. The panorama, though not dizzying, sums up with the dense pine forest, the sound of water, and the mountain atmosphere of the lodge. A defining feature of the view is the surprisingly wide limestone plateau of Bükk-fennsík, and in the distance, the Mátra ridge closes the Carpathian region.

The lodge has provided shelter in the Pozsálló forest for decades, its predecessor built in 1933 by the Czechoslovak Tourist Club (KČST) and later expanded several times. In 1938, following the first Vienna Award, together with whole Gömör, the area was placed under Hungarian authority, where it remained until the end of World War II (managed by the MTE). Today it is a modest cozy cabin with a panoramic (closed) terrace, welcoming hikers every day in July and August, and on weekends otherwise, with some hot meals, drinks, and 16 beds. (It is operated by a civil organization from Csucsom.) At night, the entrance is illuminated by a lamp, and several motion-sensor cameras monitor the building; nonetheless, if it is closed, camping next to it is allowed.

A short climb from the lodge takes you to the peak of Pozsálló (Skalisko), where we continue to follow the Z marking through the pine forest above the building. After a few minutes, the steep path "breaks out" of the wild pine forest and reaches the ridge through a blueberry meadow. Immediately visible above the trees is the leaf-layered "Friend's Stone," as the wild romantic rock on the Pozsálló (Skalisko) peak was once called. On the top of the wind-eroded block, a cross stands, and from here, most of eastern Slovakia is visible, as there are no significantly higher points near or far in the area. To the northwest stand the huge peaks of the High Tatras; to their left, the regular cone of Kráľova hoľa guards over the endless forest region of the Low Tatras. (In the background, the main peak of the mountain range, Gyömbér, is also visible.) Turning south, the Stolica and then the low ranges of the Gömör-Szepesi ore mountains draw the gaze towards the North-Central mountain range. Beyond the border lies the Karancs massif, the long range of the Mátra, the highest hills of the Vajdavár region, and the substantial plateau of Bükk. (It may seem incredible, but some of the "stones of Bükk," like Bél-kő and Őr-kő, are also outlined, albeit "from behind." ) Below us sprawls the town of Rožňava, and beyond it, the flat limestone plateaus of the Gömör-Torna Karst.

To the east, the Tokaj-Eperjes mountain region is visible, and some peaks along the continuation of the ridge can also be identified (e.g. Kloptaň), while to the north lies the Levočské vrchy (Levoča Mountains). This long list perhaps conveys that we have an unusually wide view and huge vistas, and such a good vantage point is rare even in the dense mountains of the Carpathians. Moreover, we are looking from the center of a mass mountain area, and the ridge offers an idyllic high-mountain environment. The relatively modest altitude (1293 m) was enough for Pozsálló to be Hungary's highest peak for a few months after the first Vienna Award – a title it lost to the Hoverla in the Carpathians of Transcarpathia in March 1939.

From alpine atmosphere to clear-cut areas

The neighboring peak, the Volovec (Ox Mountain), just a few meters lower, was formerly identified with the massif (calling the rocky peak Pozsálló). We set out in this direction now but followed by the P marking, turning left relative to our arrival. Our path is part of the "Slovak Blue Trail," a thematic long-distance hiking trail commemorating the Slovak National Uprising (SNP), which runs through the country from Dukla Pass to Bratislava (or more precisely Devín). Previously, grazing cleared the forest from the broad ridge, so the route continues in a true alpine environment, with dwarf pine patches and blueberry carpeted pine groves. Looking back repeatedly, the rocky peak stands out many times, but ahead, the landscape is splendid: we walk along wind-swept clearings and old pine forests, with the majestic block of Kráľova hoľa occasionally peeking above the foliage.

Then it is as if cut off: the lush pine forest gives way to areas devastated by windstorms and pine beetle outbreaks, partly harvested patches of forest. Although climate change probably impaired the health of these planted pure pine forests, shocking large patches and whole mountain slopes have been clear-cut in the region citing bark beetle damage. The main ridge of the mountain has lost forest in unique extensive patches from one decade to another, leaving bleak clear-cut areas behind – yet pine growth is still visible in many of these. However, in the hardiest pine groves of the mountain ridge, the very rare, highly endangered capercaillie still appears and breeds, favoring the extensive, undisturbed forest. Due to the destruction of its habitats, its population has shrunk, and signs along the nearby hiking trails indicate where collecting its food, forest berries, or leaving the paths is prohibited. (We are passing such an area near Pozsálló.)

Soon we descend into a fork, turning left to return to the tourist lodge on the S marking. A long clear-cut section follows: the pine forest has been completely removed from below the ridge and some neighboring mountains, so we can enjoy continuous views of the mountains south of the Low Tatras, especially the Gömör region below, with the Mátra and Bükk contours in the background. The forested side ridges and valleys of the mountain reach out wide like arms towards Rožňava; clear-cut or not, the panorama is phenomenal. We cross a pine patch and then walk over another clear-cut area above the Gömör region. After this, a spruce forest embraces us and does not let go until we reach the Chata Volovec building. After refilling our water supply, perhaps eating or resting, we descend on the Z marking, lowering approximately in one and a half hours along the route taken earlier to Csucsom (Čučma) houses.