Life in the wilderness deep in the Northern Börzsöny

Itinerary:

• We start on the S trail in the valley of the Kemence stream, then along the ridge on the Path of the Tóts reaching the Lopona section.
• Before the Lopona section, we climb up to Cicőke on a short segment following the S▲ trail.
• At the Lopona section, we turn north on the P trail, crossing the Lopona mountain to the Great Valley.
• We continue on the Z trail descending the Great Valley, then at the Kalakocs-patak rest stop, we ascend to the ridge via Zöldmál.
• Following the K trail westwards, passing through Bernecebaráti, we return to Kemence.

About the hike in detail:

In the valley of the Kemence stream

We start our hike near Kemence, from the narrow-gauge railway terminus, on the S trail. Before the 20th century, the central part of Börzsöny was not so easily accessible because the stream, whose course constantly changed, sustained marshy alder groves. The best way to cross these central areas was along a ridge peaking on a flat mountain ridge; we cover the first segment of our hike on such a section named the Path of the Tóts.

The former timber transport railways began a little over a century ago to network the inner regions of Börzsöny. It was here, in the valley of the Kemence stream, that the construction of narrow-gauge lines started in 1910 on the Kemence-Királyháza section to efficiently exploit the forests of Northern Börzsöny. Year by year, the track advanced deeper into the wilderness, weaving in the side valleys and hills with often unusual winding routes along the ridge line. A large part of the timber stock of the Northern and Central Börzsöny was transported out through the Kemence valley and the neighboring Great Valley, while on the far side of the mountains the western parts were served through Nagybörzsöny and Márianosztra towards Szob, and the southern parts were reached by the line following the Török stream through Királyrét and Szokolya to processing centers.

The railway system that networked much of Börzsöny became outdated after the war. Since nearly all areas of the mountain range were reached by trucks via less costly access roads, timber harvesting switched to the more flexible option. Track removal began in the late 1960s on the slopes, here at the upper course of the Kemence stream. The closure of the Kemence railway was finalized by the floods of the 1990s: in '95 and '99 many bridges and embankments collapsed or were damaged. Its current form is thanks to the dedicated work of enthusiastic volunteers and former professionals who revived train transportation between Kemence and the Black Valley guesthouse.

From Godóvár station, we proceed uphill on the forestry road in the Kemence stream valley along the S trail. After about a kilometer, we leave the paved road and follow the former Kemence valley railway branch, now only an embankment in the valley, continuing alongside the stream. The stream, which gave its name to the valley and the lower village, derives from the Slavic word "Kamenica", meaning "stony". This adjective comes from the abundance of volcanic debris exported from Central Börzsöny, seen as rounded stones along the stream's course.

Inside the ancient Börzsöny caldera

Shortly after turning into the forest, the road on the flat flood area of the stream curves at a large wild cherry tree towards the steep mountainside. We begin to climb towards the ridge. The previous mixed alder, birch, and oak forest changes to thermophilic turkey oak and sessile oak. The steep mountainside soon opens on a rocky grassland clearing where from the rocky meadow scattered with stone outcrops, we can see the volcanic mass of Central Börzsöny opposite. This size difference is no coincidence, as the parts of Börzsöny our hike passes through are older, formed in the initial phase of volcanism.

Layers of volcanic rock deposited on a shallow sea floor 16.5 million years ago formed volcanic islands rising above sea level. After volcanism ceased 16 million years ago, a landscape eroded under tropical climate formed. Sandstones from volcanic material washed off at the mountain edges are typical, while here in the center, we likely observe the remains of a larger caldera, its flat ridge traversed by the Path of the Tóts, the first third of our route. The central Börzsöny opposite formed 14.5 million years ago and created a much higher massif on the now elevated plateau. The stratovolcano rising over 1000 meters has largely eroded, so its original shape and height are only partially visible. The ridges of the rainy mountainsides preserve the form of the former central volcano's base.

Reaching the top of the ancient Börzsöny caldera, we walk again through old oak forests that form the basis of forestry work here. Today logging is mainly mechanized – in the last century, before motorization, hand saws and axes cut the trees, which were then transported by horse and manual labor. In the Börzsöny area, an interesting device called a Romanian sled was used to transport cut and split logs. Imported from Transylvania, this invention was crafted locally of wood, able to carry several hundred kilos of logs. A strong sled driver steered and braked the descending device on the slope, which was quite demanding. The use of such a Romanian sled is still visible in the cult series "One and a Half Million Steps in Hungary" Börzsöny episode made in the early 1980s.

The ridge path undulates surprisingly gently after its initial ascent. In a depression on the flat plateau, we find a watering and bathing place favored by wildlife: the Upper Lake's 10-meter-wide depression. During the summer heat, this small lake, important to local animals, collects rainwater in this closed, local basin. After a gentle undulation, we arrive at the Varjas rest stop at a road junction, more like a large rain shelter with benches and tables. It's worth taking a break and having a snack in the atmospheric forest. From the local low point, the trail climbs steadily to the best viewpoint of our ridge hike, the summit of Cicőke. However, be careful, because from the wide forestry road, the S▲ trail barely noticeable forks off, leading through a rocky mountainside to the summit. The 454-meter-high Cicőke's top is covered with ash and oak forest, but about fifty meters below to the south opens a rocky clearing facing the Kemence stream valley, from which we overlook the huge volcanic massif of Central Börzsöny. Here you can truly sense the real mass of the one and a half million years younger stratovolcano, whose "grandfather" towered on its back.

It is advisable to descend from Cicőke on the ridge along the S▲ trail because the steep side is too rocky. Soon, we reconnect to the wide bulldozer road following the S trail, which bypassed the summit on a short detour. After a few hundred meters of gentle ascent, we reach the highest point of our hike, Lopona-fő. The mountain does not promise a view, as a dense forest covers its flat summit. At 457 meters high, we branch off the S trail onto the P trail, which sharply turns into a increasingly closed and darker forest. Partly due to elevation but mainly because of the north-facing slopes, beech takes over dominance. The gently descending ridge steeply falls into the valley below after about a kilometer. The trail is difficult to follow, so watch the markings! The last section mildens the slope again, and on a pleasant rocky ridge tongue between approaching valleys, we arrive in the Great Valley.

In the land of outlaws

A wide forestry road leads into the mountain range at the valley floor. Just like in the Kemence valley, there was a timber railway here at the beginning of the 20th century. In earlier times, it was a hiding place for outlaws; only about two kilometers away, deep in the mountains, was the hideout of Sisa Pista, the famous outlaw of Nógrád, who fled here from a forest hut escaping the police. The area was located on the border of two counties, deep in the wilderness, where one could just cross over to the other side of the border.

Sisa Pista was a famous outlaw of the region in the mid-19th century. Born as István Benkó near Nagylóc in the Cserhát mountains, he was called “Sisa” since childhood because of his mischievous nature. Although he came from a respectable shepherd family, at age 15 he was suspected due to sheep disappearing from his flock. The local policeman tried to break the young shepherd by torture so he would reveal the fate of the sheep, but he only promised retaliation to his interrogator. Due to repeated fencing offenses, the shepherd was imprisoned but escaped to become an officially notorious outlaw. Twenty-two years after his early torture, he met a despised police sergeant whom he beheaded with a knife. After this murder, three counties hunted him, and he was finally caught in the tavern of Egerbakta. His trial lasted two years due to numerous testimonies and case investigations. He was sentenced to 20 years, extended by one year due to prison vigilantism, which he served fully. After release, the now tamed band leader worked as a gamekeeper in Drégelypalánk and then in the woods of Bernecebaráti. The kind gamekeeper was loved everywhere, and at age 64, at his death, a large crowd accompanied his last journey; he was buried with Gypsy music in the Bernecebaráti cemetery, where his grave can still be found.

Many legends about his life live in the folk language, portraying him as a just avenger who took the rich's money to help the poor. A description based on early 20th-century locals published in a 1938 traveler's journal reads: “Sisa Pista was a fine, upright man – so to speak –, wore a decorated coat, flowing shirt, and shiny axe. His belt was studded with knives and pistols. Pista was quite a guy! Of course, he had no home; he hid in the forest. The poor all liked him. Sometimes sixteen or eighteen also banded together. They did not harm the poor; they drove whole herds away from the landlords. If a wanderer's shirt was bad, Sisa surely helped him with cloth and canvas.”

If we want to visit his hideout, we can make a one-hour detour uphill in the Great Valley, where after about two kilometers at the Outlaw Spring, a nature trail leads to a cave hiding in the hillside. It is useful to know that the real cave is located across the ditch opposite the nature trail's terminus and is very hard to reach.

With the P trail, just about ten meters from the valley entrance, we find the Oszlopó spring uphill, where we can collect certainly clean but mountain-origin water from a built basin. Opposite the spring, on the other side of the creek, is a charming meadow with a rain shelter, benches, and tables for resting. Our route continues downhill on the Z trail towards Bernecebaráti along a meadow-rich alder and willow creek bank. After one kilometer, at the mouth of the Kalakocs valley coming in from the right, a meadow-edge rain shelter and benches welcome hikers. Here the hiking trail climbs into the hillside. After a short climb, we continue along the wide ridge.

In the friendly woods at the border of Bernece

Arriving at the ridge, we come to the edge of a long meadow, where the “Börzsöny Blue” hiking trail crosses and accompanies us further. We can continue north on the Z and K trails towards Hont over the pre-timeline embankments of Jenelc hill and through Honti gorge, cutting through sediment rich in snail and shell fossils deposited in the volcanic peripheral shallow seas. However, practically, we turn back to the western edge of the mountain range towards Bernece on the sole K trail. The increasingly park-like landscape indicates the proximity of habitation. Nearby was the now deserted Csitár-puszta, remembered only by an old cross hidden among old trees by the roadside, the Csitár cross.

The winding road along the private land borders runs nearly flat on the wide mountaintop. After the oak woods of the Szira forest, the ridge descends increasingly steeply, and the more frequent black locust marks signal the village's proximity. Bernecebaráti was formed in 1928 by the merger of two settlements, Bernece hidden in the protection of the Great Valley and Baráti along the road next to the Kemence stream. On the hill between the two village parts stands a fortified ancient earthwork church; in the adjacent cemetery lies Sisa Pista.

The K trail passes by the fortified church and cemetery, which we also follow back to Kemence – or alternatively, descending on the K+ trail through the main street of Bernecebaráti, we reach the nearest bus stop.