Valley of 5 Lakes

Just want to preface this by saying if you do one hike in your life, make it this one. 

This is also the hike that made me realise the importance of shoes. I saw plenty of people wearing trainers, but the scramble back down is no joke. Walking boots with a nice thick sole are your friend here. 

This hike starts at the car park for Morskie Oko, which is a super popular, easy lake to walk to. You'll find plenty of buses to the car park. Once you've paid National Park entry and read the sign about bears (yes, bears), you start the route the same way as everyone. 

The difference is about half way to Morskie Oko you'll see a little route sign that points up the mountain towards Dolina Pięciu Stawów Polskich or Wodogrzmoty Mickiwicza which is the waterfall you'll hike to first. 

The climb to the waterfall is savage. It feels like a neverending exercise in thigh-burn. But, remember to stop and look behind you for the view because it's breathtaking how high you go in such a short amount of time.

Once you hit the waterfall, this is absolutely the place to rest. Eat some Haribo. Drink water. Admire the view. Because next is

more uphill. It's so worth it but this is definitely the point where my sister and I had a moment of realising it was very high, and we were very hot. 

So next is the best bit - pushing upwards to the lakes. There's such a sense of achievement when you get there. There's two (or three? Multiple, at any rate) big lakes and a mountain hut that I one day would love to own, stay in, or see at Christmas. It definitely does not get a lot of traffic in the evening and is probably the closest thing I can think of to sleeping under the stars but with a roof. 

What comes next is no surprise - more uphill. But what is surprising was the descent. 

Past the lakes here, you climb a little more, then descend. But WOW, I was not prepared for it. Usually descents are the less exciting half of a hike-It doesn't require too much concentration. You just stomp back down the hill thinking about dinner or snacks or something. 

Well, not here. Remember I said you needed good shoes? This is why. The descent is probably better characterised as a bit of a rocky scramble. Don't expect nice gravelled paths. It's just stone, and having a nice cushioned sole on your boot here will make a huge difference. I know this because I did not have a nice cushioned sole on my boot, and by the end I semi-hobbled back to the bus. I'm now on the hunt for new boots, so please sling any recs my way.

So, once you hobble back down the path, you'll rejoin the nice tarmac road to Morskie Oko. This is a nice lake to finish on because it's such an easy walk back down to the bus and a short ride back to Zakopane.

I honestly cannot do this walk justice. It remains the most stunning, challenging and worthwhile walk I've ever done. I think about it every day. That said, would I do it again? I still have bruised toes.

(Yes. Definitely. But with better shoes).