A month has passed since my last Blue Trail. Due to other commitments and heavy rains I have not been able to go on a longer trip. Well, now I have to spend at least one night outdoors to make a longer trip worthwhile. I have already done all the nearby sections (Bakony, Vértes).
The last weekend was really special because suddenly an opportunity to visit a cave came up.
The cave - Leány-barlang (Girl-cave) is located in the immediate vicinity of the Blue Trail at Klastrompuszta and is part of a system of caves that have been explored for about 20 kilometres. The cave system is aptly named Ariadne. It's a huge underground labyrinth, formed by millions of years of water, full of stalactites and lots of mud.
Uphill to the cave - the picture doesn't show how steep it is!
I had two days to get a helmet and proper footwear, and at the last minute I got everything. As the happy owner of a safety helmet and a pair of rubber boots, but without overalls, I set off on my adventure in the baggiest trousers and a torn sweater.
A total of ten of us set off towards the mouth of the cave, along a very steep path. I was carrying a huge backpack (full load, approx. 15 kg) that pulled me in the opposite direction with every step - down! Damn gravity!
After a short wait, our cave explorer friend appeared, who was carrying mud out of the cave in big buckets. Since he wouldn't accept any money from us for guiding the tour, we helped him deliver mud in a live chain.
I had to turn off my headlamp for the selfie.
Unfortunately, the pictures in the cave were a bit blurry in the low light.
I could take very few photos, I took them with my mobile phone, and as I didn't have a pocket, I always had to put them in and out of my small backpack. Plus, I had to take off my muddy gloves and put them back on my hands after taking photos. The ultimate solution will be a GoPro camera!
There are many ladders in this part of the cave, which make it easier to get around. Some of them help you get through a vertical horn 15-20 metres high. In other places we could crawl on our bellies, like worms.
As a result of all the crawling, I was using muscles that I hadn't been using in my daily training! By the evening I was sore all over!
After caving, I was faced with a dilemma. Should I go or stay? What do I do with muddy rubber boots, clothes, helmet? Fortunately, the situation was resolved. When the group dispersed, I went down to a meadow where I found a well, and there was cool shade. In the shade a young woman sat with some luggage, waiting for her husband and children. I asked her if it was possible to pitch a tent in the meadow. She said yes, so I joined her and her family. This was a very good decision! I washed and dried my boots and helmet, then pitched my tent. It would have been silly to start the next 8 kilometres to Piliscsaba, so tired and exhausted, in heat above 30 degrees. The rest of the day was very pleasant with this family. It turned out that we think alike on a lot of things.
In the evening we watched the hornbills flying around the campfire, then a little later the stars, while drinking good Tokaj wine and talking about the things of life. The night was unusually cold, and I lay frozen, motionless on the thin mattress, while the wild boars trampled the ground in the bush a few metres away, snorting and squealing loudly. I had strange, surreal dreams that are impossible to describe.
I found it very difficult to leave the next day, but I had to say goodbye to them and to the place in order to fulfil at least part of my commitment.
I set off along the Blue Trail, through Piliscsév to Piliscsaba, and then took the train home.
I enjoyed the beautiful landscape before Piliscsév.
Arriving in Piliscsev, the procession of the Lord's Day had just started. I rested for at least half an hour in the shade, watching the beautiful flower booths with Mary and Jesus in them, and the many people dressed in festive costumes and singing as they circled the church.
After leaving Piliscsev, my journey was not very spectacular. I was greeted by hot and quicksand, nowhere to rest. So I walked to Piliscsaba, where I dropped my backpack at the first well and held my head under the cold water. Good news, I escaped without sunstroke and sunburn!
To be continued!