Morning at the Parsonage & Hitting the Trail
The night at the parsonage was surprisingly good. Popped an ibuprofen last night, slapped a cold compress on my ankle. It helped. This morning, another ibuprofen went down, and I taped up the ankle with a bandage from my first-aid kit. Thanked the lady for the stay, handed back the keys, and left a little extra for the bandage. At 700 CZK, it was the cheapest roof over my head on the whole damn trail.
Pushing Towards Chrastava
Barely an hour in, I polished off breakfast – my last Corny bar.
Spotted horses and deer grazing along the way. The plan was to push through to Chrastava, the official end of Stage III. Hunkered down at the Trávník shelter to wait out the rain, then kept moving. After the downpour, the world felt fresh and beautiful.
Unexpected Trail Magic & Refreshments
At the Buk republiky shelter, I stumbled upon a woman and her daughter setting up refreshments for a bike race. They offered me a beer, which I politely declined, but I happily accepted a fantastic muffin.
Reaching Chrastava & The Big Decision
Rolled into Chrastava, the Stage III finish line, at 11:45 AM. Walked past old factories on my way to the train station.
All day, my mind had been wrestling with a decision: bail on the trail and train it to the cottage, or keep pushing? My ankle was throbbing, and my toes would tingle with every step. Ultimately, I decided to take the train part of the way, then hike the rest to the cottage. No sense trashing my ankle for future adventures with the family.
The Journey to the Cottage
Soaked from the rain and utterly spent, I hopped on a train for a halfway shot to the cottage. I planned to cover the remaining 2.5 km on foot. Trouble was, I didn’t know the way well and ended up wandering off course a bit. Still, I clocked about 22 km for the day before finally rolling up to a very surprised family.
And just like that, my third stage of the Czech Trail wrapped up – a stretch packed with challenges, unexpected encounters, and views that made the grind worthwhile.
