Join Me on the Stezka Českem!

So far, over the last five years, my partner and I have completed around 166 km of the trail. We track our progress using mapy.cz. For no particular reason, we have divided the trail into three parts - in the northeast, southwest, and northwest of the country. On our first trip in Javorník, in the northeast, we covered nearly 60 km in four days. It was hard. Both of us hiked with ill-fitting, hand-me-down packs and at one point I (half jokingly) sat down and declared I could go no further. But, the hardships on the trail only make the victories sweeter. Interested to know more? Read on to learn more about our experiences on the trail, and about how you can get started too!

Northeast 

1. Javorník to Rámzova (August 18th to August 21st, 2021) (56 km)

2. Rámzova to Jeseník (August 17th - August 20th, 2022) (27 km)

3. Jeseník to Bělá pod Pradědem (April 5th - April 6th, 2023) (28 km)

Story Time 

During the night, the temperature reached -10 ˚C. There was snow on the ground. You might not imagine this would be the case in April, but we were at an elevation of 1,120 m.a.s.l in the Jeseník mountains. During the day, we came across a lone man in a small logging machine. We watched in fascination as the machine cut down tree by tree, stripping each of its branches within seconds, leaving a pile of bald logs. After he noticed us, he got out of the vehicle and shouted with a smile, “Co tady děláte?! Nevíte, jaká je tu zima!?” (What are you doing here!? Don’t you know how cold it is!?).

Southwest

1. Rybnik to Horní Dvořiště (December 27th, 2024) (8 km)

2. Horní Dvořiště to Vyšší Brod (October 10th - October 12th, 2025) (25 km)

3. Vyšší Brod to Lipno nad Vlatovou (February 1st, 2026) (8 km)

4. Lipno nad Vlatovou to Nová Pec (Currently)(60 km)

To celebrate our recent graduation from the University of South Bohemia, we have planned another 60 km section with two of our friends from Lipno nad Vlatovou to Nová Pec - in fact, I imagine we will be on the trail when this post is published!

Story Time

Like a scene straight out of a horror movie, we had just gotten settled in our sleeping bags when we heard a faint raspy scream out of the dead silence. We froze. The scream got louder. 

It was a Eurasian Lynx!

The southern most point of Czechia can be found in this section.

Northwest

1. Malá Pravcická brána to Rudolfüv kámen (October 26th, 2025) (14 km)

Story Time 

To celebrate my partner’s upcoming birthday, I planned a day hike in České Švýcarsko along the Stezka Českem in October. As we hiked further and further up the mountain, the sky darkened and the wind picked up. But our goal, “Přístřešek Rudolfův kámen,” a hut maybe 10 m2 , was still up ahead. When we finally arrived at the hut, we were alone. We broke-out the snacks, and opened the wooden window which looked-out onto the orange-yellow-and-evergreen-green speckled forest below. Several times, gusts of wind   slammed the window shut. It began to rain. The small hut quickly got crowded as more and more hikers sought shelter. Some people looked nervous. But the vibe was lively; people made jokes and passed around warm drinks. As the storm passed, groups of hikers left the hut one-by-one and shouted, “tak, držte nám palce!” (wish us luck!)

Some Tips

1. Find a comfortable pack. Though 99% of my wardrobe is secondhand-sourced, I recommend finding a pack that fits you well, even if it’s expensive (if, hiking is the sort of thing you’re into). Thankfully, my partner disregarded my plea to “leave me here to die” before I bought my Osprey Aura AG 50. 

2. Make your own first-aid kit. Though you can buy pre-assembled kits, I recommend doing some reading and creating your own. This way, it can be tailored to your needs and organized in a way that makes sense to you - important features during an emergency. 

3. Know your limits. If you’ve never gone hiking before, start small. Plan a day hike or an overnight trip before you commit to a longer trek.

4. Share your plan. The entire route of the Stezka Českem can be found here. Smaller sections can be found under the “sections” tab here. You can use the features on mapy.cz to modify the routes to your liking, and then share the link with your family or friends, along with the dates you plan to be away. 

5. Bring something for comfort. This tip is courtesy of my partner who was lucky enough to be chosen for the tropical ecology trip in Papua New Guinea, offered by Jihočeská Universita. Every night, he and his team “trudged though the pitch-black rainforest” in search of frogs for five to six hours. “It was comforting to come back to camp and to be able to recover with a protein shake and a packet of instant soup, and to record my thoughts in a pocket-sized journal. These items contributed very little to the weight of my pack, and took up next to no space, but played a huge role in my mental health.”

More tips can be found here. And if you’re looking for even more resources, the creators of the trail have got you covered. In a podcast hosted by Martin Úbl (in Czech), he interviews some of the extraordinary people who have completed - or are working to complete - the trail. Additionally, Martin and friends have written a book called, Stezka Českem ...může jít každý! which can be purchased here in Czech, and here in English. 

So, will I see you on the trail?