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Published: August 6th 2006
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On the Tram
The girls were also on a hiking expedition. Those of you who have followed our travelblog know that we love hiking in the Sarka Valley. Today, a beautiful warm Sunday, we took our last long walk before heading back to our home in Maryland. After lunch we rode the tram to the end of the line. With only two days left, counting today, we said if we were going to make this hike we'd better do it today. Not wanting to totally exhaust ourselves we rode a city bus to the top of the hill and transferred to a tram. After riding the tram to the end of the line, we climbed off and set off on our hike. There is a MacDonald's at the end of the trolley line. How is that for market research, placing a MacDonald’s at the end of a tram line on a major street and at the end of a hiking trail? Interestingly if you look in three directions surrounding the MacDonalds, city buildings greet your eye. Turn around and it is as if you have been suddenly transported into the country. There are no buildings, just open grassland, hills, trees and rocks. But this 'countryside' is also within the city.
For
End of the Line
The blue tram is the one we rode. some time we had planned on hiking to the top of one of the hills and then hiking down into the valley and back to the seminary. Several times we had hiked to this spot from the seminary and then from this spot back into the Sarka Valley following the stream that originates at the manmade lake located here. But we had never climbed the large hill at the end of the valley.
We set off, first walking downhill to the upper end of the valley and crossing the Sarka Creek and began our climb up the steep hill on the other side. The day was hot, so we rested in the shade of trees several times before we made our final assault on the peak. Perhaps “assault” is too strong a word, this wasn’t Mt. Everest. Other hikers and sun bathers, one young man with his "cute buns" as Nancy said, showing were already at the top when we arrived. The panoramic view at the top was well worth the climb with views of Prague and the Sarka Valley laid out before us.
Leaving the highest point we hiked along the eastern crest of the ridge making
short side trips to look down into Sarka Valley. Much of the crest is lined with rim rocks. Below the rocks the descent into the valley is very steep and dangerous enough that we have never considered “taking a shortcut.” But we did clamber over the rocks at several points to see vistas that were hidden unless you got close to the edge. We found that these rocks are very slick! You have to be careful not to fall down.
Walking along the eastern top of the valley we soon entered a beautiful wood and gradually the trail became wider and exited the wood and then ran beside an open meadow.
Wildflowers were blooming in profusion. Soon we entered another wood and walked a half mile where this trail intersects with another that runs down into the valley. Turning left onto this trail, one we had climbed up and down on that VERY icy day in the winter, we descended into the valley and made our way back to the seminary.
And thus our last hike of this trip ended.
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anonymous
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Wow, just looking at these photos of Prague is amazing! Can't wait to go this summer! -Mia