I couldn't sit at home on Sunday, even though black clouds were gathering in the sky. I had a raincoat in my backpack, but in the end I didn't need it. I took a bus to Csór.
Torii-gate with the landscape of Csór. This gate was built by a Hungarian karate master.
He paid tribute to his master and to Japan. (See more about it here: https://fmc.hu/2021/02/19/ket-vilagot-kot-ossze-a-csori-japan-torii-kapu)
It's not too far off the Blue Trail either, with the nearest blue sign perhaps less than 5 kilometers away as the crow flies, but it is crossed by both the red (larger landscape unit) and green (smaller landscape unit) signs.
But what are those "hooks" ("Horog" in Hungarian)?
The grassy hilly landscape is cut by deep, densely wooded ravines and gorges, these are the so-called hooks. If you're not familiar with the area, you may be in for a nasty surprise. Last winter, a thick fog descended on the hills and visibility was zero (@fairyberry/monomad-tuned-for-winter). I was not only a little bit scared, but, thanks to my instinct, I found the blue signs, which led me to a village called Kincsesbánya.
This time I wanted to get back to Csór in a straight line, because I thought it would be so easy and fast, but I couldn't see the precipice in the cover of the hills. Fortunately I was careful and spotted it in time. I was forced to take a huge detour in difficult terrain.
Just this morning, my coach, who I used to go to Curves training with, told me that two cyclists recently got lost in that area and "mountain rescuers" were sent out to find them. The cyclists had GPS, which they trusted too much, when they should have trusted their own common sense and instincts instead. There shouldn't be a GPS signal on the bottom of a hook like that!
With the following pictures I'm not telling a story, but I'm trying to give back the feeling. The great feeling of freedom! I also imagined what it would be like to gallop through this landscape on horseback, or soar over it like a bird!
The hillside next to the village is mostly planted with pine trees, but they are now in decline due to the very dry climate.
This is the root of a pine tree
The trunk of a pine tree was charred. Was it struck by lightning? I saw no burn marks around it. Miraculously, the tree is still alive.
One of the distinctive "hooks" in the distance
A strange, furry plant
From the edge of Szenes-horog (Charcoal Hook), you have a beautiful view of the other side.
The name refers to the fact that charcoal used to be burnt here.
This is the inside of the hook, with a path running along it.
The hilltops are dry savannahs, where the rain brings beautiful flowers.
Száraz-horog (Dry Hook). I wandered around for a long time before I found the entrance, but getting out towards Csór was not easy either.
It's still early autumn, and the foliage is even less colorful now. In a few more weeks, the glowing red of sumac will shine on the white rocks. I will go back there!