On the Way to Chatka Puchatka
Our first hike in the Bieszczady Mountains was up to Chatka Puchatka. It was, not to be overly dramatic, the advent of a love story.
After our initial ascent, we hiked almost entirely shrouded in mists. It was a mystical, magical introduction to these peaks.
Chatka Puchatka (which translates to the House at Pooh Corner) is the playful name for this highest mountain shelter in the Beiszczady. Everything about Chatka Puchatka is a little unexpected. It began its life as an army shelter but was soon turned over to the Polish hiking association (PTTK). It was summarily abandoned, with no one invested in its upkeep. For years it suffered the abuse of both weather and unruly hikers. In 1967 one man stepped in to be its overseer, and has stood at that post for the next 50+ years. This post has more information on the history of the shelter as well as another recommended route.
Our introduction to the shelter was gradual and enigmatic. A few yards from its walls, we could see only the vaguest of outlines.
The defining influence at first was the unrelenting wind. Standing, feet planted against the gusts, there is a particular feeling of freedom, amplified by the impenetrable mist.
I had read that there is no electricity or running water in the shelter. “That’s fine”, my planning brain thought, “we’ll bring our own water, and electricity isn’t a real need in the middle of a hike”. And, while all of that is true, it did not properly prepare me for walking into the shelter.
The entrance is through a windowless stone corridor. Not even the filtered light from the entrance permeated more than a foot or two. Surprised hikers fumbled with cell phones to use as flashlights to navigate the narrow path and uneven flooring.
Once birthed from the corridor we tumbled into the main room of the hut. Small windows high on the back wall provide all the meager light in the room. Benches line the narrow space, providing the tiniest of egresses to the shelter store. Closeted behind a wall with a tiny opening for orders, the store offers a small variety of snacks that require no electricity to provide. Strangely, this claustrophobic space breeds a sense of union, the gloom achieving a feeling of the communal.
Hike Details
Our Route
The yellow trail is the most direct and fastest path to Chatka Puchatka. But, we chose to take the red trail up and the yellow trail down, so we could see both. If I had it to do again I would take the red trail both ways. The yellow is the fastest because it goes directly to the shelter, so it is almost entirely wooded ascent. The yellow trail also has a substantial ascent through the forest, but then it opens into Połonina Wetlińska. Even in the mist, the połoniny are the real treasure of these hikes.
Time
The map lists this as a 2 hour and 15 minute hike: 1 1/2 hours up, 45 minutes down. We like to take it easy so everyone is enjoying the hike so our total time was 3 hours: 2 hours up, 1 hour down.
Hiking Fee
You need to pay a nominal hiking fee at a booth at the base of the hike. When we were there it cost 6 zł for full price tickets and 3 zł for reduced (youth and seniors). Make sure you bring cash to pay these and the parking fee. It’s always preferably if you have smaller change, as they will have limited supplies of change.
Parking
We parked at parking lot at Brzegi Górne. The entrance to the red trail is easy to find at the corner of the parking lot. When we were there the parking fee for a car was 15 zł for the day. Again, this will need to be paid in cash.
The yellow trail leads to the parking lot at Przełęcz Wyżna. This is the busiest parking lot in the Bieszczady. There are a few huts selling trinkets and drinks here. During the day, in the summer, there may be food trailers selling kielbasa. There were a plethora of private “buses”, which are individual drivers in vans. You can wait until one fills up and pay per person, or, in the case of a group as large as ours, just hire one. It cost us cost 20 zł to rent a van to take us back to our car at the Brzegi Górne lot.
Facilities
As I mentioned, there is no bathroom, running water or electricity in the shelter. The sign says that there is a toilet at a viewpoint another 20 minutes from the shelter. We didn’t go on so I can’t speak to its condition.
There is a free toilet at the parking lot at Brzegi Górne. It has running water, including a sink. But, it’s wise to bring your own soap and toilet paper as you probably won’t find any there. The toilets are open only during working hours. I didn’t see the exact hours posted anywhere, but they were generally closed by the time we got down from our hikes in the late afternoon/early evenings.
