Yesterday (9th September) we again set out to complete the next part of our trail (20,4km, +861m/-968m, 7h). It was HARD. Very hard.

Our day started with getting up late - 7:07 train out - and missing the next train too - 8:07 train out too... Then we bought our breakfast and waited for the 9:07 train to leave to where we last left off, Kóspallag. We were sleepy, cranky and full of doubts. To make matters worse, when we got to the bus stop after getting off the train, we saw that the bus was going to come in an hour. At this point we were at a 3-hour delay.

While we were sitting at the bus stop, however, a small miracle happened. An elderly couple stopped by and picked us up, saying that they lived in the town we were heading to. The man was paying attention to driving, but the lady talked about how they had walked the same trail before and it had led them to end up living in that small town. With their help, we saved some time and had a nice chat.

After we started hiking, the good mood turned to serious faces, deep breaths and frequent stops. The steep mountain just didn't want to end. Km after km we kept climbing upward, without any hope for some downhill.

When we felt like we had to breathe through every possible hole in our bodies, we got to the top of a mountain, believing it to be the end of our crawl upwards. But man, were we wrong. That tourist house was only one of 3 consecutive peaks, one higher than the other.

After the difficulty of climbing up and up and up and up..., we finally started our descent - that was just as steep and painful. After another hour of walking, we suddenly realised that the last reasonably timed train home left at 18:43, so we had to make good time. This was the moment when we kept quiet and walked. 4km, 8, then 12km until the little town of Nógrád, where even the ticket lady of the station was on weekend holiday.

Not minding anything now, only wanting to get home, we finished our food, waited for the train and headed home, satisfied with the day's result.