Černé Jezero

Since last Friday, it rained every day in the Czech Republic; it was awful. However, the rain on Saturday held off until the afternoon so that Jana, Rudolf, and I could go hiking in the Šumava mountains.

Rudolf tried to pick some berries along the way, but discovered they weren't quite ripe just yet.

Our first destination was Černé Jezero, or the Blake Lake. Although it was a damp, cold, and windy day, we didn't actually feel it until we got to the lake and were no longer protected by the trees.

It was 3.5km from the beginning of the trail to the Black Lake, 

which took us roughly 45 minutes to hike.

Me, Rudolf, Jana

Of course, there were plenty of ducks there, too!

Ducks

Then, since it didn't start raining yet, we decided to continue on our journey. Jana found some mushrooms along the way. Actually, "mushrooming" is quite popular here in the summer and fall. Mushrooms require humid weather to grow, and are used in many soups and meals. Jana knows a lot about the mushrooms as she used to go with her grandmother all the time.

She knew these ones were safe to eat due to its shape and size. Also, if you turn the mushroom over and rub your finger along it, the mushroom will turn a blue color.

These ones, although pretty, are highly poisonous, so of course we didn't pick them!

Our next stop was the waterfall, but I should warn you that this is no Niagara Falls. This waterfall is the second highest in the Czech Republic, with a height of 14m. I was slightly disappointed.

From the Black Lake to the waterfall it was 4km, which took us just over an hour to hike.

 Although small, it was still a pretty sight. Overall, we hiked 15km, or 9.3 miles, which took us nearly 4 hours. We were definitely sore by the end, and unfortunately, it rained on us for the last 20 minutes of our hike. I'd say we we lucked-out overall!