Kamenná, trip for chamois
About three kilometres south of Strašice we can see one of the dominant peaks of the Brda Mountains, Kamenna. The name is really not surprising. The top of the two-peaked mountain is full of scattered stones.
The stones on the top of Kamenná are sometimes unstable and overgrown with vegetation, which does not prevent the giant beech trees from making a place for their centuries-old life. From the southern summit, a nice view of the opposite hill Kočka (789 m) opens up across the deep valley of the Padrťský brook.
We will go to Kamenná on foot, preferably wearing sturdy shoes to protect our ankles and trekking poles for better support when walking in the rocky terrain. We can start our journey, for example, from the Třítrubecký Chateau, following the yellow trail that starts here. If we have enough time, we will not miss the short marked turn to the right, which after about 200 metres will lead us to the Třítrubecký (Brauchitsch) lookout point, which is definitely worth a visit.
But let's go back to the yellow light. Walking along it, we will pass another interesting Brda locality on the left, namely the Folded Rock (since it is below us in the forest, not visible from the road, we would have to descend to it).
The yellow trail will lead us below the eastern or southeastern slopes of Kamenná. From here, at a convenient point, we must leave the marked path and head up to the summit through open forest or some suitable forest access route. We may be able to find an ancient unmaintained and unmarked bridleway that climbs steeply along the right edge of a large clearing almost to the southern summit. It is not a bad idea to use GPS in the uncluttered and rocky summit.
The south summit is lower (733 m) but much more interesting. We find a wild folded rock on it and on the southeastern edge a rocky clearing opens up with a wonderful view across a deep valley to the opposite Kočka and the ridge to the south. Interestingly, the top of the tower seems to peek out from the top of Kočka through the trees. But this is just an optical illusion. The top of Kočka is 2.5 km away (there is no tower here), while the tower with the weather radar, located on top of Praga, is still about three kilometres behind it.
The northern peak (736 m) is about 250 m north of the southern one. A typical triangulation bar and a table with the peak designation can be found on it. If you walk northwest along the ridge about 100 m from here, you will find a stone field below you. From here we can see the village of Strašice among the trees and the town of Mýto in the distance behind it.
From the top we can go down the northern slopes for a change. There are several old and unmaintained forest paths. We can use these to reach the paved forest road called Planýrka II and return to the starting point by circling around it. Planýrka II starts at the Padrťský brook, about 700 m below the Třítrubecký Chateau.
Jaroslav Hodrment
