Winter in the Mountains, My First Time

Winter has arrived. Although it's not yet visible in the city, in the mountains it has settled in for good. The remnants of unused holiday leave practically smile out from the calendar and beg to be used. If you don't like crowded trails and value quiet and peace, you should head to the mountains in winter. And ideally to the Polish Tatras.

In the mountains at this time of year there's plenty of snow and ice. Without warm clothing and a bit of experience, you shouldn't push for the summits. In places it can get really dangerous, and on top of that the weather can be very capricious. Frequent fogs and snowfall greatly limit our visibility.

Deep blankets of snow slow our hike down considerably. If we're moving along more frequented trails, the snow will be well packed down by tourists and the walk up into the mountains very pleasant.

In winter you can also meet quite a few animals on the trails. Those that haven't gone into hibernation are very happy to pose for photos. Squirrels practically climb onto your hands to help themselves to nuts. The nutcrackers I came across by Morskie Oko were very curious about the camera lens.

High in the mountains you can encounter a very strong, gusty wind that chills you very quickly. On the way to Świnica, it was exactly this kind of wind that made my hike very difficult, causing a blizzard and greatly lowering the temperature. The beautiful views, however, made up for these inconveniences.

Coming down from the mountains towards evening, we can observe quickly forming fogs that cling to the valley floors. It's very easy to get lost in the fog, so you shouldn't stray from the trails.

The mountains in winter are magical. If you don't like walks in the snow, you can always have some mulled wine in a mountain town, or take a ride on a sleigh pulled by a team of horses.