Babia Góra

While recently cycling with a friend late one evening, the thought occurred to me: it would be great to be in the mountains. So we decided to plan something. My friend notified two of his friends, and the group was ready to go. It was supposed to be a camping trip, with Babia Góra as the destination. Everything was agreed upon and planned. I wake up, it's before five in the morning, May 1st. I have half an hour to pack the last of my things and meet my friend (whom I've known since elementary school) at the bus stop, where we should take a bus to Katowice. It just so happens that the bus stop is practically in front of my window, so I had no trouble making it. After a while, Banan showed up. We boarded the bus and left. I was feeling terrible, as I was going through a bit of a crisis. Plus, I had no idea who I was actually traveling with, as I only knew Banan. Anyway, we arrived in Katowice, where I met my traveling companions. From there, we set off in a Seat Cordoba towards the mountains. I've always wanted to drive a Seat, because it's a Spanish car (and I like Spanish football clubs, hence the sentiment). We drove along, jazz music playing from the speakers. Eventually, we approached Ujsoły, and eventually Glinka, where the ride ended and the trail began. The owner of the car, Andrzej, myself, Banan, and Damian set off on the trail, while Gucio drove back because he had to get to work. He wouldn't pick us up until the next day, but in a slightly different location and at our request, i.e., on his cell phone. As for the weather, it was very sunny and the sky was cloudless. The trail started quite steeply, as after just a few minutes, we faced a steep climb. As a result, we took a five-minute break. But there's no such thing as that; we had to keep going. And so we walked through mountains, forests, and rivers, passing other hikers along the way and greeting each other, which was very pleasant. The panorama was beautiful, as was the smell of the forest. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me, but I'll have photos anyway. How is that possible? Well, Andrzej had a camera ;) The physical exertion was taking its toll on us with every passing moment, so we had to take breaks. One of our first summits was the summit of Trzy Kopce. I'd been there before... And when we reached a shelter, we ordered something to eat – I had baked beans and chocolate to wash it down. During one break, Banan asked Andrzej, "How much further down the trail we have?" And he replied: -Fuck, don't ask. And as far as I know, it was recorded on a dictaphone and might make an MP3 of it. But it sounded so funny that we laughed a little. And when we were walking towards Hala Miziowa, we saw snow... At first, we tried to walk sideways, but after falling ankle-deep in mud a few times, we didn't care anymore. It was the same with mud and puddles. My shoes were a real flood – it's a shame I only had one pair. And while we were walking in the "winter zone," there was a small waterfall along the way that we had to somehow get through, on these slippery rocks (all around it was white). Unfortunately, Banan didn't make it... He fell off the waterfall into the water, onto the rocks. Fortunately, he wasn't seriously hurt, just a little bruised. We kept trudging along until we reached the border crossing (well, we were still walking along the border) and wondering where to pitch our tents. I bought two ice creams at the border shop to cool off. We walked the road towards Korbielów, looking for a place to camp. Along the way, an Enduro motorcycle with a border guard on it pulled up beside us and asked what we were looking for. When we told him, he advised us against pitching up there, as we might get fined. It was getting darker and we searched for a spot without success. However, everyone refused. So Andrzej called a highlander friend from Korbielów, and he came to pick us up in his car. He let us camp on his farm. We were very tired. However, we still built a fire – quite quickly, as the gasoline burns well – and ate sausages. And then I looked at the stars, and there were so many of them. There were also tons of satellites, even several at once. We also saw an interesting phenomenon, some strange flash... But luckily, aliens didn't abduct us ;-) I looked everywhere for the moon, but it was nowhere to be seen. It must have hidden behind the mountains and trees. Then we extinguished the fire and went to sleep. A different place, closer contact with nature, that whole atmosphere... Exactly... That often makes you reflect on life—at least for me. Transience, this whole world—it all seems so strange and mysterious. Instead of going on this May long weekend, I should be studying for my final exams. But is the final exam the most important thing? Yes, it's important, but is it the most important thing? After all, the world wouldn't collapse if I passed it later. Many people are busy with their responsibilities, constantly rushing, and miss out on what's most important. And what's most important? I think you know. And if not, go to the mountains and look at the stars, get closer to nature... And these kinds of thoughts were, among others, on my mind before bed. And as I drifted off to sleep, I could still hear the murmur of the stream flowing nearby. A new day had arrived. I woke up in a foul mood again, and when I thought about how far we had to go today, that the worst was yet to come, I lost my appetite. The weather, like the day before, was full of sunshine.The highlanders were very hospitable; in the morning they invited us to their table for tea. They also arranged a place for us to stay overnight, and the host even came to pick us up. During breakfast that morning, an elderly highlander woman told us various stories about the town. For example, about a drug addict who killed someone at a disco, or about friends in Silesia, or about Miss Podbeskidzie, who lived a house away. And by the time we packed up our tents and started our journey, it was around 11 a.m. We said goodbye to the highlanders, thanked them for their hospitality, and set off again. Things got tough again. Banan and I eventually separated from the rest, as our pace was faster. There were climbs that made us increasingly despair. Our feet were raw, itchy, and aching, as were our shoulders, and the sun was beating down on us; we were drenched in sweat and exhausted. Just like the day before, we passed a lot of tourists, and despite the effort, everyone said "hello" with a smile. It's truly a beautiful custom. A tourist joined us, also heading to Babia Góra. And even though he was from Łódź, he knew a lot about the mountains. We hiked with him, sometimes without him. Either he caught up with us, or we and Banan caught up with him. We reached a pass and decided to take a half-hour break there to eat something and rest a bit, as the most difficult part of the trip was approaching. I offered some ladyfingers to those who were also resting there, and then ate the rest myself :-) Half an hour passed, and it was time to go. Banan and I were a little worried, as our companions weren't with us yet. We walked, and not only was the ascent long and steep, but it was also snow-covered. Our boots, of course, were completely wet from the icy water. We took increasingly frequent short breaks to catch our breath. Our muscles were sore. We wondered how it would all end, because, as people said, it would still be about three hours to Babia, and our energy was dwindling. We also didn't know where our friends were, where they were, or whether they or we would make it. We didn't rule out an extra night in the mountains. However, with our strength in reserve, we slowly pressed forward. As we approached Mała Babia, we managed to send them a text message. The wind was incredibly strong on Mała Babia, creating a completely different atmosphere. From there, it was an hour to Babia... So, we decided that since we were already here, we had to climb Babia at all costs. We set off with the guy from Łódź. More snow, slippery conditions, and wind. Try to imagine and feel it: damp shoes, exhaustion, blisters, etc. A magnificent panorama stretched all around, which was undoubtedly a delight for us. We were getting closer. Once again, "our" Łódź native was left behind, while we, determined to keep moving forward. Towards the end, there was still a very steep and slippery ascent, full of snow, which was very difficult to climb. We took a few falls. Once we had overcome this section with the greatest difficulty, the going was a bit better, now that it was snow-free.The wind was even stronger than on Mała Babia. I had to balance my body weight to avoid falling over. And honestly, I felt like I was on another planet, because there were no trees at the top anymore, just lots of rocks and dirt—completely different than before. When we almost reached the very top, we still had to climb over rocks—a true survival. And finally, we reached the summit: Babia Góra was ours. Banan and I high-fived and found a place to rest. It was 5 p.m. by then. The wind was unbearable, so like other tourists, we took shelter behind a stone wall (Diablak) that protected us from the wind. We made ourselves a small snack and drank the last of our water. After a while, a man from Łódź appeared. And we still didn't know what had happened to Andrzej and Damian. I didn't have a field in my cell phone; only when I gave it to Banan did he walk around the summit a bit and find it. We received a late text message saying they were somewhere near Mała Babia. But when would they be back, if ever? We decided to wait... More than half an hour passed, and they still weren't there. We said goodbye to the Łódź man, who was already planning to return, and told him that if he recognized them, he should give us a sign. We wished each other luck and said goodbye. A moment later, our friends appeared at the summit, which raised our hopes of returning home. We stayed there for another half hour, our muscles stiffening a bit, and we set off back up Mała Babia. The wind blew my sleeping mat away, and it seemed I'd never get it back, as it flew toward the cliff. However, after a few meters, I spotted a piece of it, dropped my backpack, and started chasing the mat. I heard Banan laughing. Apparently, I looked like an eagle. But the rock-jumping was worth it, as I managed to retrieve it. What you wouldn't do for a sleeping pad ;-) And my friends were betting on whether I'd tumble down or not ;-) Well, they put the sleeping pad in my backpack and we continued on. Snow appeared again, and the descent was steep, and we had to fall a few times. Once we reached Mała Babia, we took a fork to Zawoja Widły. It started out okay, until the snow came back. We were following the trail and next to it was a sinusoidal drop. That's not an exaggeration! A young man wearing skis was standing over it. He spat, and then immediately skied down the drop on his skis. We were, to put it mildly, a little shocked. I wouldn't have believed it until I saw it. Małysz had never skied down anything that steep. I wouldn't have dared to even go down it on my butt. It was incredible. And when he got to the bottom, I applauded. After this surprise, we continued on... We had to go down a steep slope again, Damian slipped and went down a bit. Then Andrzej followed, and I was right behind him. And that part was like this. I ignored everything, and every time there was a hill, I'd sit on my butt and slide down a few meters, and that was it, several times. It was really cool,Although once there was a bend and I didn't know what was beyond it, I was a little apprehensive. We reached another shelter, took a break for food, and filled our water bottles. The water was definitely cleaner than the snow I'd swallowed earlier – I was very thirsty. In the shelter, I met a man from Łódź who admitted he was a bit worried about us, whether we'd even find our friends and get home. This time, I finally said goodbye to him and wished him luck. He wished me the same. Perhaps we'll meet again on the trail someday... Right next to this shelter, there was a rescue hut. We looked, and there was a familiar face – that crazy skier… It turned out to be a rescuer. There was also a group of people in the shelter who were already getting ready to continue, and Damian said, "Go ahead." One of us asked – why? Damian said that if they'd gone ahead of us on this trail, we could have farted ;-) There were many such silly, yet funny, lines, and I don't remember them all. Dusk was approaching, and we still had to cover the last stretch of the road to Zawoja. Gucio was already on his way to pick us up... We walked through the forest until it finally got dark. It was 9 PM when we reached the last bus stop. We sat down on benches. Banan even spread out a sleeping bag on the ground and wrapped himself in it. Somewhere nearby, near the forest, I noticed a hedgehog running. The sky was full of stars, and I saw another satellite. And again, there was no moon. And again, I started to wonder what the point was. Suddenly, something was coming in the distance; we were convinced it was Gucio. But then it turned out to be the last bus. It brought a drunken man, who approached us and started telling us a story. After a while, he went home. Finally, Gucio showed up. He was late because he'd taken a wrong turn and had to turn back. It was probably 10 PM. Barely alive, we got back into the car and left. The radio was playing, there was some nice music, I was looking at the stars from the car again, and it was great. Luckily, we got home. It was about half an hour after midnight. I ate something, took a shower (ouch, everything itched), and went to bed. Now I have to comb my hair because it's getting matted like my dog's. And I'd hate to cut it, since I've been breeding it for three years. The last time I had a May Day weekend like this in the mountains was two years ago. Except this time it was quite a struggle. Oh well, all I have left now is to study for my final exams...And there was a familiar face – that crazy skier... It turned out he was a rescuer. There was also a group of people in the shelter, already getting ready to go on, and Damian said, "Go ahead." One of us asked, "Why?" Damian said that if they'd gone ahead on this trail, we could have farted ;-) There were many such stupid, yet funny, lines, and I don't remember them all. It was approaching dusk, and we still had the last leg of the journey to Zawoja. Gucio was already on his way to pick us up... We walked along through the forest until it finally got dark. It was 9 PM when we reached the last bus stop. We sat down on benches. Banan even spread out his sleeping bag on the ground and wrapped himself in it. Somewhere nearby, near the forest, I noticed a hedgehog running. The sky was full of stars, and I saw another satellite. And again, there was no moon. And I started to wonder again. Suddenly, something was coming in the distance, and we were convinced it was Gucio. It turned out to be the last PKS bus. It brought some drunk guy who approached us and started telling us a story. After a while, he went home. Finally, Gucio showed up. He was late because he'd taken a wrong turn and had to go back. It was probably 10 p.m. Barely alive, we got in the car and off we went. The radio was playing some nice music, I was looking at the stars from the car again, and it was a blast. Luckily, we got home. It was about half an hour after midnight. I ate something, took a shower (ouch, everything itched), and went to bed. Now I have to comb my hair because it's getting matted like my dog's. And I'd hate to cut it, since I've been breeding it for three years. The last time I had a May Day weekend like that in the mountains was two years ago. Except that was quite a struggle. Oh well, all I have left now is to study for my final exams...And there was a familiar face – that crazy skier... It turned out he was a rescuer. There was also a group of people in the shelter, already getting ready to go on, and Damian said, "Go ahead." One of us asked, "Why?" Damian said that if they'd gone ahead on this trail, we could have farted ;-) There were many such stupid, yet funny, lines, and I don't remember them all. It was approaching dusk, and we still had the last leg of the journey to Zawoja. Gucio was already on his way to pick us up... We walked along through the forest until it finally got dark. It was 9 PM when we reached the last bus stop. We sat down on benches. Banan even spread out his sleeping bag on the ground and wrapped himself in it. Somewhere nearby, near the forest, I noticed a hedgehog running. The sky was full of stars, and I saw another satellite. And again, there was no moon. And I started to wonder again. Suddenly, something was coming in the distance, and we were convinced it was Gucio. It turned out to be the last PKS bus. It brought some drunk guy who approached us and started telling us a story. After a while, he went home. Finally, Gucio showed up. He was late because he'd taken a wrong turn and had to go back. It was probably 10 p.m. Barely alive, we got in the car and off we went. The radio was playing some nice music, I was looking at the stars from the car again, and it was a blast. Luckily, we got home. It was about half an hour after midnight. I ate something, took a shower (ouch, everything itched), and went to bed. Now I have to comb my hair because it's getting matted like my dog's. And I'd hate to cut it, since I've been breeding it for three years. The last time I had a May Day weekend like that in the mountains was two years ago. Except that was quite a struggle. Oh well, all I have left now is to study for my final exams...Barely alive, we got into the car and off we went. The radio was playing some nice music, and I was looking at the stars from the car again, and it was great. Luckily, we got home. It was about half an hour after midnight. I ate something, took a shower (ouch, everything itched), and went to bed. Now I have to comb my hair because it's gotten all tangled up, like my dog's. And it would be a shame to cut it, since I've been breeding it for three years. The last time I had a May Day weekend like this in the mountains was two years ago. Except this time it was quite a struggle. Oh well, all I have left now is to study for my final exams...Barely alive, we got into the car and off we went. The radio was playing some nice music, and I was looking at the stars from the car again, and it was great. Luckily, we got home. It was about half an hour after midnight. I ate something, took a shower (ouch, everything itched), and went to bed. Now I have to comb my hair because it's gotten all tangled up, like my dog's. And it would be a shame to cut it, since I've been breeding it for three years. The last time I had a May Day weekend like this in the mountains was two years ago. Except this time it was quite a struggle. Oh well, all I have left now is to study for my final exams...