About

This is me. Sturdy Girl. Lovingly named by my big brother many years ago when I realised that I’m never going to be a catwalk model, but then, who wants to be? But I do want to be healthy and have developed a passion for walking and that’s what this blog is all about.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Walking in Narnia.

'And huddled in their warmest coats, they stepped from the back of the bus and gazed upon the magical, enchanted land of Narnia...erm...I mean Szczawnica!'

What an amazing five days I've just had. Leaving a snowy Heathrow last Thursday I had no idea what lay in store for me. I've never been winter walking at home, never mind somewhere like Poland and so I've spent the past week in a constant state of awe, surprise and reverie. The very long journey there and back (don't mention the delays!) was worth it.

Day One - Walking in the Dunajec Gorge and Snow Shoeing
We traveled by bus over the border into Slovakia and then walked back to Poland via the Dunajec Gorge, part of the Pieniny Way and a conservation area. I have never seen so much snow and walking along with the river gently flowing, trees heavy with their diamond encrusted jackets, iridescent in the sunlight and with a small, friendly group of fellow walkers I felt so happy and alive! It took a while to get used to walking on the snow and I soon learnt not to be complacent; the Karrimor's have started to bed in and the grip on them was fantastic. Our guide, Andre, was a wealth of information and very knowledgeable about local wildlife and pointed out different animal tracks in the snow. I can now confidently identify fox, squirrel, wild boar, roe deer, red deer and duck. So, in the unlikely event of being stranded in a snow bound gorge, I should be able to locate the local inhabitants and take lots of pretty pictures whilst I wait for mountain rescue - not capable of anything else, no matter how many Ray Mears programmes I watch! We were walking for about 2 1/2 hours, around 8km and for me it was over far too soon. In the afternoon we donned the snow shoes and headed for the summit of Palenica just on the outskirts of town. At 722m this would be my highest point so far. I was feeling rather nervous about the excursion as the idea of anything remotely like skiing has always terrified me, but as soon as we got the kit and started to sort ourselves out I felt the excitement growing and once I'd managed to strap myself in I found the walking incredibly easy. There wasn't really enough snow to walk properly but we did it anyway and it was great fun. To be able to tackle icy paths without the fear of sliding back down meant we could actually enjoy the stunning scenery. It was late afternoon, the sun cast a deep golden glow on the distant mountains and below, the lights in the town twinkled in the haze of the frosty air. Amazing. On reaching the summit there was no time to pause for thought as the plan was to take the ski lift back down and it was about to close. Not being fond of heights I was dreading this - really dreading it, but one of my fellow group members came to my rescue and accompanied me down, calming me and focusing me until I accepted that we weren't going to plummet to our deaths, once we got the safety bar down of course! I finally relaxed, much to the relief of my companion, and then actually quite enjoyed it - but glad to get off again. In the evening we were taken for a sleigh ride in the forest - Narnia style, with horse drawn sleighs, jingling through the icy waste, lit by burning torches, swishing along paths, through streams until turning around in a star-lit clearing where we stopped for some very welcome hot spiced wine. After the ride we had a BBQ. Yep, in the outside. It's O.K. - it was only -12! Quite exhilarating. When we finaly got back to the hotel I was still too full of puppy energy to sleep and so went for another walk back into the town and along the river, watching the moonbeams dancing on the crystallised water. Walking along, listening to the sound of my own breathing and the soft crunch of foot on snow was quite something.


Day Two - A change of plan!
We had hoped to walk to the summit of 'The Three Crowns' which stands just over 900m high. Unfortunately, the weather had closed in and there was heavy snow. Andre had no choice but to abandon this plan as, with a mixed ability group, we could end up in risky situations and not having a terribly good time. No problem with that in my mind and the rest of the group were also happy with this decision. It was, afterall, the sensible one. I was disappointed on one level but was just as happy with the idea of another valley walk. Andre promised it would be beautiful with stunning views and he wasn't fibbing! From the minute we got off of the bus at the start of the route I was speechless (yes...really!) and spent the next couple of hours walking in another world. A silent, peaceful, beautiful world. It was one of the most exciting and breathtaking things I have done so far. And that's when I knew I was hooked. On snow, on winter walking, on all things icy and on the mountains. I'm going to have to develop some winter walking skills as the apparent risks are multitude but wow - what a feeling. We ascended quite a few wooden steps and rocky slopes so coming back down was great fun - slip sliding around, the sound of giggles echoing through the valley every now and again followed by a call of 'Uwaga' (which generally means something along the lines of 'look out', 'warning' 'avalanche' etc) and the occasional 'Um Bongo' - snow madness I think! I did manage to execute an amazing 360 degree turn at one point on some hidden ice and if it hadn't been for the pair of walking poles I'd been loaned (we all had) I would probably have gone for a nice, icy slide down the path. Best couple of hours walking so far.

In the afternoon we had some free time. Not enough snow for snowmobiling so was convinced to have a go at skiing. Yes, despite the fear I rose to the challenge, hired an instructor and took to the slopes. Spent the next hour in agony, falling over quite a lot and laughing hysterically. I did eventually learn how to stop, when I could be convinced to move in the first place, and could turn to the right but failed miserably to turn to the left, ending up instead lying on the snow giggling. The lesson over I went for a hot beer (great stuff) and watched Will, my play mate for the afternoon and fellow walker, swishing down the slopes. He seemed to make it look easy - quite envious! I did have another little go on my own whilst I was waiting for him to finish his runs and did manage to move, fall over, end up in the netting and the finally, finally, go in the right direction and turn a couple of times. Do I dare confess this....I actually enjoyed it. And it was nice to have someone to chat about it with afterwards while enjoying another beer. Thanks to all in the group for encouraging me and for Will for putting up with me and keeping me company - great fun.

Sadly, that was it for proper walking and activities, the rest of the trip was a bit of cultural sightseeing and then home but I'd accomplished my mission. I'd gone on this trip as an introduction to snowy, winter walking activities to see if I actually enjoyed them and had the fitness and ability to cope with them. I now know that I love playing in the snow, that I'm fitter than I thought I was and that my kit is now doing exactly what I want it to. This is definitely an aspect of hill walking that I want to develop and hope to visit some other mountain ranges over time, including the Tatras, but no rush - as and when I'm ready and can afford it. I also really enjoyed walking in a small group, which is something I'm not used to. Being with like minded people, each with their own particular interests, qualities, experience and dreams was really lovely. I've already said before how I know I'm going to meet some special people on my journey over the coming year and this trip was no exception. I did meet some very, very special people and I hope we'll stay in touch and maybe even go out walking and playing. It was quite sad saying goodbye to them all at the airport and a part of me wonders if I will ever see them again. I hope so - I really do.


So, January started off pretty appallingly for me but I've been able to get in some great training walks, work out some equipment problems, share my local route with my best friend, be blown away by my Polish adventure and met some potential new friends and playmates. What more could I want - apart from more walking opportunities. February is upon us and I'm off to Sussex this weekend to catch up with an old friend. Hope to take in at least one walk whilst I'm there but will probably return later in the month to do a couple of days on the South Downs. The adventure continues......

All for now.

Sturdy Girl