In Norway they say there is no such thing like bad weather, only bad clothing. No wonder they stick to this mantra, otherwise their life would be very much limited to a comfy sofa in front of a fire place. We decided to apply this wisdom and go hiking in the Tatra mountains in early January, despite the cold and snow around.
We got to Zakopane in the Tatra mountains and started the route in the parking place of Wierch Poroniec. We entered the green trail, which we followed through Rusinowa Polana and Gęsia Szyja up to Rówień Waksmundzka where we turned into the red trail down to Kalatówki.
The trail was challenging due to the snow level, yet very safe as it led mostly through forests where the avalanche risk is low. We could see some footprints on the snow, yet did not meet anyone throughout the whole day.
The first hour was quite demanding, leading us uphill, however, later on, the route turned out to be pleasant and sufficiently challenging as for these weather conditions. Despite the clouds, visibility from the Gęsia Szyja peak was excellent and allowed us to admire the winter beauty around us.
We took some hot tea and nutritious snacks along, yet had to pause in the Roztoka valley for one more hot drink. The mountain shelter there is of very good standard, small and cosy, making it recommendable both for eating and sleeping. Instead of spending the whole day indoors, we hiked for some good 7 hours and enjoyed authentic mountainous winter in the Tatra.
Note: make sure you have winter hiking equipment with you and allow for some flexibility in your planning in case of weather changes.
You can reach Wierch Poroniec with a shuttle bus from Zakopane station (while Zakopane is just 2 hrs bus ride away from Krakow). It’s recommended to buy the tickets to Zakopane online (e.g. Szwagropol bus line) to secure a place on the bus.
This is just a brief summary of the PL language version, focusing on key information. We are happy to elaborate upon it, share insiders’ tips, advise- just shoot a comment or an email and we’ll be happy to assist you in exploring Poland!