Early spring and spring in the Tatra Mountains
Spring is in Poland the time of holidays and related so-called “long weekends”. First Easter, later a traditional picnic in the first days of May, then a mobile Pentecost and Corpus Christi – every occasion is good, to take a few days of leave of absence to ensure even a week of rest. Many people choose Zakopane for this purpose. It is still theoretically before the season, there are no crowds, and yet the spring, the sun, finally dominates the green color, not white. So let’s go to Zakopane, let’s go through the green meadows and valleys, breathe the warm, fresh air, watch the herds of sheep with small lambs … From everywhere you are tempted by offers of various trips and hiking camps, from March decorated with pictures of mountains in full sun – nothing, just use.
Stop. Let’s not be fooled. Such offers are unfair. And dangerous. Spring in Warsaw or Cracow is completely different than spring in Zakopane. And this one has little to do with spring in the Tatras. This in the mountain, it’s just winter. We do not want to disgust anyone here of coming to Zakopane before the season. On the contrary, it’s a great idea. But, for safety you need to know what to be ready for, what to let go. In the chronicles of the Tatra Volunteer Ambulance you can read almost every day about tourists who were desperate to make their first spring trip to the Tatras, ignored the completely winter weather and suffered to less or more serious accidents or frostbites.
Of course, in the lower, forest part of the Tatra Mountains, we can notice the signs of spring even in the middle of February. The first shy buds will appear, later the catkins. In April, a white butterbur flourishes everywhere. Pretty soon we will also notice butterflies, bumblebees, blackbirds will wake us in the morning before sunrise. It’s all true. At the same time, the path at which the first spring flowers bloom will be covered with extremely slippery, soggy snow, freezing in the evening into an ice crust. And if there was heavy snowfall in the winter, in the valley Dolina Pieciu Stawow or at Hala Gasienicowa, its two-meter layer will still be lying. The snow lies in shady places and in the forest even in June, although it is already very warm – which is worth considering when choosing shoes for a trip. If we go in the spring (in winter outfits and equipment) over one of the Tatra lakes, let’s become absolutely familiar with the Tatra National Park message on the stability of the ice cover and do not ignore the ban on walking on the surface of the pond, even if it seems white and frozen.
Let’s also remember about the closure of trails at dusk, which is effective from March 1. Despite the winter weather, animals feel the spring, they wake up and the night is their time for feeding and mating. We also keep up to date on the availability of routes. Some, usually made available in the warm seasons, can be closed and continued in the winter bypass – for example, the trail through Swistowka Roztocka.
If we dream of staying in one of the mountain shelters, make sure that we do not get just for the time of renovation, similarly check the messages about the lift to Kasprowy Wierch. Spring is the time of reviews, renovations – everyone is preparing for the summer season, when there will be no time for such things.
Spring in Podhale is also the time of flowering crocuses. Most of them are in the Chocholowska Valley and every year there is a kind of collective madness for a week or two. Delicate flowers are guarded by volunteers who make sure that they are not trampled by thousands of people who want to take a picture with a purple flower carpet in the background. In addition to this valley, we can also find them on the Polana Kalatowki, Polana Kopieniec, Gubalowka near Furmanowa, and in Zakopane on Harenda around the museum – they appear there the earliest. It happens, however, that the flowers newly grown from the ground are covered with snow and although they are resistant to frost, they cannot survive long in such conditions.
However, do not resign from trips. Appropriately (that is, in a winter-style) dressed and equipped we can experience wonderful days in the Tatras. A day is longer than in winter, the sun operates harder, temperatures are higher – it is beautiful. We invite you to look at the photo gallery, they will say even more than words.
Anna Markiewicz
