Glowny Szlak Beskidzki - Week 1
I had never been in Poland. It’s one of the few countries in Europe I had never visited or countless times re-visited (like the vast majority of ‘em), and there it still was… beckoning seductively from my never-ending bucket list. So if you then finally go, you make it fucking count. Especially during the notorious year of 2020, after months of frantically crawling up the walls during forced quarantine. A short burst of scarce freedom.
The longest trail of the whole damn country will do, I guess. I’m not accepting any less.
I had to leave the Swiss Alps for it (where I spent january – august), hitchhike through the entire country, traverse Liechtenstein, crawl up via the German Schwarzwald to hook onto my hiking buddy Lennart (who I met walking the 900km Camino de Santiago), zigzag to the west of Germany and finally board a €9,99-plane to Poland. Well, I’m sure there are easier ways, but when borders finally shyly open up a tad, you don’t waste a single second and travel the hell out of it, squeezing out every possible adventure… at least, that’s my natural reaction.
[Scroll down for Week 1 Tips!]
The longest trail of the whole damn country will do, I guess. I’m not accepting any less.
I had to leave the Swiss Alps for it (where I spent january – august), hitchhike through the entire country, traverse Liechtenstein, crawl up via the German Schwarzwald to hook onto my hiking buddy Lennart (who I met walking the 900km Camino de Santiago), zigzag to the west of Germany and finally board a €9,99-plane to Poland. Well, I’m sure there are easier ways, but when borders finally shyly open up a tad, you don’t waste a single second and travel the hell out of it, squeezing out every possible adventure… at least, that’s my natural reaction.
[Scroll down for Week 1 Tips!]
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Arrival: Katowice
One piece of advice: Never travel via Dortmund. Not only can this city be regarded as the dirty, wrinkled arsehole of Germany, the airport also has the nerves to kick you out into the freezing night while waiting on a plane to catch (see first video: sad). In fact, we both agreed to never set foot in this town again if not by brutal force, and upon our return preferred a 16-hours uncomfortable bus ride in fold-up position over passing through the abyss of Germany one more time. Another piece of advice: Do travel via Katowice. Even though it doesn’t have the reputation of a bubbling tourist destination, like Krakow, the city has a lot to offer to the curious yet non-suspecting visitor. Even if you only visit the Silesian Museum (Muzeum Slaskie), your efforts will be more than rewarded.
One piece of advice: Never travel via Dortmund. Not only can this city be regarded as the dirty, wrinkled arsehole of Germany, the airport also has the nerves to kick you out into the freezing night while waiting on a plane to catch (see first video: sad). In fact, we both agreed to never set foot in this town again if not by brutal force, and upon our return preferred a 16-hours uncomfortable bus ride in fold-up position over passing through the abyss of Germany one more time. Another piece of advice: Do travel via Katowice. Even though it doesn’t have the reputation of a bubbling tourist destination, like Krakow, the city has a lot to offer to the curious yet non-suspecting visitor. Even if you only visit the Silesian Museum (Muzeum Slaskie), your efforts will be more than rewarded.
Besides that, use Katowice as your last spot to buy outdoor gear, camping equipment and any other last-minute items before you start your adventure… you’re about to escape civilization, with only ini-mini villages every few days or so, and things you might consider ‘basic’ can form a quest of their own to trace ‘em down. This is also the best place to buy a Polish simcard, which can be literally life-saving (it was for me on Babia Gora – not joking).
Good to notice: The ‘official’ route goes from west to east, Ustrón – Wolosate… but because we’re disobedient and want to eat dessert first, we did it exactly the other way around from Wolosate – Ustrón.
1: Wolosate – Ustrzyki Gorne
Another travel day ahead: A bus ride from Katowice to Ustrzyki Gorne, on paper 7 hours, in reality 9. In summer season Flixbuses head for this popular tourist destination, but in September we went with Neobus, cheap rides found on the Podroznik website (select English on the top right). To not start off too roughly, we decided to plunge down our tent at Campsite Kremenaros (also offering rooms and dormitories) for 20 zloty a night (each), where we at least could enjoy some basic facilities such as warm showers and toilets.
But hey… weren’t you’re going to end in Ustrzyki Gorne? Yes. But Wolosate is only about 5KM down the road (which we hitchhiked), and the first day is some kind of loop along the Slovakian and Ukrainian border (which you MUST illegally enter for a few seconds – needless to say), ending in Ustrzyki Gorne again. A great day to slowly get into all the roughness ahead, as you can actually leave your heavy pack behind. Now I must specify that we took on an extra challenge: Where most GSB-hikers and especially day-hikers blessed themselves with a featherlight pack, we decided to grant ourselves the full-on experience of completing the entire GSB while completely submerging into nature… camping wherever seems fit. This bold decision added 16KG of luggage each on our poor backs, as not only do you need to bring your tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, cooking gear, gas, food for several days and survival equipment… more often than not we also carried along at least 3 liters of waters for cooking and consumption, as you never know when a water source will appear again (water availability is a problem on the GSB). Minus today then, as we could leave it all in the tent.
Good to notice: The ‘official’ route goes from west to east, Ustrón – Wolosate… but because we’re disobedient and want to eat dessert first, we did it exactly the other way around from Wolosate – Ustrón.
1: Wolosate – Ustrzyki Gorne
Another travel day ahead: A bus ride from Katowice to Ustrzyki Gorne, on paper 7 hours, in reality 9. In summer season Flixbuses head for this popular tourist destination, but in September we went with Neobus, cheap rides found on the Podroznik website (select English on the top right). To not start off too roughly, we decided to plunge down our tent at Campsite Kremenaros (also offering rooms and dormitories) for 20 zloty a night (each), where we at least could enjoy some basic facilities such as warm showers and toilets.
But hey… weren’t you’re going to end in Ustrzyki Gorne? Yes. But Wolosate is only about 5KM down the road (which we hitchhiked), and the first day is some kind of loop along the Slovakian and Ukrainian border (which you MUST illegally enter for a few seconds – needless to say), ending in Ustrzyki Gorne again. A great day to slowly get into all the roughness ahead, as you can actually leave your heavy pack behind. Now I must specify that we took on an extra challenge: Where most GSB-hikers and especially day-hikers blessed themselves with a featherlight pack, we decided to grant ourselves the full-on experience of completing the entire GSB while completely submerging into nature… camping wherever seems fit. This bold decision added 16KG of luggage each on our poor backs, as not only do you need to bring your tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, cooking gear, gas, food for several days and survival equipment… more often than not we also carried along at least 3 liters of waters for cooking and consumption, as you never know when a water source will appear again (water availability is a problem on the GSB). Minus today then, as we could leave it all in the tent.
Gladfully, as for sure it wasn’t going to be easy. Where the Camino de Santiago, our first true long-distance trail, is quite comfortable and flat most of the time, the Glowny Szlak Beskidzki is truly unforgiving. Today, and as it turned out, basically every single day until you finish it. I can without blinking confess that every kilometre on the GSB counts for 5 on the Camino de Santiago in terms of effort, especially with the weight we were carrying, as you’re most of the time either going steeply up or down… and once you’re up, you go 100% down every single meter you just climbed, and up again, down, up, down, up, down – making it harder than way higher mountain ranges such as the Swiss Alps where I just spent half a year of my life (there once you’re up, you generally stay up). Today was a fine example of all of this, a trial of what was ahead of us, in terms of difficulty, but also in terms of beauty:
Bieszczady National Park, you’re one breath-taking bastard! Wow! I don’t know what my expectations were of Poland, if I even had any, but every view I greedily soaked up today went beyond my wildest dreams. Poland turned out to be the country I was longing for, without ever realizing I was. Today’s stretch was a real treat to kick off with, or the ‘grand finale’– depending on your hiking direction.
Bieszczady National Park, you’re one breath-taking bastard! Wow! I don’t know what my expectations were of Poland, if I even had any, but every view I greedily soaked up today went beyond my wildest dreams. Poland turned out to be the country I was longing for, without ever realizing I was. Today’s stretch was a real treat to kick off with, or the ‘grand finale’– depending on your hiking direction.
Tip: Do bring 3-4 liters of water with you today, especially when the sun’s out. There is only 1 tiny water source on the entire trail today (close to a simple sun-shelter, but easy to miss), and dehydration is a serious risk.
Order: Try to be decent… if you really need to take a dump along the trail, bury both your poop and shit-stained toilet paper, or cover it all with stones so it doesn’t fly around and others don’t have to step in it or even see it. The amount of perfect shady relax-spots ruined by an abundance of human faeces is just too damn high in the Bieszczady.
2: Ustrzyki Gorne – Wetlina/Smerek
Where yesterday we could leave all our heavy camping gear behind (even though we bought the most expensive light-weight shit, when put all together it really adds up) and at the end of the day return to an already-set-up-tent, today we experienced none of that luxury. Lug and suffer we shall. And to underline that, our morning coffee was immediately followed up with the most brutal ascend imaginable. I wondered how I could have hiked the Alps and Pyrenées without too many problems, but this time really – but REALLY – felt it, even though the elevations don’t come even close to what I’m used to. The answer lies in, besides the heavy weight and the continuous up-down-up-down…
… the overall hardcoreness of the Poles. WOW. They definitely have no chill when it comes to mountains. Where ‘normally’ you climb a mountain gradually lingering up, trails circling steadily to the peak… in Poland only the shortest way counts: Boom! Straight up, with hands and feet if you need to! The non-vaseline-approach. Absolutely unforgiving, yet highly admirable.
It’s good that the views are there to distract you from trying not to die keeping up with them. Because once again, there are hardly any words to describe the splendour being unfolded in front of your very own eyes. Why isn’t Poland raided with tourists? Why are we the only foreigners on the trail (the entire 3 weeks – it turned out)? Maybe we shouldn’t ask too many questions and just enjoy the overall tranquillity and pioneership before the secret is out.
Peak after peak after peak we climbed, only shortly interrupted by refuel-breaks and the necessary selfie. Honestly, we couldn’t afford to stop any longer even if we wanted to, as the morning process of drying your tent from morning dew and packing all your shit from scratch takes a good 2-3 hours, and autumn cuts down the timeframe on the other end of the daylight-spectrum. And for today, that wasn’t enough to reach Smerek, we painfully realized once we witnessed the nevertheless stunning sunset with at least 25% of the trail ahead of us.
Order: Try to be decent… if you really need to take a dump along the trail, bury both your poop and shit-stained toilet paper, or cover it all with stones so it doesn’t fly around and others don’t have to step in it or even see it. The amount of perfect shady relax-spots ruined by an abundance of human faeces is just too damn high in the Bieszczady.
2: Ustrzyki Gorne – Wetlina/Smerek
Where yesterday we could leave all our heavy camping gear behind (even though we bought the most expensive light-weight shit, when put all together it really adds up) and at the end of the day return to an already-set-up-tent, today we experienced none of that luxury. Lug and suffer we shall. And to underline that, our morning coffee was immediately followed up with the most brutal ascend imaginable. I wondered how I could have hiked the Alps and Pyrenées without too many problems, but this time really – but REALLY – felt it, even though the elevations don’t come even close to what I’m used to. The answer lies in, besides the heavy weight and the continuous up-down-up-down…
… the overall hardcoreness of the Poles. WOW. They definitely have no chill when it comes to mountains. Where ‘normally’ you climb a mountain gradually lingering up, trails circling steadily to the peak… in Poland only the shortest way counts: Boom! Straight up, with hands and feet if you need to! The non-vaseline-approach. Absolutely unforgiving, yet highly admirable.
It’s good that the views are there to distract you from trying not to die keeping up with them. Because once again, there are hardly any words to describe the splendour being unfolded in front of your very own eyes. Why isn’t Poland raided with tourists? Why are we the only foreigners on the trail (the entire 3 weeks – it turned out)? Maybe we shouldn’t ask too many questions and just enjoy the overall tranquillity and pioneership before the secret is out.
Peak after peak after peak we climbed, only shortly interrupted by refuel-breaks and the necessary selfie. Honestly, we couldn’t afford to stop any longer even if we wanted to, as the morning process of drying your tent from morning dew and packing all your shit from scratch takes a good 2-3 hours, and autumn cuts down the timeframe on the other end of the daylight-spectrum. And for today, that wasn’t enough to reach Smerek, we painfully realized once we witnessed the nevertheless stunning sunset with at least 25% of the trail ahead of us.
Time for a Plan B: Even though Bieszczady is a national park, and that means camping is illegal, I generally care much more about my safety than about rules (if I care at all about any rules to begin with). On top of that, I’m an environmentalist pur sang, and the day has yet to come you can catch me littering or leaving any more than just my footsteps. Right… we didn’t even properly put down our camping gear, or we heard a sound that literally raised all our hairs within mere mili-seconds:
The growl of a bear. And another one. And again.
Before our mouths were able to communicate a Plan C we were already speed-packing to get the hell out of there. Strangely enough I didn’t feel fear, but all my senses immediately switched to maximum alertness and survival mode. I was beyond tired, I went over my limits today and everything hurt, but all these sentiments vanished into the background and my body pushed out that hidden reserve of adrenaline-energy to get us out, fast, back to safety. Sprinting down by the 2 meters light of a headlamp, we shared everything we ever read about bear encounters, which wasn’t much as we never needed it: Make human noise, stand tall, don’t run, stay away from the cubs. While we took an alternative left turn, straight down to Wetlina (the shortest way out of the wilderness – yet still a good 1,5 hours) while singing, slamming our hiking poles on the trail and trying not to freak out, the bear growls continued… very close to us, while we heard branches breaking around us…. Until we made it, finally, FINALLY, back to civilization, among the loud humans bears like to avoid.
The same loud crowds that keep bears at bay in high season, which is why you won’t hear many stories like mine and people will even laugh about it or refuse to believe it… but a very serious reality in low season. No, bears are not out to kill or eat humans, at all. But they do want your food and are as much of a protective parent as we try to be, so when they smell your groceries or you (accidentally) get too close to their cubs, they will attack. And you simply won’t win it from a bear.
[Check Glowny Szlak Beskidzki – Video Diary Week 1 / Part-2 for more practical tips on dealing with bear encounters]
The growl of a bear. And another one. And again.
Before our mouths were able to communicate a Plan C we were already speed-packing to get the hell out of there. Strangely enough I didn’t feel fear, but all my senses immediately switched to maximum alertness and survival mode. I was beyond tired, I went over my limits today and everything hurt, but all these sentiments vanished into the background and my body pushed out that hidden reserve of adrenaline-energy to get us out, fast, back to safety. Sprinting down by the 2 meters light of a headlamp, we shared everything we ever read about bear encounters, which wasn’t much as we never needed it: Make human noise, stand tall, don’t run, stay away from the cubs. While we took an alternative left turn, straight down to Wetlina (the shortest way out of the wilderness – yet still a good 1,5 hours) while singing, slamming our hiking poles on the trail and trying not to freak out, the bear growls continued… very close to us, while we heard branches breaking around us…. Until we made it, finally, FINALLY, back to civilization, among the loud humans bears like to avoid.
The same loud crowds that keep bears at bay in high season, which is why you won’t hear many stories like mine and people will even laugh about it or refuse to believe it… but a very serious reality in low season. No, bears are not out to kill or eat humans, at all. But they do want your food and are as much of a protective parent as we try to be, so when they smell your groceries or you (accidentally) get too close to their cubs, they will attack. And you simply won’t win it from a bear.
[Check Glowny Szlak Beskidzki – Video Diary Week 1 / Part-2 for more practical tips on dealing with bear encounters]
Like yesterday, bring all the water you think you could possibly drink and a bit more, as there is only 1 water source during this stretch of the trail (the river in the valley – filter this water).
3: Wetlina/Smerek – Cisna
So not in Smerek, but in Wetlina we opened our eyes. After a terrible night of sleep at a very popular campsite, where the last merry singer finally passed out at 3AM and the early risers started their loud conversations at 6AM. I couldn’t wait until we would be out of the bear-zone and wild-camp far away from humanity, more peaceful! And cleaner, as even though we like to refer to our dirtier fellow-humans as ‘animals’, it’s in fact our own species that leaves the biggest mess. Not only along the trail and in rain shelters where people just plunge down their garbage (a problem not only Poland faces, but about 80% of the world), but also on this campsite where I tried to find that one piece of grass without used band-aids (my personal youth trauma I’m carrying into adulthood). That said, the food was excellent, like all Polish food is excellent. If someone offered me a contract to eat unlimited pierogi for the rest of my life, but only pierogi, I’d probably sign it.
At 10:30 we were finally ready to walk, like usual. Did we feel physically shattered yesterday, today our bodies somehow felt fresh and recuperated, ready to start the day with a once again extremely steep and slippery incline, asking the absolute maximum of our physical capabilities. I guess I just had to accept this as the new normal. Just how I gladly accepted the overwhelming views and pleasant forests as my new normal.
Rain chased us all day, but to our big relief never properly caught up, although we did experience a severe temperature drop, which we welcomed with open arms. I’m not a heat-hiker, anything between 12-22 degrees is perfect for me in order to preserve my energy instead of sweating it out. That however meant that we were to face some seriously chilly nights as well, as the temperature difference between night and day became sharper as ever. Far after nightfall we therefore tried to chase down a bed, preferably indoors… but it turns out you need 2 things to arrange accommodation along the GSB: 1) Planning ahead, and 2) Fluency in the Polish language (or 3: Polish friends - but I learned that later on). 10 B&B’s later we were about to give up and headed to the local campsite… where our frozen appearances caused the owner to offer a campervan for the same price as pitching our tent. Thumbs up for Polish hospitality! A comfortable and warm night, at last.
3: Wetlina/Smerek – Cisna
So not in Smerek, but in Wetlina we opened our eyes. After a terrible night of sleep at a very popular campsite, where the last merry singer finally passed out at 3AM and the early risers started their loud conversations at 6AM. I couldn’t wait until we would be out of the bear-zone and wild-camp far away from humanity, more peaceful! And cleaner, as even though we like to refer to our dirtier fellow-humans as ‘animals’, it’s in fact our own species that leaves the biggest mess. Not only along the trail and in rain shelters where people just plunge down their garbage (a problem not only Poland faces, but about 80% of the world), but also on this campsite where I tried to find that one piece of grass without used band-aids (my personal youth trauma I’m carrying into adulthood). That said, the food was excellent, like all Polish food is excellent. If someone offered me a contract to eat unlimited pierogi for the rest of my life, but only pierogi, I’d probably sign it.
At 10:30 we were finally ready to walk, like usual. Did we feel physically shattered yesterday, today our bodies somehow felt fresh and recuperated, ready to start the day with a once again extremely steep and slippery incline, asking the absolute maximum of our physical capabilities. I guess I just had to accept this as the new normal. Just how I gladly accepted the overwhelming views and pleasant forests as my new normal.
Rain chased us all day, but to our big relief never properly caught up, although we did experience a severe temperature drop, which we welcomed with open arms. I’m not a heat-hiker, anything between 12-22 degrees is perfect for me in order to preserve my energy instead of sweating it out. That however meant that we were to face some seriously chilly nights as well, as the temperature difference between night and day became sharper as ever. Far after nightfall we therefore tried to chase down a bed, preferably indoors… but it turns out you need 2 things to arrange accommodation along the GSB: 1) Planning ahead, and 2) Fluency in the Polish language (or 3: Polish friends - but I learned that later on). 10 B&B’s later we were about to give up and headed to the local campsite… where our frozen appearances caused the owner to offer a campervan for the same price as pitching our tent. Thumbs up for Polish hospitality! A comfortable and warm night, at last.
[Gas Day]
You can buy everything in Katowice, except of one item: camping gas. We visited every single outdoor store in the centre, and even took an Uber to the Decathlon. Nothing! Somehow they know where to hide it in Poland. Luckily, I subscribed to the main GSB Facebook Group (Ochotnicy na Glowny Szlak Beskidzki w 2020 i 2020 Roku) where the common goal of every member is to help one another. Seriously, it’s heart-warming what people from this forum have done to make my stay in their country easier, and one of those things is ordering gas bottles to be delivered to the nearest village on the trail… Komancza. Which we couldn’t reach comfortably in one day hiking, but easily by hitchhiking (as Polish people have ‘kindness’ and ‘helpfulness’ written on their foreheads). Returning was equally fast and easy, as of course we won’t cheat on our new love: the Glowny Szlak Beskidzki.
With only a few hours of daylight left we walked a tiny yet unforgivingly steep stretch right up a (seemingly black) ski slope, and pitched our tent right on the GSB-trail… Mount Wolosan, Google Maps informed us. Aware that we were still in bear area (we kept on hearing the growls continuously by nightfall for 3 days in a row), we were smart enough to not even leave a crum of food in the tent, as we prefer to not have it ripped open during a snoring session. I have some personal experience with rats eating their way through my tent and marching over my face, which is reason enough to be frank… Our improvised technique was to store all food in air-tight containers (for the smell), pile it up in a bag, attach a rope to the bag and a stone to the rope, throw the stone over the highest branch, hoist up the bag, and then tie the rope around the tree, or attach it to the ground with a tent peg. Works!
You can buy everything in Katowice, except of one item: camping gas. We visited every single outdoor store in the centre, and even took an Uber to the Decathlon. Nothing! Somehow they know where to hide it in Poland. Luckily, I subscribed to the main GSB Facebook Group (Ochotnicy na Glowny Szlak Beskidzki w 2020 i 2020 Roku) where the common goal of every member is to help one another. Seriously, it’s heart-warming what people from this forum have done to make my stay in their country easier, and one of those things is ordering gas bottles to be delivered to the nearest village on the trail… Komancza. Which we couldn’t reach comfortably in one day hiking, but easily by hitchhiking (as Polish people have ‘kindness’ and ‘helpfulness’ written on their foreheads). Returning was equally fast and easy, as of course we won’t cheat on our new love: the Glowny Szlak Beskidzki.
With only a few hours of daylight left we walked a tiny yet unforgivingly steep stretch right up a (seemingly black) ski slope, and pitched our tent right on the GSB-trail… Mount Wolosan, Google Maps informed us. Aware that we were still in bear area (we kept on hearing the growls continuously by nightfall for 3 days in a row), we were smart enough to not even leave a crum of food in the tent, as we prefer to not have it ripped open during a snoring session. I have some personal experience with rats eating their way through my tent and marching over my face, which is reason enough to be frank… Our improvised technique was to store all food in air-tight containers (for the smell), pile it up in a bag, attach a rope to the bag and a stone to the rope, throw the stone over the highest branch, hoist up the bag, and then tie the rope around the tree, or attach it to the ground with a tent peg. Works!
4: Mount Wolosan – Komancza
Wearing literally every piece of clothing I brought with me, I still couldn’t protect myself from the downright freezing night. What was left of my night rest was robbed from me by the absence of ear plugs (can’t sleep without), as present wildlife demanded I stay alert for any sounds all night through. No time to be tired though, as we had quite a long day ahead of us. That said, we climbed the killer mountain yesterday already, which was now rewarded by a few hours of comfortable mountain-ridge-flatness. Besides that, the crowds had thinned out, and now only the true die-hards remained… being overall cleaner and more conscious, out of respect for the trail and pure appreciation of nature (am I giving myself an indirect compliment?).
Struggle of today? Water, again. We had used most of our reserves for dinner and breakfast preparation, and relied on the little blue streams we spotted on our GPS-apps… but they turned out to be entirely dried up. It took us until 3:30PM (at Rezerwat Zwiezlo) to finally find a source we could filter from, and by then we were properly dehydrated. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful forest hike we thoroughly enjoyed, turning the mood more reflective and inwards. On top of that, Lennart finally found some hiking sticks, which meant I could use both of mine again (I had to lend one out to not be a terrible human-being), speeding me up significantly.
The last stretch took a significant toll on my feet, blown up by blisters signalling continuous pain, which I tried to drink away with some welcome wine offered to us by the locals of Duszatyn. Yet, the trail was even longer than envisioned, as a detour was necessary as part of the GSB had disappeared into a pipe line construction site (according to the Poles made by Slovakians to steal Polish gas… maybe that’s why they hide it now!). But alas, at last we arrived in Komancza, walking this time.
Wearing literally every piece of clothing I brought with me, I still couldn’t protect myself from the downright freezing night. What was left of my night rest was robbed from me by the absence of ear plugs (can’t sleep without), as present wildlife demanded I stay alert for any sounds all night through. No time to be tired though, as we had quite a long day ahead of us. That said, we climbed the killer mountain yesterday already, which was now rewarded by a few hours of comfortable mountain-ridge-flatness. Besides that, the crowds had thinned out, and now only the true die-hards remained… being overall cleaner and more conscious, out of respect for the trail and pure appreciation of nature (am I giving myself an indirect compliment?).
Struggle of today? Water, again. We had used most of our reserves for dinner and breakfast preparation, and relied on the little blue streams we spotted on our GPS-apps… but they turned out to be entirely dried up. It took us until 3:30PM (at Rezerwat Zwiezlo) to finally find a source we could filter from, and by then we were properly dehydrated. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful forest hike we thoroughly enjoyed, turning the mood more reflective and inwards. On top of that, Lennart finally found some hiking sticks, which meant I could use both of mine again (I had to lend one out to not be a terrible human-being), speeding me up significantly.
The last stretch took a significant toll on my feet, blown up by blisters signalling continuous pain, which I tried to drink away with some welcome wine offered to us by the locals of Duszatyn. Yet, the trail was even longer than envisioned, as a detour was necessary as part of the GSB had disappeared into a pipe line construction site (according to the Poles made by Slovakians to steal Polish gas… maybe that’s why they hide it now!). But alas, at last we arrived in Komancza, walking this time.
5: Komancza – Mount Tokarnia
Still haunted by nightly bear growls, we decided to camp along a B&B this time, allowing us the scarce pleasure of a hot shower, in these times a true luxury. I woke up with a puffy pillow face, a new phenomenon after a night in the frosty outdoors… no idea why, but it sure ain’t pretty.
Today we opted for a laid-back day, our bodies seemed to demand it. Heavy exercise with the 16kg on our backs nonetheless (of which 3,5kg water), but with finally some mellow trails to enjoy, the only challenge being the extreme muddiness (made significantly worse by quads and motorbikes, that seem to be ever-present on this stretch)… mud-wise a free trial on the weeks to come. We eased up to the max with many breaks to write and read, enjoying the strong bursts of sun, while inhaling the brisk forest air. Covid never seemed so far away.
We passed a 1-house-town called Przybyszów, and climbed up to Mount Tokarnia, a name triggering my wildest phantasies. The riders of Tokarnia, or something… the hikers of Tokarnia, not bad, I’ll take that! The name matched the environment, which seemed to come straight out of a movie set. The most stunning camping spot so far, overlooking a bright orange-pink sunset. If we both didn’t have our partners at home already, it could have almost been labelled ‘romantic’. Definitely a highlight of week 1.
Still haunted by nightly bear growls, we decided to camp along a B&B this time, allowing us the scarce pleasure of a hot shower, in these times a true luxury. I woke up with a puffy pillow face, a new phenomenon after a night in the frosty outdoors… no idea why, but it sure ain’t pretty.
Today we opted for a laid-back day, our bodies seemed to demand it. Heavy exercise with the 16kg on our backs nonetheless (of which 3,5kg water), but with finally some mellow trails to enjoy, the only challenge being the extreme muddiness (made significantly worse by quads and motorbikes, that seem to be ever-present on this stretch)… mud-wise a free trial on the weeks to come. We eased up to the max with many breaks to write and read, enjoying the strong bursts of sun, while inhaling the brisk forest air. Covid never seemed so far away.
We passed a 1-house-town called Przybyszów, and climbed up to Mount Tokarnia, a name triggering my wildest phantasies. The riders of Tokarnia, or something… the hikers of Tokarnia, not bad, I’ll take that! The name matched the environment, which seemed to come straight out of a movie set. The most stunning camping spot so far, overlooking a bright orange-pink sunset. If we both didn’t have our partners at home already, it could have almost been labelled ‘romantic’. Definitely a highlight of week 1.
6: Mount Tokarnia – Rymanow-Zdroj
More good things were awaiting us. After sleeping like a baby (I had the tent to myself – Lennart slept outside under the stars, waking up covered in shiny snail trails) and a breakfast against a backdrop city people only have posters of, another rather laidback day was all ours to enjoy. I began to suspect that it were just the first few mountain days that are killing you, to scare the weaklings away… but I was wrong, and I didn’t know it yet (the real harsh part was yet to come, both mountain- and weatherwise).
Ignorance is bliss though, so here I was: Whistling strolling over the hillside, enjoying view after view (not blocked by rain clouds) while the sun stroke some blonde through my brown hairs and sprinkled my nose with freckles. Life can be good, man.
To celebrate nothing in particular we decided to end the day with beer (wine is hard to trace down in bars in the countryside). And another round. Another one. Food, glorious food. And why not: a spa to rinse the sweat off (20 zloty / 4 euros, while we secretly wild-camped right next to it). Rymanow-Zdroj, I can recommend it.
More good things were awaiting us. After sleeping like a baby (I had the tent to myself – Lennart slept outside under the stars, waking up covered in shiny snail trails) and a breakfast against a backdrop city people only have posters of, another rather laidback day was all ours to enjoy. I began to suspect that it were just the first few mountain days that are killing you, to scare the weaklings away… but I was wrong, and I didn’t know it yet (the real harsh part was yet to come, both mountain- and weatherwise).
Ignorance is bliss though, so here I was: Whistling strolling over the hillside, enjoying view after view (not blocked by rain clouds) while the sun stroke some blonde through my brown hairs and sprinkled my nose with freckles. Life can be good, man.
To celebrate nothing in particular we decided to end the day with beer (wine is hard to trace down in bars in the countryside). And another round. Another one. Food, glorious food. And why not: a spa to rinse the sweat off (20 zloty / 4 euros, while we secretly wild-camped right next to it). Rymanow-Zdroj, I can recommend it.
7: Rymanow-Zdroj – Dukla Hermitage
Whoof, what a week. The beauty of long-distance trails is how easily it becomes your daily routine: Wake up, pack tent, hike the entire fucking day, pitch tent, sleep. Meanwhile, notice the transformations.
Mentally, the sudden quietness and continuous movement allowing you to organize and prioritize thoughts and elements of your life… Physically, the quick growth in strength.
Besides losing weight rapidly, the transformation of my legs is extreme. I’m already blessed with a strong pair to support my adventures, but during these long-distance trails I’m capable of crushing your skull in between ‘em. Don’t try me.
The pleasant village of Rymanow-Zdroj (full of madhouses and retirement homes – I understand why) is a great spot to buy some supplies and cash out, which is exactly what we did over the course of 3-4 hours before heading into the Lower Beskids again, famous for its muddiness. One thing we noticed is the ample supply of perfect ‘rain’ shelters along this stretch, a downright camping luxury if you’re adventurous enough to sleep in them (I did). Another thing we remarked is the level of difficulty slowly being tuned up again, with the almost-forgotten rhythm of never-ending up-down-up-down-up-down we hoped would never return… and an extra dose of sucking mud added to the mix. That said, the cute little towns along the way make for welcome breaks: Zdrojowa being the indisputable winner.
Whoof, what a week. The beauty of long-distance trails is how easily it becomes your daily routine: Wake up, pack tent, hike the entire fucking day, pitch tent, sleep. Meanwhile, notice the transformations.
Mentally, the sudden quietness and continuous movement allowing you to organize and prioritize thoughts and elements of your life… Physically, the quick growth in strength.
Besides losing weight rapidly, the transformation of my legs is extreme. I’m already blessed with a strong pair to support my adventures, but during these long-distance trails I’m capable of crushing your skull in between ‘em. Don’t try me.
The pleasant village of Rymanow-Zdroj (full of madhouses and retirement homes – I understand why) is a great spot to buy some supplies and cash out, which is exactly what we did over the course of 3-4 hours before heading into the Lower Beskids again, famous for its muddiness. One thing we noticed is the ample supply of perfect ‘rain’ shelters along this stretch, a downright camping luxury if you’re adventurous enough to sleep in them (I did). Another thing we remarked is the level of difficulty slowly being tuned up again, with the almost-forgotten rhythm of never-ending up-down-up-down-up-down we hoped would never return… and an extra dose of sucking mud added to the mix. That said, the cute little towns along the way make for welcome breaks: Zdrojowa being the indisputable winner.
The more tired we grew, the harder the trail beat us up. Our monstrous backpacks definitely didn’t help. The last stretch up towards the fairylike Dukla Hermitage knocked us properly down to a level of being incapable of even speaking to one another. We crushed down in front of the church, self-massaging our tortured bodies until the monk would finish mass and we could ask him permission to camp somewhere on this terrain. We couldn’t…
He preferred we slept inside of his humble residence alongside the hermitage, in a proper bed. Would we mind a hot shower? Dinner, perhaps? (Questions I understood, as we shared a language: French). Boy, do I love Poland. Where in many countries the church only takes-takes-takes in the name of the lord, in Poland they actually honour what their faith is standing for. I’m impressed. I wouldn’t have wanted to conclude Week 1 - in which I experienced more than some people in an entire year - any differently.
He preferred we slept inside of his humble residence alongside the hermitage, in a proper bed. Would we mind a hot shower? Dinner, perhaps? (Questions I understood, as we shared a language: French). Boy, do I love Poland. Where in many countries the church only takes-takes-takes in the name of the lord, in Poland they actually honour what their faith is standing for. I’m impressed. I wouldn’t have wanted to conclude Week 1 - in which I experienced more than some people in an entire year - any differently.
Week 1 Tips:
- From Katowice Airport, take bus AP2 to the city centre. Verify with the bus driver which ticket to buy, but buy it in the vending machine on the platform (in front of the arrivals hall) and then stamp it inside. I asked uninformed bystanders and paid double of what I should have, so verification is key.
- Buy a simcard in Katowice, as during the trail there is less choice in packages and few shops sell it. An Orange 50GB simcard will cost you about 20 zloty / 4 bucks and is valid for 2 weeks, other amounts of course also available for even less money. After the 2 weeks they will freeze your data unless you keep adding a tiny bit of credit every few days (possible in bigger supermarkets and the post office), which is inconvenient as a village is often not nearby. I therefore recommend buying 2 of these simcards in Katowice, as it’s also actually cheaper to get a fresh amount of GB’s instead of continuously paying to reactivate what you have. Once you stick the simcard in the phone it immediately works. In emergency situations you being able to call and send locations can be life-saving.
- Find cheap bus rides on E-Podroznik. The earlier you book, the cheaper the rate, I noticed. This website also offers much lower prices than when buying it directly on the website of the bus company, or ‘live’ in the bus station. A great find! Blablacar is also widely used in Poland, offering competitive carpool-rides, but also discounted bus tickets.
- Download the Polish Emergency app (Ratunek) for free. In emergency situations in the mountains you can push the ‘Góry’ button to alarm mountain rescue and automatically send location. Of course, you need working data for this, once again highlighting the necessity of a dirt-cheap Polish simcard.
- For GPS-tracking: Download the ViewRanger app, which has the GSB on it in its entirety. Other options are for example AllTrails or Wikiloc. Maps.me is also useful for finding stores and accommodations (it works like an offline Google Maps). Watch out though: When planning routes, often there are mountains and villages with the exact same name, but they can be many kilometres apart. If you plan the groceries, double-check if the trail actually passes the town or the mountain, to not get into trouble with food provisions.
- If you decide to camp: Order camping gas timely online before you arrive in Poland and let it be delivered to your accommodation in Katowice, or wherever you decide to arrive. For some unknown reason outdoor shops don’t seem to sell it (not even Decathlon, whereas in literally every other country they do) and you can’t take gas bottles into an airplane.
- As you could read in the stories above, in this part of the trail water is scarce, even more so in summer. Always carry more than you think you could drink, and buy a filter to extract it safely from streams and rivers.
- Sleeping situation: I prefer (wild) camping, as it provides you with that ultimate sense of freedom, being able to sleep wherever you want (although try to be slightly hidden, as it's officially illegal in most places) and stopping whenever you get too tired or when the sun goes down. Plan your water-reserves well for this, in order to cook and still have enough for the night and day to come (you might have to walk a fair end to find the next water source, especially on the GSB). The GSB also has many basic shelters, often just consisting of a wooden roof and a bench: I sometimes spent the rainy nights inside of those. There are however also some more civilized camping spots (paid), and most B&B's will allow you to pitch your tent in the garden and use the shower and kitchen, all for a modest fee. If camping isn't your cup of tea or you want to hike with a light pack: There is a wide network of rather luxurious (although some might call it basic) and affordable mountain huts, where you can pay for a bed in a dormitory or a private room. These huts have showers, heating, running water and often serve 3 meals a day. The villages you pass also have cheap B&B's / Homestays and pricier hotels. Notice that most of those are not listed on Booking.com or international booking devices (only the most expensive ones)... most are listed on Polish websites only and all of them only take phone-reservations. A problem is that outside of the bigger cities Polish is the only spoken language, and when you speak English or German they will eventually just hang up the phone as they don't understand what you're saying. Join GSB Facebook groups, where very helpful, Polish fellow-hikers will gladly assist you. When relying on accommodation, plan your hikes very well and book ahead, as the options are limited and they are sometimes 30+KM apart.
- Food situation: This depends on your budget and preferences. I was camping, so prefered to cook my meals on gas along the way, eating outdoors. This meant I had to carry extra weight in gas, titanium cooking gear and of course food reserves. The mountain huts serve basic meals, and of course you can stock up in the villages along the way. Plan this well, as sometimes you're outside of civilization for several days... and you eat about twice as much hiking than on a 'normal' day, burning tons of energy daily.
- Packing list: People always ask me what to pack for a multi-day hike, but let me remind you that you're asking the lady who carries 18+KG with her. It also depends on if you're camping or not. Let me list the basics... Non-camping packing list (evaluate the season for appropariate clothing): 2x comfortable hiking pants, rain paints, thermal legging, 2-3x quick-dry tops, 3x underwear, 2x sports bra, longsleeve, fleece, 3x socks (always have 1 dry pair with you), bar of textile soap (cut in half), wind+rainproof jacket, rain cover for backpack, properly walked-in GoreTex hiking boots with orthopedic soles, flipflops, hiking poles, gloves, hat, scarve/buff, light-weight towel, bug spray, sunscreen, sunglasses, toothbrush/paste, toilet paper, half bar of soap, shampoo, contactlenses/liquid, hairbrush, phone with local simcard and GPS, charger with spare cable, powerbank, spare bags for garbage, camelbacks allowing for at least 4 liters, water filter; basic medication: band aids, desinfectant, tweezers, tick-remover, aspirin, anti-diarrhea pills, feet care: tape for trouble spots, cotton, pressure points relievers, vaseline, needles for blisters; talk powder (for your sweaty ass: trust me on that one), e-reader/book, light-weight energy-food; basic survival pack: pocket knife, emergency blanket, whistle, matches and lighter, rope, headlamp, spare batteries, compass. All liquids repacked in small bottles, or buy powder form when available. Wash your clothes in the huts and hang them to dry over-night and later on from your backpack when hiking. Of course winter season demands extra items for snow-hiking, like crampons and ice picks. Some items can be cut in half to save weight. With camping added to the mix: Light-weight trekking tent, sleeping bag made for the season, sleeping mat, inflatable pillow, camping gas, titanium cooking gear, plastic cutlery, long rope and tupperware (to pack food and hang it in the tree far away from your sleeping spot - there are bears here), food for planned days.
You're currently reading the first English-written blog about the GSB in its entirety. I personally had to gather all my information in Polish and google-translate everything. The most useful source I found Marcin Grabinski's. Background stories I recommend: The Beskids; Border Info & Impressions; Beskid Niski (Komancza - Krynica-Zdroj); Lemko History of Beskid Niski.
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