Situated up on the Tatra Mountain Ranges in Eastern Europe lies the hidden beauty of Morskie Oko (Sea Eye). This mountain range separates Poland from Slovakia and the summit is at 2,665MASL while Morskie Oko is somewhere near 1,395MASL. It has the deepest lake among the other lakes around the Tatra Mountains at 51m. This is one of the favorite hiking and trekking destination for both Poles and Slovakians thoughout the year and all season. Though under Polish territory, one has to pass through the border of Slovakia to reach the National Park of Morskie Oko. The difficulty of the trek can be rated 3/9 since the 10km hike to the lake is through an asphalted trail. There is also a viable option to take the traditional horse driven carriage for a hefty price if you don't want to bear the more than two-hour arduous hike.
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| At the parking lot with the rented 21 seater van. |
Planning on testing my endurance, I did not plan to stop for more than 5 minutes. I did stop to take some snapshots but other than that, I did not give in to the temptation. Armed with my trekking pole, I hiked with a regular pace. You will find yourself surrounded by pine tress and patches of thawing snow along the way. Clear water flowing from the mountain is always potable for those who wanted to quench their thirst.
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| I asked a stranger to take my picture since my companions are way behind |
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| Stopover huts for tired hikers |
At 1000hrs, I came to the spot where there is a waterfalls. I stopped to take some pictures then continued my way uphill. I don't want to stop for so long because I am starting to sweat inside and the adrenaline is starting to kick in. You just walk and walk and let your smartwatch do the counting.
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| Waterfalls |
After 20 minutes of continuous hiking, I came to the spot where hikers are offered a shorter way to the destination. You can either take the shortcut or chose to walk the asphalted trail but you lose 20 extra minutes. I took the shortcut just to change my pacing to a climb than a usual hike. The shorter way cuts across the winding road. With logs as your handrail and cobblestones as your trail, it can spell disaster when you commit a single misstep.
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| Welcome to the shortcut. Just be careful not to fall. |
At 1100hrs, the patches of thawing snow now becomes a real snow-covered terrain. Salt minerals are visible along the path to melt the snow that will prevent the hikers from slipping. Some hikers took time to play around with snowball fight. If I happened to be hit when I passed by, I would have joined them too.
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| Thick snow along the last 12 minutes to the destination |
Finally, after 12 minutes, I caught sight of the amazing Morskie Oko surrounded by tall mountains. Some part of the lake is still frozen. I hurried down the lake and as I stood there awed at the marvelous work of nature, I could only say that this view continues to amaze me. By the way, this is my second visit to this place. The first one was 5 years ago during autumn. The crystal clear lake looks like a mirror. Trouts can be seen from under the water waiting for hikers to throw to them morsels of bread though it is prohibited to feed the fish.
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| Crystal clear water of Morskie Oko with the mountain reflected upon the water |
After taking some photos at the tip of the lake, I surveyed around for a perfect place to settle down, eat my lunch and then take some more photos and videos. I took off my sweat-soaked jacket and bore the 5degree C temperature. I felt like burning when hot vapor comes out like smoke from my body. Since my body is still adapting to the cold weather, I did not feel the cold yet. So, I took some more pictures.
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| I can still bear the 5 degree temperature but not that long |
Aeroplane? Thunder? I quickly searched for the origin of the rumbling sound. High up on the mountain I saw and avalanche for the first time ever. It was like a dam releasing water but this is snow and ice rushing down the mountain at an intense speed and power that all you can hear is like peals of thunder or maybe an aeroplane is passing by. Then as I turned my gaze towards the bottom of the mountain, I saw two people. Good thing that the avalanche stopped just hundreds of meters above them or else they could have been easily swept away by the rushing snow. From that time on, I recorded 5 avalanches in different areas. Avalanches happens during this time of season as high temperatures slowly melts the snow.
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| Part of the lake is still frozen |
After I took my snacks, I searched for another place where I can rest. Then it started to pour once again. This time, I could not anymore stay under the rain since I will not be moving around. By that, you will easily feel the cold. After the downpour, the sun showed up and the summit of the mountain became visible but bad enough, I am starting my hike going back already. The group have decided to go down so that others can still see other places.
Two of my companions gave up because they were not fit for this kind of hike so they took the horse carriage back to the parking lot while I continued my hike back. This time, I only stopped for taking a leak at designated portalets. Here, you could not discharge anywhere you like.
As soon as I arrived, we headed back to Cracow.
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| Heading back home |
Today I made more than 22k steps. It was a day of testing my endurance knowing that next month will be another major climb for me in Mt. Talinis, Negros Oriental. I can't wait to make this expedition once again. There are yet hundreds of mountains to conquer with such a short time. And again, I have proven that our mind can command our bodies. With strong determination and will power and a bunch of prayer for our guardian angel to guide us every step of the way, we can always overcome every difficulty along the way.
This is life and this will always be our life's journey summarized in this kind of activity. Be sure to have an objective: equip yourself for that; determine to overcome obstacle; stay focused on achieving that objective; enjoy what comes along the way but don't stop there because it is not your objective; pray that God will protect you and give you strength; and once you arrive at your destination, what joy would that be.
