Just walking

…

[ all photos taken during 2024, mostly GFX with some D850 frames ]

[ looking west from “Babia Gora”, January 2024 ]

[ and “Babia Gora” summit now, very close, but with wind nearing 100km/h every step becomes a bit of one on one fight ]

[ going back from Rusinowa Polana, Tatra Mountains ]

[ same spot, opposite direction - looking from “Gesia Szyja” summit in High Tatras at the highest mountain here - “Gerlachov Peak” 2654 m, February 2024 ]

This photo won a distinction award at 34rd National Salon of Artistic Photography Żary 2024, Poland. It was a part of 3 photos series under a group name “Shades”. All of these were taken either while looking at “Gerlachov Peak” or beeing on it’s rocks. You can find the second one on the left, and the third in 2023 section.

[ “Gerlachov Peak”, this time from clearing near Woloszyn, April 2024 ]

[ Valley of Five Polish Ponds, late day, early summer 2024 ]

[ “Ornak” peak, 1854 m, one of my most loved rocks and areas in Tatra Mountains ]

[ “Ornak” again, this time from the summit, looking at lovely trio “Starorobocianski Wierch”, “Bystra” and “Kamienista”, starting from right ]

Coming down from the Valley of Five Polish Ponds I knew I would have a small problem. It was already late at night, around 22:00 and I was a bit afraid to take the same route to my car. It was due to a long part of that trail coming through rarely crossed mountain forest, presumably full of wild animals I wouldn't like to meet [ bears, etc. ]. So, I took a longer one assuming that I would catch a random car that would take me to my own one parked in different part of that region. And this way I met a nice girl, that happened to be very similar to me in one aspect.

After around 40 minutes of waiting and then walking along one mountain road I was picked up by Wiola, a Zakopane resident [ biggest city in Tatra Mountains btw ], driving her car at night. When asked where is she headed, I heard something soo close to my experience: "doesn't matter, I'm just driving my car to relax, calm, listen to music and drive, as I love it". Wow. We are soo similar here as my night driving experience in Warsaw is just it. Drive, forget, relax, listen to motor, then to music and enjoy being there, late night, only You and Your car. Fucking awesome.

Later on I listened to a brief story of her life. As a cleaning lady, she injured her spine when she was a teenager [ she started doing that for money when she was 16 ] and now she is studying again. She is looking for a job too. She doesn't want to work as a confectioner after her first school, which she joined and finished, as according to her, it's a "difficult" job and full of various downsides and industry abuse.

And finally, she wants to escape Zakopane, city she was born in, city that for most of Poles is a stereotype of dream capital of mountains. So different is our view here. Mine as a tourist and hers as a resident chasing her own different dreams.

These definitely are some life changing struggles and moments, and she needs that time thinking about the future. But she will sort it out, I believe in it. And a car will help. Thx for that ride Wiola.

[ “Dlugi Staw Gasienicowy”, looking from “Posrednia Turnia” nearby “Swinica” summit in the main crest of the High Tatras ]

[ Vordere Hasenfluh, 2534m, seen just for 5 seconds during early spring weather breakdown, Austria ]

[ a small homeless camp by Vistula River, hiding behind the trees, Warsaw, April 2024 ]

[ wild side o Vistula River, central Warsaw, April 2024 ]

[ a distant view on Swietokrzyskie region from Bald Mountain summit, April 2024 ]

[ this photo as well as few following ones were taken under “Babia Gora”, along the lovely blue trail ]

[ I spent like hours on that one, first trying to "catch it" through the lens and then working in Capture One to aplify the feel of that place, those greens, depth between trees and little "stories" on left or right ]

[ somewhere near "Lysa Gora" summit, but this time in Little Beskids, few steps from city of Bielsko-Biala. That can be a little surprise as most famous "Lysa Gora" is located in Swietokrzyskie Mountains, with legends of witches gatherings each kid in Poland knows ]

[ on our way to "Mountain Glade Rysianka", late, cloudy spring ]

[ down from "Pilsko Summit", with a distant view on "Babia Gora", along a rarely trekked black trail to Sopotnia Wielka village. While stepping down on some spacious meadows You can, and should visit an atmospheric tent base Hala Gorowa ]

[ coming back to Low Beskids, such a joy. Every year, every day. Visiting same places mixed with new revelations. Small yet soo intense… check the “Ranges” section for more ]

This photo won a distinction award at 34rd National Salon of Artistic Photography Zary 2024, Poland. It was a part of 3 photos series under a group name “Out of the way”.

[ somewhere in “Polany” / “Clearings” village, GFX & 40 1.4 ]

Second one from the pack that won a distinction award at 34rd National Salon of Artistic Photography Zary 2024, Poland. It was a part of 3 photos series under a group name “Out of the way”.

[ a place a wanderer should go, small village “Stary Lupkow” / “Old Slate”, Poland ]

[ few frames from Bieszczady Range, Poland, near Ukrainian border ]

[ and ending the year with just a walk along a “Skrzyczne” mountain ridge circling “Zimnik Valley” ]