Dan Gehan, who graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor’s in Neuroscience and in 2017 with a Master’s in Pharmacology, is a former UVM Study Abroad Peer Advisor who studied abroad in Brno, Czech Republic at Masaryk University through ISEP. He shared this story of a hiking trip in the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia.
Being an enthusiastic hiker (more in theory than in practice due to all of your typical college restraints) while I was studying abroad in the Czech Republic, I decided to take a hiking class. This class was set-up so that roughly 15 college kids were brought from Brno, Czech Republic to Štrba, Slovakia. Specifically, we were to spend 4 days in the Tatra mountains. After having spent 4 hours on a train we arrived midday to this:
After checking into our “hotel” which was much more similar to a plush cabin than a room at the Mariott, we decided to take a small walk around the lake. As it was late September/early October, the fall foliage rivaled that of picturesque New England.
The next morning we woke up and started hiking. Towards the beginning of the trip, the skies were clear, the ground was soft and broken in, the trail an average mountain incline. However, everything quickly changed. With a “Mount Washington” like change in weather, the clouds blew in and the trail got very steep. We basically had to pull ourselves up a rope as we traversed the steep mountainside.
Once we got to the top of this the trail was relatively even and held several surprises.
A little after that picture was taken, we found a statue of a man carrying 100 kilos (roughly equivalent to 220 pounds) up the mountain. Usually they tie supplies to ta wooden frame, again keeping the tradition of their forefathers. If you go, offer to carry up 10kg (22 lbs) for a cup of tea (or beer) at the top! The Tatra mountain committee maintains the original rules, which state that all supplies must be brought from hut to hut by walking. Helicopters are not allowed in the mountain range unless it is a severe medical emergency. They also have kept the traditional methods for setting lines on which to rock climb. Generally, when one wants to set a line they start from the top, drill in a bolt for stabilization and then work their way down. However, in the High Tatras, one has to start at the bottom and climb up which is inherently more dangerous.
We decided for our own safety to retreat back to our cabin after we saw this statue as the weather was worsening. After a good night’s rest, it was time to hit the dusty trail again. This time we followed a water-fall up another mountain which kept everyone quite entertained.
Towards the top of this we found a semi-domesticated fox which, I know sounds weird but it’s true. He was fenced in and friendly for a fox, but still a little wary of our group. I had never seen a fox before with my own eyes so this was an exciting moment for me.
Despite the excitement garnered from the guest appearance, we were quickly faced with a deep-set fog as well as hard rain. The students huddled together while the 2 teachers talked about what we should do. One saying we should hike down immediately while the other suggested we wait and let the “worst” of the storm pass. While we banded together, first in misery due to the cold wet weather, and eventually in thorough enjoyment of each other’s company, the teacher’s studied cloud patterns, and smart-phone weather prediction patterns. After waiting about 20 minutes we headed down.
In getting ready to go back to Brno the next day we were all discussing how sometimes, even the bad times can turn into great memories. We all struggled with being cold, damp, and tired, but in that commiseration we made deep-rooted friendships that otherwise have never happened. We were all more connected and I still remain in contact with people from that trip, and every time we talk about the Tatra mountain trip the same look of awe and reminiscence briefly passes over everyone’s face.
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