A few stories from 2016 before we decided to become official (from the newest to the oldest)
23 July | Our Second night climb up Carrauntoohil with no Sunrise
After not very successful Summer Solstice climb we decided to try again and we were hoping to see the Sunrise this time, but we didn't...
There was six of us:
Denis O'Mahony and 5 brave women. Like the last time we challenged the Devil's Ladder up Carrauntoohil with the greatest care and then up to the summit. It was hard to notice the first light of the day because of the cloudy conditions.
The higher we went the more humid was the air and then the morning mist dropped down on us and stayed there. There was no point in waiting for the Sun to come up as the cloud was going nowhere. Not even a glimpse we saw this time.
What we noticed that it wasn't as cold as the last time, but still you wouldn't like to sit there for longer than 15 minutes. We had our breakfast, some hot tea and started walking down.
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| Denis finding some refreshments |
We came down the ladder with no rush. The worst part was over and we could relax and stroll back to the car park. But before that, Denis found some Champagne and Guinness in the outdoor fridge. Life is beautiful!
While walking back to Lisleibane car park the sun came out but when we turned our heads to see the summit again we could see the cloud still hanging there...
We had a good fun, we were all happy and safe again
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| Photo: Chris O'Callaghan |
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| Photo: Chris O'Callaghan |
The word SAFE is very important here and we have to pause for a moment in this story as we can't not to mention that somebody fell and died on this mountain only a few hours after we left the car park... A dark reminder of how dangerous the mountains are. The mountains are calling to respect them... And we always will. We might chance something more dangerous like the night climb sometimes, but nobody plays a hero, we take every step with care and no rush. And we always have a good leader with us. We might drink a little drop of champagne but only after coming off the mountain when all it's left is just a flat walk back to the car park.
Whoever you were, Rest In Peace...
21 June | Summer Solstice on Carrauntoohil
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| Clibmbers in the dark... |
We started about 2 am from Lisleibane car park. As the only four brave climbers challenging the Devil's Ladder in the dark that night we had a great fun. We scared some poor sheep on our way up, but apart of disturbing their sleep with our head torches we are pleased to announce that no animal was hurt.
The Devil's Ladder would be probably the best choice for a night climb as it's the fastest and the most straightforward way up. But remember that any night climb will require a lot of experience and the best mountain leader like Denis. Don't ever try to be brave and do it without a good experienced leader.
After a few wet days there was still a lot of water on the Devil's Ladder so we had to be extremely careful and take our time. That route when wet is challenging enough even in the daylight. About half way up we switched off our lights to feel the darkness of the night and it was just amazing... After getting used to the dark we started seeing the two lakes down below in the Hag's Glen, darker contours of the rocks and far far away the lights of the towns. The air was incredibly mild and warm and no breeze...
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| The first light of the day. Welcome Summer! |
On the top of the Ladder we had a drop of whiskey to warm us before the final ascent as the wind started to get stronger and colder every few steps. As I said, Denis is a professional mountain leader and he knows what to do. He saved our lives with that little flask! ;) The top was covered with the dark cloud but looking east we could see the sky brightening. Will the top clear by the time we reach it? Will we see the Sunrise?
4:30 am. The top!
The wind was very chilly and even the shelter wasn't able to protect us from it. Myself and Chris were trying to do our best to catch some views between the clouds but unfortunately the mist closed up after a while and there was no chance to see the Sun... And that was it. The top stayed then in the cloud for the rest of the morning...
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| Just before the Sunrise |
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| Champagne! |
We used the Ladder as our descent route and at the bottom we opened Nora's champagne. She was saving it for a very special occasion and what occasion would be better than this - a beautiful morning in the Hag's Glen watching the sheep having their breakfast lol ;)
It was a great time in a good company and we will probably repeat it later when the weather improves and the proper summer comes back (if it does at all!) :)
21 May | Denis O'Mahony's 5 Peaks Challenge
We love our local mountains so much that we decided to do
them all in one day because WHY NOT?! :) Denis O'Mahony did it before a few
times and that's why we called it: "Denis O'Mahony's 5 Peaks
Challenge". We gathered some of the hard core climbers and made a group of
4 ready for everything :) We were very lucky with the weather with only a few
small showers and lots of sunshine.
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| A lovely day with breathtaking views. Climbing Caherbarnagh |
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| The Paps East |
We
normally count The Paps as one mountain, but it has 2 peaks and that means two
climbs. That's where we started, the most distance of all and one of two big
climbs in the challenge.
Without
delaying and having any lunch breaks this time we climbed up and down The Paps
West first and the Eastern one, stopping only to take some photos on each
summit. We had another car parked on the other side, so we didn't have to walk
back the road to the car park as usual and that saved us about 20 min. We
finished in exactly 2 hours, which was very good and we were all happy and
ready for our next climb which was Caherbarnagh...
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| Caherbarnagh |
To
make the challenge even more difficult, we decided to ascent via the steep gully up
Glanaprehane. About half way up we started cursing and looking at each other
asking in our minds who's genius idea was that?! The gully seemed to have no
end. You climb and climb and there's still more to go, and more and more... Bud
we did it and we got to the top for our lunch break. It took us a little bit
more than we expected because the 'neverending gully' was tough and slow going
after having two climbs in our legs already. Anyway 2:17 is still not a bad
time.
After
completing 2 big climbs we went back to Millstreet to do the 2 small ones.
First of them was Clara.
Clara
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| At the top of Clara with Misty |
We
had the fifth climber on this peak - Misty, Denis O'Mahony's dog. We did very
well this time too but we started feeling all the miles in our legs and there
was even an idea in our minds of going for a pint after finishing Clara,
leaving Mushera for some other time, but we said NO! We'd better complete what
we started or we'll have to come back some day and start again! Off we went so
to climb our last peak Musheramore.
Musheramore
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| Mushera, the last peak |
From
the car park it looked not so bad, quite short, just up and down and straight
to the pub after that. But very soon we started remembering that only a part of
the path to the top is visible from the car park... It wasn't easy but we did
it and we could probably do another one because we are The Hard Cores! ;)
Well
done to all, we'll do it again next year!!! :)
The Facts:
Total time (without lunch break): 6 hours 22 min
Total
distance: 23.5 km
Total
ascent: 1908 m
Total descent: 1759 m
8 May | Karkonosze & Rudawy, Poland | Anna's Trip Home | Finding some new places to go with the club someday
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| Home :) |
I'd
like to share with you some memories from my last trip to Poland. I just can't
go there without visiting my beloved Mountains. This is my birthplace, this is
my Homeland, the small town Kowary situated between Karkonosze and Rudawy
Janowickie Mountains. Karkonosze/Giant Mountains (part of the Sudetes) are
located in the south-west of Poland and north of the Czech Republic.
Along the main ridge runs the Polish - Czech border which divides the historic
regions of Silesia and Bohemia. The highest peak Śnieżka which we missed this
time is the Czech Republic's highest point with an elevation of 1,603 m (5,259
ft). Śnieżka can be as busy as a shopping centre during summer months because
of the cable car going to the very top from the Czech side, but it's a lovely
place to visit in the winter if you like snow and cold winds :)
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| Sister and Brother on the trail |
On
Sunday May 8 together with my brother Adam and his friend Paula, we decided
to do a part of the long main ridge traverse starting from the point we
finished last year. One thing you must know about hilllwalking in Poland is
that you are in the National Park and you have to follow the rules. You only
use designated trails which are marked and well maintained. If the trail is
closed for some reason you have to find another one. Some trails aren't
available during winter some in the spring time, because of animal
protection or other reasons.
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| Near The Black Pass |
We started at the trailhead in Jagniątków (a part of Jelenia Góra town). Our starting point is 530 m.a.s.l. and we have to climb up to 1,400 m. to the main ridge. First part is a long walk through the forest and as you gradually climb you can see the changes around you. Less and less spruce every few steps until the ground starts to be more rocky and all the tall trees disappear. You are now in subalpine vegetation zone covered with knee high mountain pine.
We reached Black Pass (Czarna Przełęcz) on the main ridge using the blue trail which joins Polish-Czech Friendship Trail marked with red and running on the ridge together with the Polish-Czech border. You literally walk one foot in Poland, one foot in Czech Republic. This route is a part of longer one called Main Sudetes Trail which is 350 km long in total and runs across Jizera Mountains, Karkonosze, Rudawy Janowickie, Stone Mountains, Owl Mountains, Table Mountains, Śnieżnik Mountains and Golden Mountains. Yes, it's long, too long for one day ;)
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| Karkonosze Pass and Odrodzenie mountain hut (left) |
Following
the red trail up and then down we finally reached our first stop, the
Karkonosze Pass, 1198 m.a.s.l. This place looks like a small village with
Polish and Czech mountain huts, a small hotel and restaurant and even some
tennis courts. It's accessible by a road served by bus
from Špindlerův Mlýn, Czech Republic. The Polish road is said to be one
of the steepest road in Poland with the max inclination reaching 24%. The road
is very poor and rough and closed to traffic, but it's a very popular mountain
biking trail.
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| The view from Odrodzenie |
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| Enjoying beer at Odrodzenie |
In the Polish mountain hut called Odrodzenie we had some Czech beer (!) Yes, in Poland we drink beer on a mountain to make the hike easier and more funny ;) And you can buy it on some of the tops and passes in mountain huts so you don't even need to carry it with you.
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| Słonecznik ('midday stone') |
After refueling we hit the trail again. Some higher parts of the ridge were still covered with snow. May is a beautiful time to visit this mountain range. You can feel warmer air which makes you thinking about the summer coming but the higher you climb the more you remember about the last winter. Fresh snow showers in the middle of May shouldn't surprise you. There's a long climb up from the pass between Mały Szyszak and Smogornia Mountain to the next landmark which is a big rock called Słonecznik, 1423 m.a.s.l. (ger. Mittagstein). It can be translated as midday stone. It was named so because the sun above that rock marks midday when seen from down below. It's 12 m high and it's very visible from everywhere around.
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| Me & Paula at The Big Pond |
From
there we followed the Polish-Czech Friendship Trail again to the viewpoint
above The Big Pond - the biggest post glacial lake in the whole range. Waters
of the lake host rare species some of them even extinct. Due to the regulations
of a nature reserve, the object is closed and can be watched only from the top.
From there there's a short way to The Small Pond with Samotnia mountain hut
situated on the north shore. (We visited it a few days later with my daughter
Emilia).
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| The Small Pond, Samotnia mountain hut, Strzecha mountain hut & Śnieżka (1,603 m.a.s.l.) in the background (right) |
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| The Pilgrims |
We
had no time to walk any further, so when we pleased our eyes with one of the
most beautiful views in the whole range and it started getting cold in that
windy spot we walked back to Słonecznik and down the yellow trail to Karpacz
town passing another landmark, the group of big rocks named The Pilgrims.
There's lots of rocks in Karkonosze range but rock climbing is prohibited due
to a national park regulations. Only rocks below the national park borders like
Krucze Skały (Raven Rocks) in Karpacz are available for climbing.
The
trip was about 23 km and very successful and enjoyable. I can't wait to go back
there with Hard Core Hillwalking Club in 2018!
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| The viewpoint on Sokoliki, Rudawy |
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| The Rock Bridge |
Apart of Karkonosze we visited Rudawy Janowickie Mountains. This range is lower, mostly covered with spruce and no national park here, only a landscape park which means less restrictions. The highest point Skalnik Mountain stands at 945 m.a.s.l. This is the place to go if you are a keen rock climber like Adam, my brother. Almost all climbing routes have bolts permanently fixed into the rock which makes belaying very safe and climbing more accessible. You can't pass any of them rocks without meeting some climbers. The range offers lots of viewpoints as well and mountain biking trails.
The last place we visited was Vodni Brána (Water Gate), the first via ferrata in Czech Republic (Jizera Mountains), opened in 2014 near Semily town. Really enjoyable place if you like heights :)
Polish and Czech mountains offer a great variety of walks and climbs. You can go high, you can go long, you can go steep. Whatever you want. One of my dreams is to show as much as I can to my friends from The Club. We'll definitely do it someday... And this'll be only the beginning of the big adventure, because There's still more places to go in Poland including Tatra Mountains, which I never visited myself, because it was always too far away...
For now I'm back in action on Irish hills and mountains :)
Anna
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