During the last two visits to Poland I developed an overwhelming desire to take my mountain bike up to the mountains and ride it there. This probably comes from the lingering sentiment I have inside to the places we, as a family, chose as our holiday destination when I was a little kid. And that sentiment is much stronger now after my parents and other family members, with whom we spent time there, passed away.
But maybe also, because I wanted to spend time there my way, as an adult (well, this is debatable considering I wanted to ride the MTB down the steep trails, but anyway...). I wanted to look back and think about the mountains not only as a sentimental place from the childhood. And I wanted to have some fun riding the MTB in an awesome scenery of course.
As you reach Szklarska Poreba or Karpacz you are already in a different dimension. Things are not flat anymore to start, but there is also a feeling similar to that, you would have in a temple. These places are clean, people behave differently and you are inspired to go further. You are at the door of nature's awesome monuments.
Whether you climb on foot, take a chairlift of ride the bike, at the end you end up on top and here there's no single person who wouldn't become somewhat reflective, if only for a moment. The cool wind, shrubs above the tree line, shimmering creeks, breathtaking view and cozy shelters are something that becomes a part of you forever.
I feel really fortunate that I did experience it at a young age, although I sure didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. Those few recent trips left me richer and more focused. Some things that seemed important before really lost their weight. And some other ones started to grow.
If you click on the picture above, you will get some sense of that feeling as the details become more clear. Or better still, go there and you will get it for sure...
