The last week or so I have been staying in the same guesthouse that I stayed at for most of my time here two years ago. Unfortunately there is a lot of construction going on in the little town surrounding the pension, so the construction crews are staying in all the rooms around town. I was lucky to get a room in the same house as before, but I have to stay in a different room. I am a little sad that I couldn’t stay in the same room that I had called home two years ago, but I still have a lot to be thankful for. It has been just like old times being here. I met the family that owns the house and their son, who is now married and has a two-month old daughter. It was great to see them again. We smiled and gave each other hugs. When they started spurting out sentences in Polish to me like I had learned a lot more of their language in the past two years, all I could do was smile and say that I didn’t understand and that I was sorry. They smiled and there was a lot of signaling and hand waving after that. It was a lot of fun. They looked exactly the same as the last time I saw them. I wonder, did they think that I looked any different? I hope they don’t think I look older now! That does make me curious…….
After getting settled in my place in southern Poland, I started to crave getting back into the mountains to see what had changed, what had stayed the same, and what had ceased to be. I met my biologist friends, who fixed me breakfast in their little cabin, told me all about some of the new developments in the area, and all the projects they are currently working on. They must be the busiest people I know, but they like it like that and I know it must be easier when you are doing work that you truly believe in. I hope that is how I’ll be someday.
The weather has really been lousy here. Rain is the rule right now in Europe, or, at least wherever I am. After being stuck inside for 4 or 5 days with daily deluges, I finally caught a break in the weather and was able to sneak out for a hike in my old stomping grounds. It was so amazing to get back up into the mountains that I loved so much and became so intimate with. I swear I can hike most of those trails blindfolded, of course except for all the downed logs that litter the trail every spring. The clouds threatened rain all day, and they even penetrated the forest to create a mysterious landscape, but it never dampened my mood. These mountains were home to my favorite wolf pack in the area, the Grapa pack. When I left, the Grapa pack was only made up of two wolves, a male and a female. They had been unsuccessful in raising pups for two years, but were still keeping the pack alive. I really connected with them and loved hiking in their mountains, hoping to catch a glimpse of them or see some sign of them. However, during my talks with the biologists the other day, they sadly informed me that they have not observed any sign of the Grapas for over a year. There has been a lot of cutting in the forests there and bark beetles have devastated huge stands of trees all over. They suspect the worst, that the Grapas did not survive. That was very hard for me to hear. I absolutely loved the Grapas. I connected with them more than with any other pack in the region. Maybe it was because they were only two, living in the area with probably the most forestry going on and the most intrusions by people. They were surviving against the odds, not receiving the attention that other packs in southern Poland were getting, but persevering nonetheless. I don’t know—maybe somehow I saw myself in those wolves. When I heard that they were no longer in the area, I felt tears coming on. However, there is a chance that they found a better area to move to, where they aren’t disturbed as much and where they can raise pups. It is a decent possibility, and that is what I choose to believe. That’s what I have to believe, since the alternative is just too heartbreaking for me.
Well, back to the hike. It wasn’t too cold, but not warm either. However, it was so nice to retrace some of my steps. I remembered most of the trail, and memories came back to me in certain areas, such as where I once found a few groups of wolf scats in one day, and then where the biologists and I spent a few hours during one night scoping out a badger den (I really froze that night and it was a little miserable for me, especially since I had to lie on rocks, staying still, and never ended up seeing anything). I was also able to find this little cabin located out in the middle of the forest, completely away from any trails, that I had stumbled upon one hike a few years ago, and liked so much that I returned to it often. I always thought that if I ended up living in Poland, I would fix it up and live there, with an incredible deck and view of the entire valley. It hadn’t been used for several years, but it would have been fun fixing it up again, bringing back a little history while making new history.
After 6 hours of hiking, my feet and legs could definitely feel it. I was completely wet and muddy from my knees down, and cleaning my shoes and pants took me at least 45 minutes, but that little rush of adrenaline, excitement, and gratitude that I used to feel after a day of hiking completely overwhelmed me again. I really love this place!
So after a decent day of weather, it returned to being rainy and ugly. I know some of you might like the rain (I do too every now and then), but nobody likes this. As of right now, it has been raining hard, non-stop for something like 80 hours. I have been stuck inside the whole time, drinking tons of coffee and tea, doing a bunch of reading and writing, and just glimpsing out the window every now and then, hoping to find that the sun is finally breaking through. Well, no such luck thus far. I didn’t know southern Poland was turning into a rainforest. I heard some reports that there is massive flooding all around me, but I am oblivious to it all because I am stuck inside. If I had some decent raingear with me, I think that at this point, I would just say screw it and go out for a hike. I don’t mind getting wet, but when you only have two pairs of clothes with you and it takes 2-3 days for clothes to dry here, you might understand my dilemma. I am also finally getting over some crazy mutant cold that my cousin so nicely decided to leave behind for me, and so now that I am feeling better, I really want to be outside. Well, now I must trust that the mountains I love are still there, despite not being able to see them, and suspecting that they might have washed away at this point. Argh, I hate this rain!