Feeling winter in the Tatras

A holiday in October… anything can happen. October can bring the unexpected sunshine that makes you think it is spring. It can also quickly remind you that winter is around the corner. Today was one of those days. I woke up to find out the temperature was around zero and rain was forecasted for the majority of the day. I went down to the breakfast room and sat next to the window. But wait… is that… white?

The top of the cars was covered in a tiny layer of snow, although what was coming down was mostly wet and not sticking to the ground. Due to the weather and other plans I’d scheduled a short hike and I braced myself for the cold. I had leggings and waterproof trousers, two layers and my rain jacket. I hadn’t exactly packed for winter, so until I started my hike I was freezing.

I took a train from Tatranska Lomnica, where my hotel was, to Stary Smokovec. From there I power-walked to the start of the trail and as the road started to go uphill, I was quickly warming up. I’d ambitiously started with my hood, headband and scarf on, but took them off one after the other. A quiet forest path started at the corner of Novy Smokovec and lead me all the way to Sliezsky Dom, where I would find a 4 star hotel at the edge of a lake.

The owners of my hotel had given me a warning “just take care, it can be icy” with a slightly worried look on their faces. The snowflakes had turned into solid, thick flakes now and it was sticking to the ground. The path was very comfortable though, with lots of sand still exposed, some rocks here and there and lots of tree roots. You certainly had to watch your step, but it wasn’t too slippery yet.

I was so excited to see the snow. It made me think of all the ski resorts I’ve been to and how the first days felt, when you get excited winter is finally there and the snow flakes add to the mood and the conditions of the slopes. I couldn’t wait to get skiing again. But for now I was exploring on foot and I was ascending at a good pace. It was so quiet and my focus was on my immediate surroundings since the “view” was made up of clouds. Well, mostly I looked at my feet, but whenever I looked up I was amazed by the beauty.

This was the perfect hike for a snowy day since I ascended through the forest, passing a ton of Christmas trees that were perfectly decorated with a dusting of snow. About halfway I heard some deep voices laughing. So I wasn’t the only one on the trail. A few men came walking down, but after that I didn’t see anyone until I descended myself. After a while I started to feel my legs and when I stood still and looked up I was surprised to see a view. It wasn’t perfectly clear, but it was certainly a view. The mountain was ahead of me. Not long afterwards I saw the final path, made up of rocks with snow on and around it like cement. It was the last ascend to the lake.

Despite the weather I’d expected to see more people around the hotel, but it was eerily quiet. Everyone seemed to hide inside the warmth of the luxury hotel, enjoying the spa rather than the outdoors. I decided to circle the lake and saw a lonely bench overlooking the lake. The backdrop consisted of spiky peaks surrounded by clouds. Trails disappeared over the hill, leading people deeper into the Tatras, perhaps even to Poland. For me this was the end point of the day. I admired the little waterfall and scrambled over some rocks before I made my way down along a different trail.

It was still snowing but people had finally come outside. On my way down I encountered several people who were walking up. It was a really pleasant trail, for a big part alongside a stream. I had to cross some bridges and enjoyed the different views of the forest. When you keep moving, you don’t even feel cold. It wasn’t until I stopped that I noticed it was freezing.