Mountain Trails [#12] - Mountain Guides

Mountains have intrigued and fascinated people for centuries. Conquering new peaks is a wonderful pastime for all those who enjoy getting tired in their free time and prefer active relaxation. On top of that, there's a hint of adrenaline associated with exposure, being on lofty summits, and overcoming one's weaknesses. And at the summit, a remarkable reward awaits – stunning views, vast panoramas, silence, and peace. If you are a beginner hiker and don’t know which trails are suitable for your skills, having a guidebook is a good solution, where you can find answers to your burning questions. The guide complements knowledge about naming conventions, history, and planning future routes. The curious will find numerous interesting facts, tales, and maps within them. This raises the question of which guides are worth recommending? Certainly, those aimed at a wide audience. They combine a variety of information, accessibility, commentary on the trails, and an appropriate dose of knowledge and history of the area being explored.

Guides by Józef Nyka:

“Polish Tatras”, “Pieniny”

 The best and most popular tourist guides for the Polish Tatras and Pieniny. Long-reprinted editions. The author is Józef Nyka – one of the most renowned promoters of mountain tourism, as well as an alpinist and climber. Besides chapters describing specific tourist routes, we find a chapter with practical advice and a general description of the given mountain range. Particularly useful are the information about the time required for traversing and the difficulty of the given trail. The guide contains numerous maps, plans, and panoramas. It is worth mentioning the very clear dictionary of terms, accessible descriptions of historical facts, and legends.

Series of Mountain Shelf Guides:

“Polish and Slovak Tatras”, “Sudetes”, “Silesian Beskids – Żywiec and Mały”, “Pieniny and Magura Spiska – Beskid Sądecki”, “Gorce – Beskid Wyspowy and Makowiecki”, “Bieszczady and Beskid Niski”.

A beautifully published series of guides to Polish mountains, featuring numerous colourful photographs. The described routes facilitate planning a trip, thanks to abundant practical information, maps, and elevation profiles. Additionally, besides hiking trails, they include cycling, motoring, and horseback routes. In the initial chapters, there is a very accessible guide on how to prepare for hiking. Furthermore, the publication provides many practical tips, such as where to look for accommodation.

“The Crown of Polish Mountains” by Krzysztof Bzowski 

An excellent compendium of knowledge for those who want to complete all the highest peaks in Poland to earn the crown of our mountains. It contains essential information about 23 routes, presented according to their difficulty scale. Each trail is described in great detail, including elevation gains, time required for traversing, and length. The route description is based on the included map, and additionally, we learn how to get to the location, where we can find accommodation, what the alternative route is like, and whether the route is accessible for skiers and cyclists.

“Through Polish Mountains – A Runner's Guide” by Natalia Tomasiak and Marcin Świerc

A fantastic option for those for whom a simple walk in the mountains is no longer enough and who seek a bit more effort. The authors of this notebook suggest how to start your adventure with mountain running to avoid dangerous mistakes and at the same time derive immense pleasure from it. In the guide, we will find proposals for running trails in each mountain range in Poland. In the “Runner's Guide,” there are valuable tips concerning running techniques, equipment, and nutrition. The trails are described in an accessible and precise way, containing information about the length of the route, elevation gains, estimated running times, recommended amounts of fluids, types of terrain, and levels of difficulty.

Author of the photos and text: Ewa Bandyk