Those who do not remember the past...

Are condemned to climb up a terribly steep mountain!


About 2 weeks ago the other American teachers and I (sort of) decided to climb up to a lake situated in the High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia. This is a very Slovak thing to do as Slovaks love hiking!
We prepared ourselves by purchasing the correct hiking pants (usually plaid with patches on the knees and back) and renting a room in a "chata"-or cottage- nearby.

We decided to hike to Popradske Pleso, to stay, and then we would hike (but really, it was climbing) up to the highest lake in Slovakia.

I was excited to take the trip, but also nervous, because I remembered once taking this awful hiking trip in Slovakia with a group of students.

I didn't remember much about the trip I took 5 years ago, except for the fact that I was PISSED! I had no idea how far the hike would be and I had to climb over steep and treacherous pathways covered with rocks just to get to some dumb spot I can't even remember anymore. I guess I've never been one for "spectacular views"

Oh, here's 18 year-old me at the start of the hike

At this point I was thoroughly pissed.

Well, had I remembered more about that awful trip 5 years ago, I might not have repeated it two weeks ago...

That's right, of all the mountains to hike in Slovakia I managed to hike up the same awful one TWICE!
I had no idea until we had already hiked about an hour and arrived at the chata! Even then, I wasn't so sure.

Realizing the mistake I made, I tried to escape!

So, once again I trekked up a mountain in order to get to a pleso...

Heidi (another American) and I crossing a small creek on our way up. Notice my amazing Slovak hiking pants

I was a little upset when I realized I was repeating something I didn't enjoy very much the first time, but then I thought about how lucky I was to get a second chance to take in the surroundings (which I obviously didn't appreciate the first time) I tried to let it sink in how surrounded by nature I was and how Slovak I felt (they really do love their hiking here!)


So, maybe forgetting our past doesn't condemn us, but rather, gives us a re-do.
This time I'd like to think I did it better in two ways:

• I quit early... 
• I drank alcohol both before and after the hike (because that's how the Slovaks do!)

Until next time...

Dovidenia!