The first days through wind, weather, and beautiful nature

After an early departure from Berlin, Lotti bravely persevered and took us through Poland to the Czech border. There, the well-rested Karsi took over the remaining 30 minutes to Adersbach. We immediately set off into the nature park, known for its rock city and rock formations. We were greeted by bright sunshine...somewhere above the rain clouds that were emptying well, under which we were located. Two immediate realizations:

1. We have a similar hiking pace, which is nice.

2. Karsi's rain jacket is waterproof, Lotti's is not.

It was a great experience and a beautiful hike, but the weather dampened the enthusiasm. Along with great photos, we took our wet clothes on a short drive to our overnight spot: somewhere in Poland at Lake Paczkowskie. It started off well, the cooker worked, and we enjoyed our champion cream soup...until the next rain forced us under the tarp. This was followed by the first night in the roof tent and the first water intrusion. Lightning and heavy rain made for a rather restless night.

In the morning, our spirits were revived with porridge before we embarked on our journey to the High Tatras with Willie (a short detour to Decathlon to ensure dryness in the rain - one of us needed a new rain jacket).

After a good six-hour drive, we stretched our legs by the beautiful evening sun around Lake Strebsker in the Tatra Mountains before finding a nice clearing for the night. We had delicious pesto pasta, a dreamy starry sky, and a restful night. And the next morning was just as we had imagined the view from the roof tent: a stunning reddish sunrise with the impressive Tatra Mountains in the background and fresh forest air.

At 06:30, we had oatmeal again (Lotti finds it hard to break habits) before embarking on our first hike: 15 km in 7 hours at 2300m altitude with breathtaking views, several photo breaks, and challenging climbing sections.

Now we are sitting in a small Airbnb accommodation to dry our damp things and escape the impending thunderstorm rumbling overhead. Keep your fingers crossed that we will be dry again and able to sleep peacefully in the roof tent on the next part of our journey, while also enjoying the time around it, cooking and relaxing.