Aradena Bridge is 84 meters length and 138 meters high and is the highest bridge for bungee jumping in Greece and the second highest in Europe. The lenght of the gorge from Aradena bridge to the sea (Marmara Beach) is about 6-7km and it takes about 3 hours to cross it.

My daughter Ania did it. She jumped off this bridge in 2024. Since then, this was my next challenge.
So i did it too, one year later – in 2025 😉

On January 1, I planned to symbolically start the new year by climbing Biskupia Kopa. It didn’t work out then for several reasons. But we finally conquered the second peak from the Crown of Polish Mountains!
12.1km – 890 m above sea level – 5h15min – via Gwarkowa Perć.
The return route was through the trail in Cicha Dolina, which was very badly damaged due to recent floods. This meant that the final 30 minutes of the trail were illuminated by the stars and the flashlight on our phone 😆

Short movie now on YouTube 🙂

The Carpathians are home to Europe’s largest populations of brown bears, wolves, chamois and lynxes, with the highest concentration in Romania, as well as over a third of all European plant species. Romania is the country with the largest number of brown bears in Europe – according to the Romanian Ministry of the Environment, there are approximately 8,000 of them living in Romania.

There are also many thermal and mineral waters in the mountains and their foothills, with Romania having one third of the total amount in Europe. Romania is also home to the second largest area of ​​virgin forest in Europe after Russia, with a total area of ​​250,000 hectares (65%), most of it located in the Carpathians, with the Southern Carpathians constituting the largest unfragmented forest area in Europe.

Kilimanjaro – a mountain in northern Tanzania, located on the border with Kenya. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the only place on the continent where there is snow all year round. It consists of three peaks that are the remains of three volcanoes:
Uhuru peak on the Kibo volcano (Kilimanjaro) – 5895m asl,
Mawenzi – 5150m asl,
Shira – 3940m asl.

Often called the Roof of Africa, Kilimanjaro is included among the 7 peaks constituting the Crown of the Earth (Seven Summits) – the highest peaks in individual parts of the world.

1889 – professor Hans Meyer and his guide Ludwik Purtscheller stood on the summit of Kilimanjaro.
1898 – the first tourist trail was marked out, leading to the very top.
1932 – the first shelter was built on the slopes.
1910 – the first Pole Antoni Jakubski conquered Kilimanjaro.
1921 – a nature reserve was established.
1973 – the upper levels of the massif above the tree line (approx. 2700m asl) were protected as part of the Kilimanjaro National Park with an area of ​​753 km².
1977 – the park was opened to tourists.
1987 – Kilimanjaro was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The most difficult and highest peak on the list of the Crown of Polish Mountains.
My plan is to get it in 2025, but until I feel like I’m completely ready, I won’t try. I’m still a beginner and I have to test my strength before 😉

Rysy is a mountain located on the Polish-Slovak border, in the High Tatras. It has three peaks, the highest of which is the middle one (2501m asl), located entirely in Slovakia. The north-western peak, through which the border runs, is the highest point in Poland (2499m asl).
Rysy is one of the most frequently visited Tatra peaks. The entrance from the Polish side is well secured (almost 300 meters of chains), but requires tourist and fitness preparation. From the entrance to the TPN at Palenica Białczańska, the elevation is 1504 meters, and from Morskie Oko, 1104 meters. From Czarny Staw, the average slope of the trail is 30 degrees.
The peak owes its popularity to its unrivaled panorama: in good weather, visibility reaches over 200 km. From the top you can distinguish 80 Tatra peaks and approximately 50 peaks in other mountain groups, 13 larger Tatra lakes and Krakow, approximately 90 km away, are visible.
Rysy belongs to the Crown of Polish Mountains (border peak), the Crown of the Tatra Mountains (middle peak), the Crown of Europe (border peak) and the Great Crown of the Tatra Mountains (middle peak).

The Crown of Polish Mountains is a list of the highest peaks of all mountain ranges in Poland, according to the original assumption.
Over almost a quarter of a century of existence, over 61,000 mountain tourism enthusiasts have joined the Club, and 2,800 people can boast of the title of Conqueror.
The idea behind this project was to encourage people to explore various regions, learn about their geography, diverse nature, folk culture and historical turmoil.

I know, I know! 😉

But the most important thing for me is
that I got off my ass and started this challenge!
And I will finish it, God willing.

Babia Góra – a mountain massif in the Babia Góra Range belonging to the Beskid Żywiecki in the Western Beskids (according to Slovak terminology, these are the Oravské Beskydy Mountains). The highest peak is Diablak (1724 m asl, “Devil’s Peak”), often also called Babia Góra, like the entire massif.

It is the highest peak of the Western Beskids and, apart from the Tatra Mountains, the highest peak in Poland, the second most prominent (after Śnieżka).
It is included in the Crown of Polish Mountains.
The height and prominence of the Babia Góra massif resulted in it being called the Queen of the Beskids in the 19th century. Due to the very changeable weather, it was also called the Mother of Bad Weather.

The Polish border with Slovakia runs through the peak, which offers a beautiful panorama of the Tatra Mountains, Beskids, Sudetes, and, in good weather, the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. There is a stone altar, an obelisk commemorating John Paul II and Joseph Habsburg and a figure of Our Lady Queen of Babia Góra.
To protect against the strong wind, a stone wall was built here.
Babia Góra is the only massif in the Polish Beskids with high-mountain features.

In 1954, the Babia Góra National Park was established in the Babia Góra massif (together with the Diablak peak). In recognition of its valuable natural values, Babia Góra National Park was included on January 17, 1977 by UNESCO on the list of world biosphere reserves.

The higher parts of the massif are known for very changeable and capricious weather, which has caused many strays and accidents, including fatal ones, among tourists and skiers. In summer, violent storms on its peak are particularly dangerous, in winter – snow hurricanes, there is an avalanche risk in some parts of the hiking trails, and strong winds often blow on exposed peaks and passes.

I went to Babia Góra in September with my daughter Ania. After several months of working as a fitness instructor in Greece, Ania had no problems with reaching the top. She pushed me at times but didn’t impose a terrible pace 😉
We started at Przełęcz Krowiarki along the blue trail, which after a 5.5 km walk, at the crossroads (Skręt Ratników) we changed to the yellow trail through Perć Akademików.

Perć Akademików is the only trail in the Beskids with chains and clamps. These attractions give a lot of adrenaline and fun. I must admit that this episode, despite its relative difficulty for many, was fantastic for me. I was short of breath but I did it 🙂
The views at the top are stunning, 360 degrees panorama. The Tatra Mountains made a huge impression on me from this distance.

We descended from Babia Góra, following the crowded red trail, making the entire trip a large loop. I would absolutely not try to climb this trail, it is long, monotonous, and most of the route is in the forest.
We had fantastic weather, no wind, no high/low temperatures and minimal clouds.
This is how we reached the first of the 28 peaks of the Crown of Polish Mountains 🙂

Lysá hora is sometimes called the Queen of the Silesian-Moravian Beskids and is the highest peak of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids, and at the same time the highest mountain in Cieszyn Silesia.

Near the peak, at an altitude of 1313m asl there is a 78-meter high television transmitter built in 1980, and at an altitude of 1320m asl meteorological observatory.
Since 2015, there have been two shelters on the peak, built from scratch in place of older structures: “Bezručova Chata” and “Chata Emil Zátopek – Maraton”.
From the top of Łysa Góra there is a view to the north and south. You can also see part of Polish Upper Silesia.
Lysa hora is considered unique for many reasons. It attracts tourists, runners, ski tourers and cyclists like a magnet. For some people, it is even iconic – they run or climb it hundreds of times. There are many trails leading to Lysa, including an asphalt road, which is eagerly followed by families with children in strollers. also a concrete obelisk with a metal point (plate), which, according to tradition, should be touched by every tourist.

On August 10, 2009, I went to the Czech Republic to see and take photos under the “Lysa Hora” mountain, the so-called Satina Waterfalls. Satina turned out to be a small mountain stream and the waterfalls were definitely small waterfalls. However, the place was truly fabulous. It was then that I stood at the foot of Lysa Hora and, looking at it, I thought that one day I would come and climb it. Interestingly, its peak is visible from my window, from a town in Poland over 70 km away.
I fulfilled my promise this year August 14, 2024, after 15 years & 4 days.
But I did it twice in 3 weeks.
My physical condition, which had been crap for a dozen or several dozen years, has been slightly improved since March this year. Almost every day I walked several kilometers and sweated in the home gym.
I set off. It took me just over 5 hours to complete the entire route, climb to the top and go down the other side. In total, I did less than 14 km of the route. Don’t be surprised that I have such a smiling face in the photos – I was happy that I managed and that I just did it.
Then, as I reached the car left in the parking lot, I knew that I had woken up from my lethargy and something new in my life had just begun.

The second approach was done together with Maria. We set ourselves a slightly slower pace, but bravely finished the route in a short time. This time, together with a dozen or so people, I had the opportunity to admire the sunrise from the top of Lysa hora. Some people climb it at night just to see this spectacle.
The first and second time we had great weather conditions.