July 29th, 2008 
Sheila Simkin We settled in at the Jurek Mountain Lodge in the center of Zakopane. Pope John Paul had recently visited Zakopane for three days and the excitement and furor of this trip hadn’t died down yet. This papal visit was a very significant moment for the people of Zakopane and Poland and there were still banners and photos everywhere. Many hotels, pensions, vacation homes for rent in Zakopane and mega-restaurants, including McDonald’s! Peter and his uncle work with the Zakopane rescue association during the winter skiing season and he certainly appeared to be competent.
Mountains and little signs pointing to trails were everywhere and we were eager to begin. Each tour participant received maps and an outline of each day’s hike that would be dependent on Peter’s thoughts. He immediately changed the first hike to a half circle beginning around Gronik and continuing under the base of Giewont to Przelecz (1,725m/5,659′ ) with an option to continue to the top of Giewont (1,895m/6,217′ ), then heading down to Kuznice where the min-bus would be waiting. Whatever…
Mini-bus to the beginning of the trailhead and off we went into the Koscieliska Valley on a clear, sunny and very hot day.
The first surprise was the huge slabs of stone used for trails instead of dirt and the openness of the surroundings. Not exactly what you want when it’s sunny and hot out. It was a good thing that Peter warned us to take lots of water with but there was also opportunity to replenish at some of the many huts along the routes.
Finally, the uphill portion as far as Przelecz was in sight along with Giewont’s summit. A gigantic cross was on the top and ex-Marine and I called it “enough” and parked butts down on a bench and waited for the others to ascend and descend. You don’t have to slap us alongside the head to get the idea through…e-n-o-u-g-h…
A long downhill on those stone slabs, sometimes more difficult than the ups. I was already beginning to think that perhaps we bit off more than we could chew in the Tatras. Back to Zakopane, Advil, dinner and bed…
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Nice article and great foto. Giewont is one of the most popular polish mountain. Mamy people also go on the Kasprowy.
Hiking around Zakopane was a great experience and I hope this series of articles enlightens travelers about the possibilities. Unfortunately, the hiking was just a tad beyond my abilities. Did it, but it was hard. If we were by ourselves, would have selected a few of the easier trails.