Following the tragedies of 2026, we’re finally starting to try and live our lives, because we’ve earned it and no longer owe anyone anything...
To clear your head, you need to really tire your body out somewhere with no internet and no unnecessary people.
A three-day hike to Pip Ivan in the Chornohora Mountains.
An unusual route and plenty of spots that others don’t usually get to see.
In the first few hours of the climb, it became clear that the beautiful photos only show one side of the story, because the other half is all about the rucksack, physical exertion, people, socks and shoes))).
I was carrying about 17 kilograms on my back, my son 15, and my partner 8. I realised that every gram counts, because when you’re constantly gaining altitude, with rocks and wet ground underfoot, and the trail is so steep that it shoots up one moment and drops just as steeply the next, that single gram turns into a kilogram within an hour, and when you take off your rucksack, you’re already afraid you’ll fly off to the Moon)))
Bear in mind that if you’re unable to run ten kilometres in at least 70 minutes, be prepared for this route to be extremely challenging for you.
Before setting off, people need to be told in no uncertain terms that they must buy proper ‘high-top’ hiking boots well in advance and that they must be ‘broken in’.
The same applies to a good-quality rucksack, packing only the bare essentials, good ‘high-top’ hiking socks, and so on.
This route differs from the usual ascent of Hoverla, which is easier but, unfortunately, has already been heavily trodden down in places...
Bear in mind that on long, steep descents, your knees, ligaments and so on start to give way.
You’ve worked up a hundred sweats, your T-shirt is soaked, your legs are throbbing, there’s another climb ahead, and at some point you ask yourself why a grown-up would voluntarily agree to all this – and then the question fades away. Before you lies the Chornogora, distant ridges, forests, rivers, boulders, and a sky that seems closer here...
A photograph cannot capture the wind, the scent of the forest or the sound of the water, nor can it convey the feeling that there are hardly any people around.
Over the course of three days, we only came across other tourists a few times, apart from at a few popular spots.
We’d forgotten what an air-raid siren sounded like.
For a few days, our minds were finally occupied with other tasks: walking, keeping up the pace, breathing, watching our step, waiting for our group, helping those in need, finding water, and reaching our overnight stop.
Here, you can get a tiny glimpse of the challenges and hardships that the Defenders face round the clock, when their rucksacks and other kit weigh twice or three times as much, the distances are longer, and instead of the tranquillity of the mountains, there are explosions, death and a lack of sleep.
There’s nothing negative about this trip; in the evening you arrive exhausted, pitch your tent, whilst some people fetch water, help with the firewood and unpack your things, and others are already working their magic over the pots, cooking borscht and solyanka over the fire. And you all sit together, eating, laughing, telling stories, getting to know one another properly, and the people you first met that morning by the bus are no longer strangers by the end of the day.
My eldest son impressed me with his stamina, especially when he carried my rucksack because I’d hurt my leg (I was wearing flat shoes).
My partner’s brilliant too!
The people, the team and the atmosphere.
Just when you start to feel confident on the trail, find your balance and ‘get a bit big for your boots’, Their Majesties the Mountains immediately give you such a ‘knock’ that you can barely hold on, and you realise that here, just as in life, you mustn’t let your guard down and must be prepared for constant challenges.
Over the course of three days, we shed a few extra kilos and gave our legs and backs a proper workout. We swore our heads off a few times during yet another extreme challenge, and then headed home utterly exhausted yet happy at the same time.
I would definitely recommend this route, but if you’re not quite ready for it yet, start with Hoverla – a day climb or a hike without a rucksack.
The true value of this trip, as it turned out, lies not only in the beauty untouched by crowds, but also in those moments when things get really tough, yet you carry on in good spirits alongside your group. It’s in the way the person next to you suddenly becomes a friend, and at the end of the day, by the campfire, the food tastes like the best in the world. The thrill of a chilly morning by the tent, of being offline, when you’re standing high up in the Carpathians, looking around at the fairy-tale scenery and suddenly realising — you’re alive and happy; you’ve done it and you can do it again.
💛💙❤️
We’ll be setting up new chat groups to plan future hikes, kayaking trips and cycle rides, so please message me privately! I’ll add friends, especially veterans who are close to me and need rehabilitation.
Unfortunately, the official holiday is over and we have to take on various jobs, do voluntary work and do everything we can to ensure the complete destruction of the invaders on our land.
Enjoy the experience!
Only TOGETHER are we Ukraine!