June can be a prime hiking month – late sunset favors traveling far for difficult hikes. But it’s also a month that can have an abundance of summer storms…
I skipped a hike the first weekend of the month as I wasn’t feeling well after a tick bite (fortunately, the blood tests were negative for any serious disease) – and I admit I welcomed the rest. From there on, though, I went back to it, managing a total of four hikes in the month, though the last was of the easier kind.
The first hike took me to a place I hadn’t seen yet – a trail not used much despite the fact it starts right on one of the main roads. A warm day with a sharp ascension meant that our group of seven who took the longest trail were getting sweaty quite a lot, but it was well worth it – June on the hills is the month when the late mountain flowers are in full bloom.
And the field at the first mountain pass was also quite a nice lookout.
From there on, the trail led mostly through the woods. Given the warm weather, the shade was welcome. The amount of stinging nettle plants in some spots, not as much. For the most part, this section of the trail was as close as one can get to untouched nature in the heart of Europe – only a footpath with trees of all ages, fallen trunks in various stages of decay, the circle of life on full display, as well as strange fungi.
Shortly after noon, we left the woods and emerged on a grassy portion of the mountain range. This graced us with some great views, but also quite some heat. We took a small detour to a spring that was, given the weather, surprisingly (but refreshingly) cold.
From there on, we ascended to the main peak for the day, while enjoying the sights – many of the peaks above are some I’ve visited in the past and where I’d like to return sooner or later. Some of them were the place of the most difficult hikes I’ve done so far.
After a break at the peak, we decided to start the descent. We took a footpath – not an official trail – down the ridge instead of going through the valley which has nothing to see. That allowed us to enjoy the sights for some more time, even if it was tricky at first.
And we managed to find some photogenic fungi, both edible and inedible.
The next weekend, I hit the typical indecisiveness I struggle with when planning summer hikes. After all, given that the amount of places I can reach on a one-day return trip is limited, it often happens I repeat them quite often, more so if the weather isn’t as stable as I’d like to go somewhere further.
Thus, I decided to visit a well-known place nearby, taking a trail that was mostly in the shade of the trees to make the heat more bearable, but that meant I took maybe two or three photos during the day.
The third hike – last one with the hiking club before the summer break – was a return to a place we visited in the mid-2010s. Back then, we had quite bad luck with the weather – misty, cold, with light rain. It was one of the rare June hikes when I actually used gloves.
This time, the forecast was better when it came to temperature (around 20°C) but not that better when it came to clouds and rain. The first hour or so, the weather held, and we even had three minutes of sunlight, but soon after that, the clouds gathered, and it started to rain. The worst hit us as we were in the tightest part of the valley we were ascending, at which point, thunder echoed through the hills, though not for long.
The trail, looking like a dry riverbed, sloped ever upward. Similar to the hike two weeks ago, it was a group of maybe 10 people taking the longest route, including some new “recruits”. Not the best welcome, but we can’t affect the weather, we can only do our best to overcome it. Each our own way. Soon, my boots were sloshing with dampness as rainwater flowed down my legs. But that won’t stop me.
Once at the peak, it seemed that the clouds might part or go in a different direction. Here and there, a limited view opened up. But it took another hour before things started to get really better. The fact that the rain stopped was good enough for many of us – the light wind also meant we had a decent chance of the moisture being dried before we descended to the village.
That said, the rain-soaked soil turned to mud in many places and thus the descent was, in some parts, quite tricky. We kept our eyes on the ground more often than not.
Which had the benefit of seeing some photogenic fungi.
We had some time to dry up, fortunately, before we started our journey home. I changed into my spare clothes for more comfort, though it wasn’t really necessary at that point. Despite the weather, it was a decent day with new memories made and new people met.
The last hike of the month was a hike I originally considered for the first (the one I eventually canceled). It was a relaxing walk through the woods in a relatively gentle terrain, though the warm weather made it difficult in other ways. More so as I was the only person taking that trail, which meant all the pesky flies and other bugs around bothered me most of the journey. That forced me to keep a brisk pace, slowing down only where the trail was muddy.
Part of me hoped to have a chance to jump into a stream at the end to cool down, but the streams were way too muddy after the Thursday storms that I had to reconsider for my own sake.
So, that’s a quick look back at my June hikes. I’m already working on some ideas for July and August and hope that the weather will cooperate to let me see some nice places.
Have a nice summer, and see you next time.
Tomas - the wandering dreamer 