First trip

The hike to Svidovets is my first hike with tents for 6 days. Before this, I had no idea what it was like to walk up and down the mountains for 6 days, with a backpack, live in tents, cook over a fire and wash in mountain streams.

A friend who constantly goes helped me get ready - his most important advice was VERY helpful: pack EVERYTHING in bags.

First of all, a sleeping bag. At the beginning of the journey, on Dragobrat, we met the second group, with which we continued to walk for the remaining 5 days. Half of the second group spent every evening around the fire with sleeping bags in their hands to somehow dry them... since drying a sleeping bag with the heat of your body is not very pleasant... =)

I believe that our group was lucky to see the Carpathians in their extraordinary beauty with sudden temperature changes and weather changes. We woke up with a temperature in the tent of 12-14 degrees, after an hour it was already comfortable to walk in a T-shirt, and after a couple of hours we were already drenched in rain on the mountain ridge and the temperature dropped to 8-10 degrees.

Physical difficulties... I would not recommend this route to those who:

• Leads an inactive lifestyle (no physical activity).
• Point 1 + first time on a hike and doesn’t know what he’s going into.

Super preparation is not needed, but the question is how comfortable you will be with the distance every day... There were difficult sections where you just had to go up 350 meters... this climb took about two hours. And the point is not that someone won’t be able to, but whether there will be enthusiasm the next day...

For example, I run and ride a bike several times a week. Plus a horizontal bar, parallel bars... Therefore, all the loads were a thrill for me...))

On things to take with you. When I was getting ready, I packed my backpack according to the principle: “take only what can be useful...”, on the next trip I will pack according to the principle: “take EVERYTHING that can be useful...”. Why?

Briefly about what we have covered... The first day we spent the night at an altitude of 1000m near Dragobrat. On the second day we already climbed Dragobrat and at an altitude of 1500m the weather changed dramatically in 10 minutes. The sun was no longer warm, but there was a real downpour and a strong wind was blowing... The rain poured not from above, but almost horizontally along the ground. Within 20 minutes we were already thoroughly wet (the poncho that we cover together with the backpack does not save us from such rain, BUT it saves us from the wind - this is a big plus).

We walked in such conditions for several hours. The temperature outside was 8-10 degrees. They didn’t freeze only due to constant movement, so the stops were only for a few minutes. At this point I regretted putting out my windproof gloves. My fingers were so frozen that it was impossible to take my phone out of my pocket to take photos.

I advise you to have with you:

• Poncho (required). The guys' light, cheap raincoats were torn by the wind, and the capes on their backpacks were blown away + the poncho warms and does not allow the wind to pass through.
• Gloves. Gloves will prevent your fingers from freezing to the point of inflexibility. If you use trekking poles, or just a wooden stick, you will not rub your palms.

From Mount Dragobrat (1740m) we went down to Lake Apshinets (1500m) and walked to the shepherds' house. The house stood in the middle of the mountains like in a fairy tale. The only transport there and back is on foot or on horseback.

The shepherds (many thanks to them) let the girls into the house to warm themselves by the stove, and they themselves chopped some wood so that we could warm up by the fire.

At this point, a change of clothes came in VERY useful... a T-shirt, spare shoes, socks. I highly recommend that you always have spare clothes and shoes with you that you can put on at such moments to keep warm. When we went out again - I put on wet sneakers again - you don’t feel the cold in the movement.

On this day we walked 18 km. The camp was set up in an abandoned hostel building, where they hammered pegs right between the boards in the floor. In the evening, everyone warmed up by the fire and dried everything they could.

I think we were lucky to get caught in this downpour, as it added zest to our hike and showed the Carpathians from another beautiful side.

We spent the next day in this picturesque place. Who wanted to swim in the river - Black Tisa

These were only the first 2 days and writing about the rest would have taken up the same amount of space on the sheet, but would not have conveyed the sensations that you experience when you see everything live.

I'll take it with me

List of things that I will take next time 100% (this is not a complete list, only the most useful):

• Poncho - protects you and your backpack from the rain; protects you from the wind. It’s better to rent in your hometown in case the rentals are short or of poor quality.
• Spare shoes, spare T-shirt, spare sweater. Walking in wet clothes is normal, but sitting by the fire is no longer so...
• The hat was very useful. It's cold in the morning. I wore it all the time.
• The gloves are thin, but not breathable. Trekking poles will not rub your hands, and the wind will not freeze your fingers.
• Trash bags - 1 pack for sure, two are better. Rewind your things, share with a friend. Spare bags are a must.
• Sandals (trekking). It’s convenient to wear when you walk through swampy areas, through water... they don’t take up space in your backpack - you can attach them with carabiners on the outside (decorative carabiners cost 25-50 UAH).
• Flashlight. Better head-on. It makes it convenient to chop firewood in the evening, remove/hang a pot, etc.
• Rope for drying things. I won’t explain..=)
• Elastic knee pads or bandages. They support the joint under loads, and also keep it warm during temperature changes.
• Trekking poles. I didn’t have these sticks, but I used a wooden stick. It is very convenient when you are walking along a narrow path on a slope and there is a risk of slipping. It is also convenient to climb uphill with a stick, especially when the soil is wet.
• Portable battery. Charged my phone and watch. It’s very convenient if you don’t want to take a camera and plan to take pictures with your phone. I took a 17600 mAh battery. Enough for the hike and a few more weeks after.

About clothes: Before the hike, there was a choice - to take one very warm sweater with a hood and a raincoat, or several sweaters and a raincoat. In the end, I took 2 sweaters, a thermal jacket, 2 T-shirts and a raincoat. This made it easier not to sweat and regulate the heat with sudden temperature changes.

Bottom line

The Carpathians are one of the corners of our beautiful country, which truly opens up only to those who have visited it... Good luck on your hike and don’t look for “shortcuts”...,)

P.S. Special thanks to the guide Oleg Boyko. I would go hiking with him again without a doubt)