Tatra National Park is located in the Tatra Mountains of the southern middle part of Poland, encompassing an area of 81.71 square miles. Characterized by jagged peaks and stunning rock formations, this mountainous region of Poland an incredible destination for hikers and climbers but as with any alpine recreation locations, enjoying it does come with its requisite dangers.
The following video was taken in The Tatras and shows a group of hikers bombarded by two loose boulders that came tumbling down a snow covered slope in their direction. As the group sought cover behind a large rock formation, the first boulder went wide of their position. The second boulder was set on a collision course and actually passed through the middle of the group.
Thankfully no one was struck by the boulder but it was an incredibly close call. Excellent reminder that even an ordinary trip into the backcountry can turn into a fight for your life in a split second, so you have to be careful at all times and be aware of everything around you.
“Many people only look under their feet, but in such places you have to observe what is happening above you all the time. It only takes one second and a huge tragedy can occur. The mountains are beautiful, but you can never forget that nature has the final word there.”
About Tatra National Park:
The Tatra Mountains are one great curiosity on the natural map of Poland. This small patch of our lowland country has risen high above the surrounding lands. The highest Polish peaks and the deepest caves are located here.
Only here, snow in the middle of summer is nothing strange. Only here, deep postglacial lakes are frozen for six months. Thanks to this, we can find many treasures in the Tatras which cannot be found anywhere else. This is the only place where the stone pine forests grow, and the edelweiss, saxifrage, gentian and pasque-flower bloom in such great numbers.
This is the only place where chamois, marmots and snowy voles live. Apart from the wild Bieszczady Mountains, our ancestors never managed to exterminate bears only in the Tatra Mountains. This is the only place where wallcreepers build their nests in the crevices of rocks. Nowhere else do the golden eagles look as majestic as against the background of inaccessible mountain peaks.
In addition, one can find here plenty of traces of the unique culture of the Podhale highlanders (górale), which arose from the centuries-old pastoral tradition and the struggle for survival on the rocky ground.
