That was hard, hiking in the snow (126Cong.Rec.Bound)

I used to be a little smug about references to "rambling" in the United Kingdom. I found it funny that they didn't just call it "hiking." But after a recent group hiking trip, I have fully embraced the word as the best descriptor of my kind of weekend in the woods; rambling is more concerted than walking but less challenging than actual hiking.

Our entourage of eight followed an itinerary arranged by Active Ukraine. To start, we took the overnight train from Kyiv to Ivano-Frankivsk (top), the same place TJ and I used as a jumping-off point for our first foray in the Carpathians. The sun was coming up just as we chugged into the city (bottom left). Our first walk, not hike, was to a filling breakfast at Urban Space. We also took a quick stroll around the city's Heritage Museum before heading out to our base camp (bottom right).

On the way there, we stopped in Yavoriv to see some heritage in action. The short but slow climb up to the location of our cultural activity was an indication that I might be out of my depth. But at least the sun was shining, which made it perfect for drying cheese and mushrooms outside (top left). But really, we were there to see how the locals turn hand-spun wool (top right) into beautiful but practical wool blankets called lizhnyk (bottom).

Our host, Panna Anna, demonstrated how to turn wool, which is cleaned with a "natural waterfall washing machine," into yarn (left) that is sometimes dyed before it is fed into hand-made looms for weaving (right). A few of tried our own hands at parts of the process, but I can tell you, none of us made it look as easy as Panna Anna (which means "Miss Anna" in Polish).

Despite our paltry contribution to her operation, she filled our bellies with a delicious lunch that included corncakes with brindza cheese as well as pancakes with berry jam (left). She also filled our glasses with various types of homemade alcohol, including samogan, otherwise known as Ukrainian moonshine. By the time the meal was over (right), some of us (re: me) were a little tipsy and wondering how well that afternoon's hike would go.

Luckily, it took a little while to reach the town of Dzembronya, where we met our guides at Bily Slon camp, which is named after the abandoned observatory on Pip Ivan, also known as Chornohora or Black Mountain (left). Many of the camp's cabins were booked so we all stayed together in a single house across the river and street called Ksenya Lodge (right).

After dropping off our gear, we set off for our first hike, 3 miles up and down the hills behind the camp. I knew there would be some ascents over the weekend, but I didn't realize just how high we would be climbing from the river valley (top left). It also didn't help that a fast pace was set by our accompanying malamute mascot (top right). Although I was sucking wind most of the way up, I was able to catch my breath as we stopped for snacks and selfies before making a slippery descent (top).

The next day, we drove to the starting point of our second hike, for which we split into two groups: faster and slower. You can probably guess which one I joined, but I didn't mind because being behind the lead pack allowed me to enjoy the solace of the path (top left). Originally, our guides had planned a much longer hike, but they scaled way back to about 5 miles after they assessed our ability, especially in knee-deep snow -- with possibly more on the way (top right). But we made it to our destination, some excellent stone formations hidden among the evergreens (bottom left). Standing beside the gigantic structures, I was enormously proud of my achievement (bottom right).

 

Once we got back down to the valley, we abandoned our hiking poles (top) and made a beeline for the banya. At first, after being out in the cold all day, I felt like I would never want to leave the heat, but it's a necessity of the tradition to alternate between the humid steam of the sauna (bottom left) and the bracing chill of a nearby plunge pool or snow bank (bottom right).

The alternation kind of reminded me of the process of an out-and-back hike. If you manage to make it up the hill (top left), you are rewarded with a return down the hill -- which can sometimes can be just as challenging (top right). If you cut a path across a field (bottom left), you'll follow those tracks back (bottom right). But somehow, the exertion makes you less aware of the repetition.

 

It also helps if you are distracted and entertained by a great guide, who had a knack for taking solid candid snapshots (top left). He took equally nice posed shots of our group along the trail (top right). I would be remiss if I didn't credit most of my motivation to my fellow trekkers (bottom), who at least for a weekend turned this ramblin' woman into a hikin' hopeful.