Today, I journeyed with my host mother to the Bachledka Ski Slopes near Slovakia’s border with Poland. An attraction was recently constructed there and the nice weather (at least in the towns and cities where most live) attracted many visitors to the location. We hiked up the ski slopes, the surrounding trees colored in the light tones of early autumn. Unfortunately, the weather grew dreary, forcing my camera back into its bag.
At the peak of this ascent was a beautiful structure. Chodník Korunami Stromov (roughly translating to something like ‘A Walk Through the Treetops’) is a significant length of aerial walkways, featuring education placards and entertaining, light obstacle courses. At the end, visitors may ascend a massive spiraling ramp upwards to a… less than ordinary viewing platform.
The rain/sleet worsened while my host mother and I were on the walkway, though it couldn’t hamper the enjoyment I found, being among the pines and learning about the wildlife below. Yet, I will say, the chilling winds made climbing the tower an act of endurance. Neither of us had come quite prepared for the wet, winter weather or strong winds. Nevertheless, I couldn’t let us stop; not after seeing what was above! An odd metal tube spiraled down through the center of the ramp and I wondered what it could be. I mean, it certainly looked like a slide, but it hardly seemed wide enough for an adult and too steep to pass any credible safety inspection! Perhaps it was just an odd bit of drainage. A few tiers down from the top, I discovered my initial thoughts had been correct! The sealed entrance to a stainless-steel slide rested on a roped off platform. It was still under-construction, but visitors would soon be free to plunge to the bottom! I vow to return in the spring and experience it myself.
Atop the tower, a rope floor allows visitors to gaze hundreds of feet to the ground below! The ropes are close enough together that there is little fear of falling, however, I was terrified of dropping my phone—but I needed photos! I managed to take a selfie and some video before deciding my phone was too at risk to remain above such a drop. I wonder how many devices this tower will destroy?
Signed,
Andrew
