Meeting in the valley

It was in the second half of September 1997. I was walking from the Chata Teryho (Tery Chalet). Early in the morning I climbed to the Sedelko (Sedelko Pass) and after having a short rest and tea I started climbing down to the Javorova Dolina (Javorova Valley). At the pass I met a Polish hiker who told me about a chamois walking in the Javorova Valley. As I was going down I saw this beautiful animal. It stood on the to of the rock near the trail, holding its head proudly. It was about 30 metres from me. I went down and down and with every step I came nearer to it. It was a male, and he was looking at me. The distance was very short (about 5-6 metres). Then I saw his horns move down, and he started to snort. I moved a few metres back quickly. The chamois kept his head up still looking at me. After a moment he started to go down the trail. We walked together for over 45 minutes, always about 5-6 meters apart. Sometimes he climbed on the rock, then he looked picturesque. After some time we saw a man going up the valley. My "mountain friend" looked at me, looked at this man and jumped aside. I was very happy and very moved by this situation. I had never seen a chamois so near, and I don't know whether I'll have the possibility to see one again. I hope that TPN and TANAP will do their best to preserve the unique nature of the Tatra Mountains.

Jan Latala, Krakow, Poland, e-mail: jlatala@onet.pl