Białowieża: Kosy Most

For introduction I drive to Kosy Most. Kosy most means slanting bridge and refers to an old railway bridge. From the parking lot the trail actually forks: to czarna tropka (czar’s trail) and kosy most. I look to the right first. Mossy trees stand on tiptoes, many mushrooms. Some kind of birds. Digging marks of wild boar. From the promised flowers are there only hepatica and daphne, there is no sign from the rest, as there are also no butterflies. No mosquitoes either. The forest looks altogether different than on the photos and is quite transparent. Somewhere high up is wind. Rain comes and rains somehow quietly and cautiously and then stops. I find a red insect. While I watch it something falls down near me with loud noise. I walk back on a random trail. Find an old railway. Looks like no train has past here for quite some time. Crawling under a tree I scare a medium size brownish bird.

Two rangers’ cars and one set of local tourists have appeared in the parking lot. On the other side are a view tower, bridge over Narewka river and feeding place of the bison. They are fed here with hay in the winter. Now here’s no hay and no bison, it must be spring. A bit further has to be a bog. The sign calls it wolf’s trail and comforts that dead trees are common in a forest because this here is a real forest. The wolves are said to use the roads and trails. Trees stand in water. A strong wild animal smell everywhere. When I turn back it starts to really rain. I put on rain pants under a tourist shelter. The rain stops soon and the clearing starts to steam. I finally find the woodpecker who is knocking on the trees here all the time. I have walked about 17 kilometers.

On the edge of Białowieża village stands a lone bison and eats grass. He does not care if he is photographed of not. Actually bison watching will be tomorrow.

A huge dark purple clouds rises up and the rain feels like someone was throwing bucketfuls of water on the window.