Gabrielė Baristaitė -
The 25th of
January is known as midwinter. This day marks the middle of winter, it means
that there is half of winter left till spring. There is one myth about this
day. It is known that on this day a badger comes out of its cave and if the day
is sunny he recognizes his shadow and goes back to the cave. It means that
spring will come later. But if the day is foggy, the badger comes out from the
cave and takes a walk. Thus, we can expect that spring will come earlier.
Each
midwinter “Aukuras club” organizes a hike to commemorate midwinter and to check
whether the myth has some truth in it.
It became a tradition to do this every year. This club aims to protect
and handle the heritage of nature. Club does this by organizing hikes, seminars
and competitions related to nature preservation. Also, club contributes to the activities of
Kurtuvėvai Regional Park. The midwinter hike is organized annually in the
Kurtuvėnai regional park because the park has a lot of beautiful lakes and
hills. During the hike twelve lakes are visited and also people attempt to find
out whether the spring will come earlier or later.
This year my
classmate Eglė and I have decided to participate in the midwinter hike. I have
not known what I should expect because it was the first time when I went to the
hike. I thought that the hike in winter time is very unusual but also it is a
great chance to try something new. The hike has started from the early morning.
The morning was sunny, so following the idea of the myth we expect that spring
will come later. The people who wanted to join the hike had to be in the car
parking near Pageluvis Lake. The coordinator of the hike introduced the plan
and we started the hike from the first lake Pageluvis. National and local television were also interested
in the predictions about spring. They decided to create a coverage of the hike.
During the hike we have visited twelve
lakes, we have seen some boars and also we had one incident on the lake.
When
we were standing on one of the lakes, and while our coordinator was talking
about the lake, suddenly everyone heard ice breaking. Some of the group lied
down, some ran to the shore. Fortunately, it was only a sound of ice breaking,
about which we had quite a laugh each time we went on different lakes. I have
learnt that lying down is the best and safest way to keep safe in emergencies
of ice breaking. I think this was the most memorable event during the hike for
everyone who participated.
This hike helped
us to get to know more about Kurtuvėnai Regional Park; we have seen striking
nature scenes and the amazing lakes in winter time. During this activity I,
personally, have improved my collaboration skills and also have increased my
ability to deal with emotions in unpredictable situations. I am very happy that
I had an opportunity to join the midwinter hike in Kurtuvėnai Regional Park
because of the amazing moments we all shared on that day. Next year I will
participate too, and I advise everyone to join it as well, to experience
moments that will be remembered for a long time!
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