The National Blue Trail became one of the most popular long-distance hiking destinations in Hungary. With its 1168 km, it runs across the northern part of the country.
The blue tour is a hiking movement maintained by the Hungarian Hiking Association. You have to reach 152. stamping locations through the trail. The National Blue Trail stamping book helps you to collect all the dedicated and unique stamps in one place for later approval.
After years of procrastination, I packed my backpack on may of 2017 and started my hike on the trail. Long-distance hiking was a totally new thing for me. I was sure that this is going to be something new and exciting. But even my expectations were far from what I have seen and experienced during that 46 days of hiking.
I started at Írott-kő on my own. Actually, I climbed up from Velem to Írott-kő for my first stamp. After that, I hiked usually in 2-4 days terms. Till I got to Hollóháza in 2019. In these two and a half years my life went through fundamental changes. And most of it was due to my experiences on the blue trail.
I bought my stamping book in 2009, but it sat on my shelf for years. I was always rationalizing why I don't have time for it now. Until in 2017 I got into a crisis in both my professional and private life. Things that were important meant nothing for me anymore. Stress became permanent in my life and it started to consume my personality. In cases like this, I normally used o go to the gym or to a party with my friends, but this wasn't working for me anymore. I felt that the ground falls out under my feet. This is how I started Hungary's (and Europe's) first long-distance hiking trail and when I finished, I was again optimistic and filled with creative energy. I couldn't wait to share my next hike with my friends.
Hiking the blue trail was beneficial not just for my physical, but also for my mental strength. It made me break out of my "social bubble". I saw not just beautiful landscapes but sad or inspiring human stories as well. Most of the stamping points can be found either at train stations or in local pubs. The pubs were my favorite, and the draught-beer was just one side of it. The other side was being able to have conversations with the locals. It was sobering to hear about the everyday problems of the people living in the country-side. Unfortunately, it was true not just for the poorest regions, but for the whole country.
I have to highlight not just the cultural and geographical sides of this journey, but also the psychological aspects. It sounds like a commonplace, but I had to feel it for myself how distanced modern humans became from nature. I believe we are even afraid of it. Afraid of losing control over things and adapting to circumstances. Like I had to adapt when I first spent the night in the forest alone, or when I was escaping a huge storm on the top of the Nagy-Hideg mountain, or when I ran out of water in the middle of nowhere. Yes, these things made me think about the priorities in my life. However, I don't state this is an only way recipe, but everybody I met "on the blue" agreed with me in one thing: this is a highly underestimated adventure in our country.
Accomplishing the National Blue Trail was one of the most human experiences in my life. I got to know better the famous Hungarian landscapes, nature, and people. It was also an excellent introduction to long-distance hiking.
6 сен 2024
