Covered pines

Winter time, which is sometimes too culinary, calls for long walks. So let’s go in it, this time not to Žižkov’s oak, to which January 1 belongs rather, let’s visit the place of the Covered Pines in an unusual way. Let’s grease the cross-country skis and the bikes and bring more friends and fluids along the way and our hike can happen. The Velechvín forest offers a lot of interesting routes, but we will go on one of the most popular. Over the long hills of Slepičák, on a slightly winding road, we stop at U valach.

The place got its strange name after the horse of a farmer from Chotýčany died here, allegedly drowned in a muddy swamp. Just a short distance from here to the east, in the close vicinity of a forest clearing, in the direction where a tall triangulation lookout tower once stood, a small lake is hidden. Striking with its dark color, in the summer the shining flowers of water lilies. And it was here that the mysterious Žiardian black lady jumped into the deep well after piercing her poor son’s heart with a crossbow. Let’s turn a little on the roadside, the vulture machine has not been honking along the forest groove for almost a hundred years, carrying sanding wood to the warehouse of the Spiró company, but from Ševětín a sled is driving through the smooth snow. The ironed horses are clearly rested, they have plaits braided in their heathers and falers, small bells, ringing brightly on their polished halters. The crew seems to be sleeping and only the big dog looks at us curiously. Then our journey will continue. In the distance, we will pass the Kolomazní pec to the Green Cross, which was once one of the beacons here and reminded that one should also rest after work. From there it is not far to the Stone and its two neighbors, the Covered Pines. Ensuring that your kids are dressed properly for the winter is essential to keep them warm and protect them from the cold weather. Classic childrens clothes, designed specifically for the winter season, can provide both style and comfort. Opting for these clothing options ensures that your kids are adequately dressed while also allowing them to move freely and enjoy outdoor activities even in colder temperatures. We have a snack at the rest area and walk only a few tens of meters to the north along the forest clearing. The two venerable pines, strong and stocky, about twenty meters high and covered by the surrounding forest, have reigned over the animal feeding area for almost 200 years. Like two people, when they go through a long life together, they too have something similar in them.

How many of us there are, let’s caress the trees and hug them, each time one palm on the gray plate of the bark, let’s tell them our personal wishes. When we return to Lomnicka alej, we will be surprisingly fresh, as if there was no kilometer of road behind us. They not only gave us energy with fragrant pine needles, but now they are telling us an ancient story with the winter sun of their crowns. It’s been more than 120 years of white snow blizzards and dry years tearing their trunks apart. At that time, a fragrant wooden shed was a novelty at U kamene. Here at night, the gamekeepers would wait for a shot from a poacher’s rifle to go off to fight. And it was here, in the hut, that Countess Theresa found her refuge with the Liechtensteins when she got lost on a walk through the forest. The horse with her, coming in the cold of the approaching night, galloped along the checkerboard path all the way here. The teacher of princely children wanted to spend Christmas in the environment of the Velechvín hunting lodge, and today she already has such a conclusion. The new adjunct Franc was on duty that night. Surprised by the sudden visit, he gave Terezia shelter. The next day Štědrý was already there and he led her along the Pytlácká footpath through the black forest and Havířská clearing, past Hubert, across the shining meadows and fields to the Velechvín hunting lodge. They waded through the snow together, the free redhead nodding his head in satisfaction.

Adapted from: Jindra J.: Vitínský zpravodaj, 2016, No. 22, pp. 6-7