Beyond Limits: A Night Exploration in the Mountains of Poland

As the holiday season approaches, people are busy with preparations and gatherings. Yet some choose to set aside time amid the hustle to challenge their own limits. For Adrian Seliga, this journey of self-discovery was a nighttime “Straight Line Challenge” in the fog-shrouded, frigid darkness of Poland’s mountain wilderness.

Before all Christmas meetings with my family and all the things that kept me busy, I had to do something for myself and prove that I CAN. I went to the "Straight Line Challenge" in the mountains, but at night, yeah.

It's about getting to the place you choose on the map, but not using paths or roads — just going straight uphill, whatever stands in your way.

It was winter in Poland. It was pretty windy, freezing and foggy. It made me even more motivated, because it wasn't only about sport, but I knew it would be an amazing, rare experience.

I took 2 Fenix flashlights with me: the Fenix HP35R headlamp and the TK28R duty light.

The headlamp was extremely helpful when it got dark on my rough path uphill. It was both foggy, and ice particles were falling from the sky and trees all the time. I usually walked in spotlight mode to see what was far ahead, but this time I had to switch to a 3000K floodlight to penetrate through the fog to see where I was going. I felt very safe, because I really wasn't struggling while hiking in hard-level terrain, and everything below my feet and ahead was visible.

The scenery between dense forest and vast plains was stunning and cozy at the same time. The night is perfect for journeys like this, to feel some special energy in nature!

What was very important is that the HP35R has a separate battery pack on a cable that I can warm in my jacket, or even keep against the back of my head when I'm wearing an insulated hood, to keep the batteries warm. After I went all the way to the top, I started down the regular road. This was the time when I turned on the red light in the TK28R to not distract animals. Also, my vision was adapted to the dark, so I was able to see the whole surrounding without lighting them up.

I was ready with the flashlight to protect myself from wild animals or stray dogs, with instant strobe mode at my thumb. So even though the Straight Line Challenge was dangerous, I got home safe thanks to my flashlight. Night is not an excuse, and this was definitely a unique and special time hiking without meeting other people!