Jeziorka Duszatynskie

In 1907, after prolonged rain, a large section of the northern slope of Chryszczata slid, and the debris dammed two streams to make a pair of lakes at around 700 metres in what is now dense beech forest - which is recent enough that the event is documented and old enough that the forest has closed over the scar completely. The upper lake has largely silted and is becoming bog; the lower one holds water and, in dry periods, the stumps of the trees that were drowned when it formed are visible standing in it, which is the thing to look for. They are a nature reserve and the walk in is through beech on marked trails from Duszatyn, an hour or so, in a part of the Bieszczady that gets a fraction of the traffic of the Polonina ridges to the south-east. The area is prime large-carnivore country - wolf, lynx and bear are all present, and encounters are unlikely but not impossible.

What you actually see

• A 1907 landslide - two lakes dammed by a slope failure, documented and recent.
• Drowned stumps - trees standing in the lower lake, visible in dry periods.
• A silting upper lake - turning to bog as the forest closes over it.
• Beech and carnivores - wolf, lynx and bear country with very few walkers.

When to go

May to October; dry spells for the stumps. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The lakes are small and easy to underwhelm - the interest is how they were made. Trails are muddy and leech and tick country in warm months. There is no infrastructure. Bear presence is real; make noise on the trail.

Nearby

Komancza is north-west; the main Bieszczady ridges are south-east.