California Rocket and "nine forces" thistle in Polish mountains

Krakow still lacks light and color. Clouds reign supreme and the snow that fell last week lasted only a few days. Winter can't make up its mind.

I haven't done any interesting walks lately, so I'm back to my summer memories again, to one of my trips to the mountains. I can't remember the exact route; I can present many nature photos instead :)

Welcome to Gorce, part of the Western Beskids.

I love all seasons, but I miss a view like this a little.

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We come to a place with a fascinating story dating back to WWII. Among the trees, we can find the wreckage of the American heavy bomber Liberator named "California Rocket," which crashed in this area in 1944.

I have visited this place three times and even wrote about it two years ago. Let me remind you of a few facts.

The machine belonged to the United States Army Air Forces. On December 1944, 'California Rocket' took off from Italy to bomb German production facilities at Auschwitz.

During the flight over Hungary, the aircraft was damaged by the enemy. It was too far to reach a base in Italy, so the commander directed the machine to the east, towards the Soviet army.

The plane crashed on a mountain slope.

The surviving crew members landed scattered; in harsh winter conditions. Some of them were injured. Within 30 hours of the crash, the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, aided by partisans, found them and hid in their homes. Let's remember that it was punishable by the death penalty for the whole family.

Eventually, the partisans took over the crew members. In January, after many adventures (the soviets almost shot them), they reached Odessa. They returned home after the long journey through Istanbul, Egypt, and Italy.

In 1994, a memorial of sorts was erected on the exact spot where the plane crashed - it is a fragment of the fuselage of the "Liberator." The monument was unveiled by the three still alive at the time crew members, accompanied, among others, by residents and Polish veterans.

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Let's leave the war stories behind.

A typical structure in the Beskids - viewing tower.

The views from the top...

...and from below.

On the way back, I came across plants under strict protection in Poland. I have a sentiment for it because we first met during my early Tatra hikes with my dad.

The English name is stemless carline thistle or dwarf carline thistle.

The Polish name is very original - dziewięćsił, which means "nine forces."

Dziewięćsił is a traditional highland name. Long ago, this plant was attributed the nine secret powers, which make its healing and magical properties nine times stronger than any other herb. It's a frequent ornamental motif in highland art.

Today, dziewięćsił is no longer considered a medicinal herb. However, it is still a natural weather forecaster - its flowers close with increasing humidity. They also do so with night coming.

I love its rugged beauty and how well it has adapted to harsh conditions.

I am curious about what next week will bring - will it snow? Or will we get the first signs of spring? I know, I know, it's January! But it never knows; nature is unpredictable now 🌼❄️🌼❄️.

Thank you for accompanying me in my memories! Take care and see you later 😉

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_{Text sources:
http://skansen-studzionki.pl/katastrofa-ciezkiego-amerykanskiego-bombowca-b-24-j-liberator/
http://fotoport.pl/dziewiecsil-magiczna-dziewiatka-na-gorskiej-lace/}

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_{--- Thanks for stopping by! --- @astinminI'm the only author of the text and photos}