First trek this summer

Summer's been very capricious so far this year. Weather would change from one extreme to another in a matter of hours. Variations in temperature of at least 20°C from one day to the next have been a common occurrence so far. I don't complain, don't get me wrong. It is still a great summer as far as Irish weather is concerned.

Headed for the mountains as soon as the weather improved and forecast looked good for a couple of days. Chose a short trek, close to home with the option of leaving the mountain quickly should the weather turn for the worse. Just to be safe.

The rough plan was to head up Doamnei Valley, late afternoon, spend the night by the lake and depending on the weather next day, cross over to Balea Valley and finally head back home. We reached the trailhead around 4PM and started our ascent to the lake.

Reached the lake two and a half hours later. We set camp, fed the dog and ate something myself. I knew we were sharing the valley with a female brown bear with two cubs. I had seen their tracks earlier that day. Not a big issue though.

The night was quiet, no wind, no clouds on the sky. The dog slept outside the tent, on the ground. She kept checking on me every couple of hours, leaving her spot only to look inside the tent, heading back for another nap seconds later. No visit from our bear friends.

An early breakfast and we were on our way minutes after the sunrise. We climbed to the top of the nearby ridge to enjoy the views towards Negoiu Peak (2535m). Had to keep Miercuri on leash, to give marmots and mountain goats a break. Danger of her falling was also very real.

Crossed over to Balea Valley were the lake was still under lots of snow and ice. The road had been opened already, plenty of cars and motorbikes negotiating the tight bends.

Built during 1970 and 1974 by Ceausescu, who wanted a strategic road across the mountains, the 'Transfagarasan' (DN7C) sits closed under snow for about 6 months every year, from early November to late June.

We descended along the road, cutting short some of the bends. I have to admit that this part was much more fun in winter, on skis...