Another trip in Făgăraș

Early Friday morning, two weeks ago,  I had everything ready for a 3 days trip into the Făgăraș mountains. Weather forecast looked good. Miercuri, my dog and regular buddy for the last several trips, knows exactly when we're about to leave for another adventure. Body language gives me away I guess. She patiently waited by the car the entire morning, jumped on the back seat after I had the car loaded. I drove to Bâlea Lake (2034m), best way to quickly access the mountains in the summer. Parking the car here is an adventure by itself this time of the year in Bâlea, a popular destination for tourists who're trying to escape the heat.

I decided to head East, towards Podragu. The image above shows our entire trip. I kept the GPS on while on the move. The Garmin GPSmap 60Cx (and similar models) comes with a belt clip with an excellent click system that allows you to attach the GPS almost anywhere, to your trousers, belt or backpack.  The click system malfunctioned for the first time (and last I hope). My heart skipped a beat when the GPS kept bouncing of the rocks gaining speed every time it hit the ground. It eventually stopped, 30m below me, coming to a halt hitting a decent sized rock. My lucky day, there were no direct hits to the screen. The only signs of fall were a few minor scratches on the shockproof housing. The unit was in perfect working order otherwise.

We reached the place called Portița Arpașului (pictured above) almost two hours from our departure. The trail to Podragu splits in two here. One trail, heading right, keeps following the main ridge and passes through a couple of potentially hazardous areas where some climbing is involved. The other trail, descending left into the Arpașu Mare Valley, is less exposed and doesn't involve any climbing. It requires however slightly more effort to complete due to its many climbs and descents. I saw Miercuri misjudging a couple of jumps earlier that day, due to the added weight on her back so I decided to follow the safer trail.

We kept crossing the secondary ridges, one by one. Long descents followed by longer climbs. Sun was strong, a few clouds were offering little comfort. You might be fooled into thinking that Miercuri was enjoying the view in the picture above. It was the call of the marmots that kept her so alert. She was too tired however to chase after.

The trail brought us high above the Podrăgel Lake (1957m) which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful glacial lakes in the Făgăraș Mountains. We stopped for a longer break in the shadow offered by the ridge we just crossed.

The last climb of the day, up the Piscul Podragului ridge, felt the hardest. I was unable to get into a climbing rhythm as Miercuri kept stopping every few meters. She was overheated and very tired, had to push her a few times to get her moving again. The climb offered no shadow whatsoever, this was not a place to stop.

A last look back at Podrăgel (Little Podragu) and we crossed to the other side of the ridge, to Podragu. Seconds later Miercuri  found a welcoming spot in the shadow and  I could see her begging for a break. We spent half an hour resting, dog sleeping, me taking pictures.

The final descent into Podragu took less than 15 minutes. We stopped at the hut where I had a beer, probably the most expensive beer in Romania at €3 a can, about 4 times the normal price. Stuff gets brought up there by donkeys, a grueling 6-7 hours climb hence the difference, I think. We spent the night close to the hut. It was a very windy one. Temperature dropped below 10°C. Miercuri slept outside on the grass.

Next morning we left quite early. The plan for the day was to reach Moldoveanu Peak and then return to Podragu and spend another night there. The trail from Podragu follows the main ridge offering breathtaking views in all directions. Miercuri enjoyed climbing to the top of every rock for a better look down into the North facing valleys. Barely visible in the picture above is Victoria, the town of my childhood.

We got as far as the final climb on Viștea Mare Peak (2527m). It takes another 15 minutes to get from Viștea Mare to Moldoveanu, Romania's highest mountain (2544m), on the right in the image above. We stopped however as both peaks were covered in thick fog and the wind was at its strongest. I saw no point in pushing further so we started our return trip to Podragu. The fog cleared eventually for a few minutes only, allowing me to capture an image of the highest Romanian mountains.

With plenty of time on our hands we took a small detour to Podul Giurgiului Lake (2270m), highest glacial lake in Romania if I remember right. Time for a well deserved break and lots of pictures. It was back to Podragu afterwards. I suddenly had a thought: why not spend the night by the Podrăgel Lake? I always wanted to camp there but never got around to doing it.

One hour later I had found the perfect spot for spending the night, slightly above the lake, by a waterfall, on soft ground. Two more hikers arrived later that evening. They pitched their tents nearby worrying about the bears in the area. We spent the rest of the evening chatting and sharing stories. The night was calm, no sign of bears. It rained a bit but the sky was clear again by 5am when I woke up.

We were all set and ready to go by 7:30 next morning. Shared the trail with our two neighbors, they were on their way to Bâlea Lake as well. It was first day's route in reverse, long climbs immediately followed by toe-crushing descents. Found this group of daisies, shortly before reaching Portița Arpașului.

Miercuri built up strength with every passing day. She was able to hike over 5 hours the first day, fully loaded with no visible discomfort. Actual moving time increased to over 7 hours the second day. By the third day she built up enough stamina to be interested in the occasional marmot again. You can see her here, crossing one of the last remaining snow patches, fully locked on to a marmot's position.

I shot the image above shortly before reaching Portița Arpașului. The three secondary ridges we had to cross are clearly visible here. Onto the main trail again, we kept a relaxed pace all the way back to Bâlea Lake, with Miercuri leading the way. By the time we reached the car the mountain was covered in thick fog. We blindly followed Miercuri the last strech, guided only by her and the noise around the lake.

Driving down the mountain required lots of patience. With extremely poor visibility and dangerous bends no one was in a hurry. Once back home, the adventure ended with the less glamorous, unavoidable and sometimes boring task of gear maintenance: drying, repairing, repacking and storing. The usual...