Burzenland

Panoramic view over Burzenland (Romanian: Țara Bârsei) as seen from the Piatra Mare Mountain. Image captured today during our climb to Piatra Mare Peak (1844m).

Lounging

Azumi catching some beauty sleep.

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...

Backlit mushrooms

Came across a cluster of orange mushrooms during one of my recent trips. Shot this image with camera laying on the ground, lens up. Not the sharpest image but I like it quite a bit.

Bikejoring

We've experienced a significant temperature drop over the last few days,  kind of bad for most people but good for my husky mix Miercuri. She's become alive again, keen to put on some miles after hiding in the shadow for the past couple of weeks.

Cluj-Napoca National Theatre

HDR image of the National Theatre in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The theatre was built between 1904 and 1906 by Austrian architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer who designed several theatres and palaces across Europe in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Rhododendron myrtifolium in bloom

June is when the mountains here turn purple-pink. The Rhododendron myrtifolium blooms. Isolated in the Central European mountain ranges, this creeping shrub is found in the Carpathian and Balkan mountains between 1500 and 2400 meters. It can form large stands in the alpine heats. I gathered some flowers for tea yesterday, first time in over 10 years.

Field of poppies

Poppies near Alba Iulia, Romania. I captured this image on my way back home from Cluj.

Garmin GPSmap 60Cx on Ubuntu Linux

I finally have a Linux-only solution for downloading and analyzing data recorded by my GPSMap 60Cx. No more messing with VMware/VirtualBox, Windows XP, Wine and Garmin's MapSource, having to wait a good few minutes just to retrieve a few bytes of data from the GPS unit.

I use GPSBabel to download tracks and waypoints from the GPS unit, I then upload the data to Garmin Connect for visualization and analysis. Garmin Connect is not without fault but it gets the job done.

My latest bike trip shown on Garmin Connect

Track shown in GoogleEarth

A blast from the past

I captured this image yesterday while cycling an old mountain road. It reminds me of my childhood. The pickup is a TV 12, aka "Teveu", a utility vehicle built in Romania during the communist years. A rare sight now.

Different

A B&W shot I took yesterday. The tree was standing out from the surrounding evergreens through foliage and color.

Glacial valleys

A HDR shot of Bâlea and Doamnei Valleys. Bâlea is the valley on the left.

First bike ride this year

I got the mountain bike fixed so I took it for a ride earlier today to see how well it handles the trail. I chose a quiet windy dirt road as Miercuri is still getting used to chasing after the bike and I don't trust her on busier roads yet. Seems that she really enjoyed the trip and was happily running along after +30km. Bike behave well given its age.

Hiking in Sîmbăta Valley

I was hoping to go skiing today but weather this morning was still unsettled with strong winds at high elevations so I chose to go for an easy and relaxing hike instead. Sîmbăta Valley is the perfect spot for this: a wild valley with breathtaking scenery and a decent trail. To get to Sîmbăta Hut (1400m) from the trailhead takes a little under two hours, an altitude gain of about 700m. Roundtrip is about three and a half hours including a short tea break at the hut.

Chasing butterflies

I've only had eyes for snow and high mountains and almost missed spring. Spent some time in the garden yesterday chasing bugs and little critters with my camera...

Doamnei Valley

Another early morning descent into this beautiful valley.

Skiing in Doamnei Valley

I started my day with an early morning descent into Doamnei Valley while the snow was still frozen. One hour later the snow became too soft. This snow is jokingly called 'orthopedic snow', extremely difficult to ski on. Panorama below was stitched from thirteen different images.

View over Făgăraș Mountains

We woke up to beautiful weather this morning. I shot this panoramic image just before breakfast. Went up to Bâlea shortly afterward. Snow was very wet and heavy so I didn't stay long. Hopefully the snow will settle over the next few days.

Hellbent

K2 organized a ski test in Bâlea yesterday. Everyone was welcomed to try their new 2011 skis. I was pleasantly surprised by the maneuverability of the K2 Hellbent ski, with 132mm underfoot and a full-rocker profile it was designed for deep powder but performed beautiful in much harder snow. Carrying these bad boys up the mountain is another story altogether.

At play in Bâlea

Yesterday started with clear skies and beautiful views of the Făgăraș Mountains which meant skiing in Bâlea was on. Gear, dog into the car and at 10am I was at the cable car at Bâlea Waterfall. One small problem however, no one else was around and they won't start the damn thing with less than 10 people on board. There's the option of an extra fee one can pay, the price of about 7 tickets, to get in and to the top. Two more people showed up, eager to go so we split the damage.

It was a bit windy at the top but snow was just perfect. Avalanche risk 3 out of 5 at above 2000m. We skied down a few slopes, taking pictures during breaks. The repaired ski was holding fine. Couple of hours later blood on the snow was a sign to cut the day short, Miercuri's paw started bleeding, snow can be very abrasive at times. Before our final descent to Bâlea Waterfall we crossed to the other side of the mountain through the longest road tunnel in Romania (887m) to enjoy some beautiful southerly views.

Bâlea Lac Hut with Capra Saddle (2315m) in the background

Paltinu Hut

View over Bâlea Valley

View from Doamnei Saddle

The entrance in Doamnei Valley

Leaving the tunnel

View to the South

One of the many avalanches we encountered today

Miercuri taking a break

Emerging Crocuses