Moldoveanu, September 19, 2015

Getting on Moldoveanu, the highest peak of Romanian Carpathians gives you the wonderful feeling of doing something unique.
Even if many of us met, during their travels, higher peaks in other sides of the world, getting here, we feel the tremor because we are on the Romania’s Top.

Usually, people get here crossing the Făgăraş Ridge making small deviation from Viştea Peak.
But there are also alternatives; such is the peak climbing by one day travel, with starting points from Victoria City or Valea Rea.
Our team of four persons (Max, Fane, Viorica and me – Stefania), chose one of these variants.
We stayed at the guest house Valea Doamnei, 34 km far from the starting point of the route.
A forest road in an acceptable condition, taking at least 2 hours, led us to Burnei’s Sheepfold.
We were very surprised to find a lot of cars there and seeing that a lot of tourist already where on their road. The view when you get down from your car is astonishing. In a glade full of vegetation there is a sheepfold. When we arrived there, the sheppards just had left it (we have met the flock on the road).

In front you can see the majestic glacier step, guarded by “Budurul Mare” to the East and “Budurul Mic” to the West. From the highest margin of glacier’s step Valea Rea creek falls in sparkling waterfalls.
From the two guardian peaks two little ridges border the valley.

The ridge of our left side is full of surprises; it houses 2 waterfalls, one of them (Zbuciumatu) being astonishing by volume and amplitude.

In this point the altitude is of 1300 m.
We enjoyed these wonderful views and then we started the uphill to the border of the glacier step. It takes over 1 hour and 30 minutes. The ascent asks a high effort because of the altitude difference.

On our way we met tens of persons of different ages from children to elderly people, each carrying their own burden to the final point of the road.

We have finished this section of our journey having the breath accelerated by the effort and sweating, but the tiredness disappeared when we looked around. In front of us a wonderful valley gathers waters from all the directions into the river Valea Rea. The river spring from Triangular Lake and then, goes in quiet or swirling meanders to its falling from the glacier step.
In the background, the ridge Moldoveanu – Viştea, closes the valley.

We followed the valley on this part less difficult as effort, up to the Triangular Lake and then in a more accentuated climb, to the right toward Portiţa Viştei (Viştea little gate).

Getting here we met other tourists coming from city Victoria, among them being two persons that carried bikes.
This tourists’ afflux was amazing. I travel in the mountains from over 40 years, but I have never seen so many tourists on a route and I have in view areas more visited and easily accessible such are the Bucegi Mountains for example.

Once we have got to the ridge the landscape is amazing, weaves of mountains lying under our eyes, from the main Făgăraş ridge going secondary branches in many directions. The astonishing fact is that some of them are longer than many of the independent mountain massifs of Romanian Carpathians. The two lateral ridges starting from Moldoveanu to Argeş area, for example, have over 40 km.

Climbing effort and a poor health, made me facing a critical situation on the final part to Viştea Peak, because of a muscular blocking at the right foot.

The large number of people present in the area was my luck. I found a person that gave me a CaMgZn pill and I am grateful to her and to the other persons that offered me support to overpass this situation.
Without that pill I do not know how I would have continued my trip.

But, this way, within 10 minutes I was in a better condition and we arrived on the Moldoveanu at 1.15 p.m. A lot of tourists were at that moment on the top and we had to expect our turn to take a shot right on the Romania highest point.

The moment, anyway special, was more exciting due to an enthusiasts group of Turda. They initiated right then, the “The Book of Moldoveanu Peak” and put it in an INOX box to be protected of bad weather. I wrote few words next to other tourists on its first pages and I enjoyed that wonderful moment together with my travel partners.

The peak’s mascot, the bear “Baluţu” was, also, brought here by the same persons.
The day was exceptional and we could see all the peaks higher or lower and of course the route we followed to get here and the Triangular Lake.

After we refreshed our resources by rest, food and water started our way back. The effort being lower we could enjoy the view around us.

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