Interest points in the Fagaras range:
Peaks: Moasei(0), Serbota(2), Negoiu(4), Lespezi(0), Laitel(5), Vanatoarea lui Buteanu(2), Arpasu Mare(4), Museteica(1), Vistea Mare(3), Moldoveanu(1).
Strungi: Dracului(4), Doamnei(4), Ciobanului(3).
Valleys: lui Stan(3), Buda(3), Lespezi(2), Caltun(3), Paltinu(7), Capra(9), Moasei(0), Fundul Caprei(5), Vaiuga(2), Orzaneaua Mare(3), Podragu(3), Sambata(1).
Saddles: Suru(0), Scara(0), Paltinu(8), Capra(6), Fereastra Zmeilor(5), Podragu(6), Portita Vistei(3), Fereastra Mare a Sambetei(1), Podeanu-Florea(3).
Lakes: Caltun(6), Balea(9), Capra(8), Podul Giurgiului(4), Podragel(2), Podragu(5).
Chalets: Suru(0), Barcaciu(0), Negoiu(3), Refugiul Caltun(6), Balea Cascada(1), Balea Lac(9), Salvamont Cota 2000(2), Refugiul Fereastra Zmeilor(5), Capra(11), Piscu Negru(8), Podragu(5), Turnuri(3), Valea Sambetei(1).
Other: Custura Saratii(2), Stanele din Podul Giurgiului(4), Canton Nisipuri(1), Muchia Tarata(0).
Entry/exit points: Manastirea Sambata(1), Victoria(4), Porumbacu(2), Sebesu de Sus(0).

30 trips in Fagaras:
(see here a complete description of the marked trails in the Fagaras range as well as an interactive map)

SUMMER 2010

• July 18th: Fagaras. By train, minivan and hitchikking (separately) we managed to assemble at Piscu negru around 1.30pm. From here we trekked towards Podeanu-Florea saddle - caldarea Berbecilor - Strunga Dracului avoiding trail - Strunga Doamnei - main ridge trail (here the sun was setting) with descent to Negoiu Chalet peste Strunga Ciobanului and Piatra Pranzului . My initial estimate of 9 hours with reaching Negoiu chalet around 10-11pm proved entirelly optimistic, in the end we arrived at Negoiu chalet at 4.20am next morning, after nearly 15 hours of walking. After an 8-hour sleep the following day we descended to Porumbacu . People: Andreea Soare, Alex Carp, Emil Georgescu.

• May 9th: Fagaras. I've read that some upgrade was done on Stan Valley during 2008 so I went to check the valley. It was the third time I climbed it but the trail seemed much more dangerous to me than previous times; maybe the water level from the small dam was flowing at a higher rate, maybe I got older... The 2008 upgrades are useful; some black ropes appeared as help in some difficult places, two more logs, some ladders were remade and all the trail was marked with plastic stripe. In 2006 I failed to identify the upper exit from the valley but this time, also helped by the description from the Natura Romaniei magazine (year 2, issue 10 - January 2009) I continued towards Calugarita and the southern shore of the Vidraru lake . Alone.

• August 30th: Fagaras. A trip quite similar to the previous one; we've left the car on the Transfagarasan road at 1910m elevation at the last intersection of the paved road with the trail which comes from the Capra Chalet; we took the trail upwards towards Capra Lake and Saddle . The initial plan called for a climb on Vanatoarea lui Buteanu peak but the strongs winds sent us back towards the Capra Lake then the steep descent trail towards Cota 2000 Salvamont Chalet . The weather was quite ugly, with rain at the beginning and end of the trip plus very chilly wind gusts. People: Adriana Feraru, Monica Lauleanu, Liviu Serbanescu.
• August 19th: Fagaras. Night time trip. I've left the Capra Chalet at 9.45pm and without any hurry I reached Capra Lake around 1am ; as the lake was engulfed in fog I decided to continue without stopping towards Capra Saddle but just before reaching it I got out of the fog; from there I returned to the lake shore, this time without fog, for a lunch break; then I reached again Capra Saddle at 2.30am then proceeded to descend towards Balea Lac chalet which I reached at 3.15am ; from here it was 17km on the paved road to Capra and Piscu Negru chalets. Alone.

• July 14th: Fagaras. After a two-year pause here I am again going in the mountains with my (former) wife; unfortunately the itinerary chosen by me (with only some 500m elevation difference when going up - an easy trail as I considered) was considered to be too difficult by the girls which stated that they no more saw the beauty of the mountain because of the leg pain :-( . From the southern end of the Transfagarasan tunnel (2035m) we climbed to the main ridge trail at Fereastra Balei (2300m) then continued westwards to Saua Paltinu, Laitel peak up to Caltun refuge ; from here we descended some 200m down to elevation 1967m ; where these two trails split: I continued alone to the tunnel in order to retrieve the car while the other four, more tired, continued down towards Piscu Negru . People: Adriana Feraru, Nicoleta Puscasu, one more person.

• May 5th: Fagaras. After seven months here I am again at Valea lui Stan , this time in a trip by public transport (train, train, van, van, thumb when going and thumb, van, thumb, train when coming back - it was fun). The valley is like last autumn beautiful... This time we only trekked to the 'Shoes Off' point, some minutes before the little dam which marks the end of the alpine part of the valley. I wasn't able to find much material on the Internet regarding Valea lui Stan People: Radu Antonescu, Razvan Tudorica.

• October 4th: Fagaras. I wasn't able to find much material on the Internet regarding Valea lui Stan in the southern Fagaras range so I walked somehow into unknown territory... and what I found there exceeded all my expectations! I consider this to be one of the best trails in Romania - and I've seen quite a lot of them! During the two-hour ascent (including breaks) the landscape is terribly wild and the valley is either a quiet riverbed dotted with small rocks or raging waterfalls. There are 8-10 metallic ladders and more cable handrails; unfortunately they're quite damaged but on the other hand some kind people repaired them recently in some spots. However the trail is dangerous and I reccomend it only to the ones with a good sense of equilibrium; there are some places where a wrong step will send you 10-20 meters lower in the river. Towards the end there is a place when one has to go thru the river itself; the water is more than knee-high. Alone.

• July 23th: Fagaras. It has became a custom for me to cross the massif every year from South to North starting in Buda valley. This year I continued thru Izvorul Podul Giurgiului up to Podragu Saddle ; initially I wanted to descend over Muchia Tarata but, like the previous year, I ran out of time so I had to take again the standard valley floor route to Victoria. Alone.
• June 25th: Fagaras. George led us on an interesting journey on the western slopes of Museteica mountain between Capra chalet and Museteica summit (2460m). Both the climb and the descent (two different trails) were without trails or path. When we went up we had lots of rain; for the descent we had nice weather with sun towards the end. People: Radu Antonescu, one more person.

• May 21st: Fagaras. An exact remake of a trip from one year ago. Like most remakes it wasn't as nice as the original. From Piscu Negru chalet climbed the Paltinu stream until the main ridge , which I followed eastwards until the Paltinu Saddle . From there I descended towards Balea Lake , then thru the tunnel and free descending inside Caldarea Caprei up to the Capra Chalet then the final 4 miles to the car on the paved Transfagarasan road. Alone.

• October 9th: Fagaras. Day trip leaving from Stanele din Podul Giurgiului. We climbed the trail thru the Izvorul Molodveanului valley up to Galbena Saddle then the Moldoveanu summit . The descent was Vistea Mare Peak - Orzanelelor Saddle - Orzaneaua Mare valley . People: Monica Lauleanu, Felix Stanculet, one more person.

• September 17th: Fagaras. Felix invited me to a two-day trip that definitely had to include a certain part of the Main Ridge called Custura Saratii. After leaving our car at the Balea Lac chalet we walked the tunnel and from its south entrance we took the trail which crosses thru the Paltinu upper valley until we reached Caltun Lake . From here we continued on the main ridget itself through Strunga Dracului, Negoiu Peak and Custura Saratii (this one partially during darkness) until Serbota Peak which was reached at 9pm. The descent to the Negoiu Chalet took us two more hours. Next day, under some cloudy skies and with some rain periods we climbed Piatra Pranzului and Strunga Ciobanului back to the Caltun Lake then we continued on the main ridge until the Paltinu saddle from where we finally descended to Balea Lake and our car. People: Felix Stanculet, Radu Antonescu, one more person.
• September 11th: Fagaras. When descending four days before the Strunga Dracului I decided to visit the place again, together with Strunga Doamnei. To reach them I've chosen two path rarely used and the result was a nice day out. After parking the car & wife at the Piscu Negru Chalet I've climbed the Lespezi Valley (this marking is not mentioned on older maps) until it crosses the trail which climbs from Arefu to Negoiu ; from here I've descending thn climbed the other side of Caldarea Berbecilor , until the top of the Strunga Doamnei, which I descended , then I climbed Strunga Dracului ; finally the return was on the Negoiu-Arefu trail until the Podeanu-Florea saddle from where I took another trail to Piscu Negru . Alone.
• September 5th: Fagaras. Again a three-day trip. The first day we went by car up to "La Cariera" (near Porumbacu) then on foot up to Negoiu Chalet . Second day we left the chalet with plans to reach Caltun Lake by Piatra Pranzului and Strunga Ciobanului but the enthuziasm has waned after Strunga Ciobanului so we returned to the chalet. In the third day the others descended to the car and I crossed the mountain on the itinerary Negoiu Chalet - Serbota Peak - Custura Saratii - Negoiu Summit - Caltun Lake - Piscu Negru . People: Nicoleta Puscasu, Nicoleta Zamfir, Cosmin Zamfir.
• July 30th: Fagaras. We left the car next to Capra Chalet on the Transfagarasan road then climbed up to Fereastra Zmeilor on the main ridge. From here we took the northern trail to Podragu Chalet , then Podragu Saddle then the main ridge back until just before Fereastra Zmeilor from where we descended freely towards the Fereastra Zmeilor Shelter then to the car . Eigth full hours of trekking, out of which two under rain. People: Radu Antonescu, one more person.

• May 30th: Fagaras. One of the most beautiful mountain trips. I've left the car at Piscu Negru then climbed the Paltinu stream until the main ridge , which I followed eastwards until the Paltinu Saddle . From there I descended towards Balea Lake , then thru the tunnel and free descending inside Caldarea Caprei up to the Capra Chalet . From here a car took me for the 7km to Piscu Negru. Even if the weather wasn't as great as great as the forecast it was still an really beautiful trip. Alone.

• October 31st: Fagaras. A replay, at a smaller scale, of the last week's trip. Because I wasn't alone anymore the itinerary was much shorter: Climb from the southern tunnel entrange until the main ridge , then eastwards thru Capra Saddle towards Vanatoarea lui Buteanu Peak ; then we returned through Vaiuga valley to Balea Lake chalet . Same incredible weather for this time of the year; unlike last time, when I only met a single group, today we met tens of people. Elvis preffered to wait for us at the chalet. People: Elvis Grandin, Nicoleta Puscasu.
• October 24th: Fagaras. I took advantage of an unexpected nice weather period and the moon nearly full for a last day/night trip during my favourite mountains for this autumn. I climbed the path from the southern entrance of the Transfagarasan tunnel until the main ridge , which I took westwards for 4 hours up to the Negoiu Peak . When returning it took me 6 hours due to night fall and the three diversions: First I used the avoiding version through Strunga Doamnei ; from Caltun, after the night fell, I continued thru Caldarea Paltinului , from where I went up again to the main ridge ; finally the descent from Paltinu Saddle directly to the Balea Lake . Unexpectedly warm for this period; again I had luck seeing four ibexes next to Caltun. During the four hours of night walk the moon was enough for orientation. Alone.

• August 31st: Fagaras. Magnificent night-time trip on the itinerary Cabana Capra (23h45) - Capra Lake (02h00) - Capra Saddle (02h30) - Laitel Peak - Caltun Refuge (05h30) - upper Paltinu glacial valley (07h00-08h30 + 90min of sleep up to 10h00) - southern entrance of Transfagarasan Tunnel (10h40) - Capra Chalet (11h45) . Even as the was a heavy rain in that evening until 7pm I had the luck to get an absolutely cloudless sky so I had to use the flashlight only in places the moon was covered by mountains. As from the similar night-time trip of June 2003 I have unforgettable memories from it. Alone.
• August 21st: Fagaras. A trip very similar to the one two months ago (June the 19th). I've reached Gura Oticu again by hitchhiking a bit later than expected, around 11h10; the 17km/10mi to Stanele din Podul Giurgiului went quickly . From there I intended to climb Moldoveanu Peak but a pack of dogs which I've met in the forest made me turn back; I took a very well maintained sheperds' trail and finally I reached the main ridge in Fereastra Orzanelelor , exactly like two monthds before. From there I walked eastwards, climbed Vistea Mare summit then descended towards Portita Vistei the finally descended towards Victoria , with the last two hours in the dark. Alone.
• June 19th: Fagaras. Superb one-day trip in my favourite mountains. I've left Bucharest with the 6.23am train bound from Pitesti, then took two minibuses to Curtea de Arges and Capataneni where I was lucky enough to get a quick thumb ride from two hikers which went to Balea by car so I reached the Oticu river mouth (actually Buda's) way faster than thought - 10.30am. I then walked the 17km/10mi of forestry road up to Podul Giurgiului then took the Orzaneaua Mare valley up to the main ridge, on Orzanelelor Saddle . More snow than my expectations! I've kept the ridge up to Podragu Saddle then went down thru Podragu and Turnuri chalets to Victoria . I didn't arrive in Victoria in time to catch the last bus so I've slept a night outside, in a field. Alone.

• May 29th: Fagaras. Again we've left the car at Piscu Negru; the intial plan called for us to reach Caltun Lake then on the main ridge until Capra Saddle then descent towards Capra Chalet. The nightfall was supposed to get us somewhere ardound the middle of the itinerary. The first part of the trek, up to Caltun Lake was uneventful; we did not realise that we should turn back due to abundant snow so we continued towards Capra . Somewhere in the middle of the main ridge trail, between Laita and Paltinu peaks, we finally realised that we cannot go on so we decided to turn back. It was already 3am and the moon disappeared so we took a 2 hour break, until 5am, on absolute darkness. Even after resuming the march we've had probles; we decided to descend thru Paltinu Valley ; here the abundant snow caused us futher problems. Finally, after lots of adventures, we've reached the car the second day around 1.30pm (the initial plan called for us to reach it just after midnight - so we were late by more than 12 hours!) People: Marian Feticu, Irina Gligor, one more person.
• May 8th: Fagaras. I was fouled by the small amount of snow in the Iezer range a week before so I thought one can climb one of the gentle trails which reach the Fagaras main ridge from south. Mistake, there was plenty of snow there so I had to come back. Car left at Piscu Negru then walk to Podeanu-Florea saddle ; here the original plan called for the reach of main ridge next to Lespezi Peak but it was changed to a climb on a secondary foot of Podeanu Monutain up to some 2130m where lots of snow started to appear. The descent was again by Saua Podeanu-Florea then unmarked thru the forest towards the Transfagarasan road. I had the luck to find a trail with a forestry or shepherds' marking and the bad luck to exit the mountain on the wrong side of Capra River so I had to cross it (a bit dangerous). Alone.

• September 27th: Fagaras. Two day trip with an overnight in Valea Sambetei chalet. The first day I was alone and it was pretty exhausting: I've left the car at Cabana Capra then Fereastra Zmeilor shelter - free navigation towards Nierlinger Memorial - main ridge thru Vistea Mare - Fereastra Mica - Fereastra Mare with going down to Valea Sambetei chalet (the descent from Fereastra Mare to the chalet was at night time, with the flashlight; when the batteries were exhausted I had a difficult time changing them). The second day early wake up then descent to Manastirea Sambata (where I've met Nico and Cosmin) then by car to Balea Cascada and finally an ascent on foot from Balea Cascada to Balea Lac . People: Nicoleta Zamfir, Cosmin Zamfir.
• September 6th: Fagaras. A nice South-North cross of the mountain. I've left my Bucharest home at 5:45 by city bus, train, two microbuses then two times hitchhiking to Cabana Capra (where I arrived around 14h, after more than 8 hours on the road). The trail was Cabana Capra - Fereastra Zmeilor - main ridge - Podragu saddle - Podragu Chalet - Turnuri Chalet - Victoria (arrival at 10.15pm). It was the day when Mars was visible; in the evening, after having left the mountains, the landscape was extraordinary, with the Moon and Mars together on the sky. I have some nice memories from this trip. Alone.

• August 16th: Fagaras. By night; we've left from Balea Lac Chalet towards Capra Saddle - Paltinu Saddle - somewhere on the main ridge (we turned back because our only light bulb broke) - again Capra Saddle - Capra Lake - (here we got lost, we started to navigate using the GPS and full moon) Cota 2000 Chalet. The last 3km were on asphalt (Transfagarasan road, including the tunnel) with arrival at the car around 4am - this way we managed to see the sunrise around Curtea de Arges. Together with Bogdan Visinescu.
• July 12th: Fagaras. Day and night; a follow-up to the previous trip, this time eastwards. Cabana Capra - Fereastra Zmeilor (here I saw a mountain goat; the only time in 2003) - lake Podragel - Podragu Chalet (daylight until now; from now on night time) - Podragu Saddle - main ridge - Fereastra Zmeilor - Capra Lake with going down towards Transfagarasan and the final leg on paved road. This time I've reached the car around 3.30am. Alone.
• June 14th: Fagaras. By far my favourite trip so far; I keep some unforgettable memories from it. Night time and full-moon trip on the route from Capra chalet (departure at 9pm) - Capra Lake and Saddle - Vanatoarea lui Buteanu peak - Vaiuga Saddle and valley - Balea chalet - Capra Saddle - main ridge under Vartopel/Arpasel - Fereastra Zmeilor Saddle - Capra chalet with arrival at 7.15am. The moon reflected on Capra Lake, the silence broken only by some invisible waters, the alternance between clear sky and thick fog, my moonshade were all wonderful! Alone.

• May 25th: Fagaras. Circular trip from Piscu Negru - Caltun Lake - main ridge - Strunga Doamnei - Negoiu Peak - Caldarea Berbecilor - Lespezi valley . One of the two dangerous trips of 2003; I lost the path when returning (even having map and GPS!) so I had to go/climb some boulders and for the final part I got half an hour of heavy rain. Alone.
• May 18th: Fagaras. Valea Rea from Canton Nisipuri to Portita Vistei and back . No snow at all when I've started but lots of it in the upper part. This is the trip which opened my appetite to explore Fagaras and damaged some parts inside my car... Alone.

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