8 trips in Fagaras (interest point: Cabana Piscu Negru):
(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 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Back to the main page or to all the trips from Fagaras range.