Cu prietenii in Piatra Craiului.

Tuturor ne place sa calatorim nu? Si fie o facem cu prietenii, fie o facem singuri, dar de ce sa nu o facem si cu niste straini in grupuri organizate? 🙂 Astfel, cautand pe facebook, am gasit un grup de oameni faini care se ocupa cu organizarea de excursii. Uneori la munte, uneori in alte tari, in orase, sate, manastiri etc etc etc… Si norocul meu sa descopar ca urma o excursie la munte, si nu orice munte ci chiar in Piatra Craiului. Imediat am luat legatura si mi-am rezervat loc… 🙂

Zis si facut, ajungem la ziua plecarii, ne intalnim toti la gara si pornim la drum. Traseul ales pentru aceasta tura de o zi a fost : Satul Satic – Valea lui Ivan – Crucea Granicerului – Marele Grohotis – Grota Stanciului – Cerdacul Stanciului – Drumul Granicerilor – Cabana Garofita – Satul Satic

Dificultate medie spre dificila, cu mers prin padure si panta caracteristica pentru Piatra Craiului. Vremea la inceput nu a vrut sa tine cu noi si am fost un pic prinsi de ploaie dar eram pregatiti si echipati corespunzator… Am avut ocazia sa vedem un loc unde obisnuia sa vina Ceausescu pentru a vana, am strabatut granita straveche pe Drumul Granicerilor, am facut un pic de speologie prin Pestera Stanciului. Si cel mai frumos a fost cand ne-am testat balansul si curajul pe Marele Grohotis. O descriere pe scurt a acestui traseu ar fi: peisaje superbe si de neuitat 🙂

Despre grup ce pot spune, a fost o experienta interesanta, oamenii au fost distractivi si placuti, dar nu prea am avut ocazia sa comunicam asa mult, fiind absorbiti pe o parte de frumusetea locului si pe alta parte de oboseala fizica :)))  Dar per total a fost frumos si placut si costul calatoriei a fost chiar foarte bun. Grupul se numeste Terra Incognita si vi-l recomand 🙂

O zi faina tuturor si vreme buna in calatorii 🙂

O plimbare montana prin Piatra Craiului… / A mountain trip through Piatra Craiului…

Intotdeauna am preferat sa merg la munte decat sa merg la mare. Dar nu la munte, la Sinaia sau la Busteni / Predeal, sa stau intr-o vila si sa ma uit la munte doar, eu sunt genul care pleaca spre ce varf vede cu un rucsac in in spate si un cort atasat de el 🙂  Si trebuie sa va recunosc ca mi s-a facut foarte foarte dor de munte… Si norocul meu ca am avut recent posibilitatea de a face o tura prin muntii Piatra Craiului 🙂

Zis si facut, am plecat la drum cu personalul de 6:35 spre Brasov, unde am schimbat si am luat un alt tren pana la Zarnesti. Desa cand ma apropiam de Zarnesti se vedea un peisaj superb si ardeam de nerabdare sa plec la drumetie. Nu eram singurul adept al muntelui in acest tren, deoarece am observat ca din gara mai multi oameni cu rucsaci in spate mergand toti in aceeasi directie 🙂 Sincer am avut noroc cu acesti oameni, pentru ca am auzit doi baieti care mergeau fix in fata mea vorbind despre cumparat paine si asta mi-a adus aminte ca si eu trebuie sa fac acelasi lucru… Astfel inarmat si cu paine pornesc spre Fantana lui Botorog.

Fantana lui Botorog este inceputul „oficial” al traseelor prin acesti munti, desi este de parcurs ceva de la gara pana la aceasta locatie… Majoritatea vizitatorilor urca spre Cabana Curmatura, fie pentru a ramane acolo peste noapte, fie pentru un retur in aceeasi zi… Eu nu am pornit spre cabana, am luat-o la pas incet pe drumul forestier ce se intindea in fata mea si care stiam ca ma va duce prin Cheile Zarnesti, sau asa cum mai sunt cunoscute, Prapastiile Zarnestilor. Un peisaju superb aceste chei, parcurse la pas agale. si foarte accesibila pentru oricine, indiferent de varsta sau conditie fizica. 🙂  Si cum mergeam eu asa frumos pe chei, vad o poteca ce porneste in stanga, ce arata destul de salbatica si ma gandeam ce oameni nebuni merg pe acolo oare? Ajuns si in dreptul indicatorului de la poteca, remarc mai putin amuzat ce scrie: „Spre refugiul Grind prin poiana Vladusca”, adica exact unde vroiam eu sa merg :)) Asa ca ce sa mai fac o iau la pas pe noul traseu…

Si wow ce traseu. Niste chei noi cu un peisaj intradevar salbatic, mult mai putin traversat de oameni si absolut superb. Cautand mai multe informatii am aflat ca aceste chei se numesc Cheile Pisicii 🙂 o informatie ce ma amuzat foarte mult. Cheile se termina la un drum forestier ce duce pana in poiana Vladusca unde sunt si niste stane si unde am intalnit multe vaci, oi si capre 🙂 Dincolo de poiana ne asteapta locul numit „La table” unde gasim si un izvor pentru a ne realimenta cu apa. Aici la table gasiti indicatoare unele mai ciudate ca altele… Un indicator imi spune ca mai am o ora pana la Grind, altul imi spune ca mai am 3 ore si in final indicatoru pe care l-am crezut, un indicator vechi de tot care ma anunta ca in 30 de minute voi fi la destinatie 🙂  Seara m-a prins foarte epuizat, mult mai mult decat ma asteptam. La refugiul Grind nu mai era nimeni, decat un soarece de camp cu care am impartit refugiul peste noapte…  Cred si eu ca mititelul s-a adapostit tot in refugiu, avand in vedere furtuna ce a tinut toata noaptea, cu fulgere si tunete ce zguduiau intreg refugiul de parca erau cutremure… Dar a trecut si noaptea asta…

A doua zi la un mic dejun matinal analizez situatia apei… aveam un pic sub 2l de apa, cu planul de a urca spre varful La om, mergand spre Vf. Ascutit cu destinatia finala Cabana Curmatura. Zis si facut pornesc la drum cu uriasul rucsac in spate si incep urcarea…. Acum am intalnit o problema la care nu ma asteptam… Traseul este extrem de prost marcat. Dar stiam cat de cat ce trebuie sa urmaresc, si incep urcarea pe grohotis. Din pacate conditia mea fizica din ultimul timp si bagajul prea mare m-au epuizat enorm, am consumat foarte repede apa ce o aveam, ajungand aproape de varf obosit si fara apa si tocmai bine incepe sa se lase o ceata deasa (care mai tarziu m-am gandit ca probabil a fost doar un nor ce acoperea varful). Fiind prima mea tura pe acest traseu, am zis totusi sa nu merg ca tampitul cum nu trebuie, fiind deja obosit si in lipsa apei, si fara sa cunosc traseul in vizibilitate redusa, am luat hotararea de a ma intoarce. Nu prea am fost incantat de acest lucru, dar este mai sigur asa. Niciodata nu va aventurati aiurea pe munte, multi au murit asa. Mai bine in siguranta astazi pentru a ne intoarce data viitoare 🙂 La coborare am intalnit un pastor ce m-a informat ca nici macar nu eram pe traseu acolo pe grohotis si ca nu urca nimeni pe acolo… Si ciobanul nu a fost singurul cu care m-am intalnit aici, observand in josul pantei pe care coboram un mic urs (sau cel putin de la distanta la care eram parea mic, la apropiere fiind probabil ceva mai mare decat credeam eu) :))

Am coborat pana la table, unde am facut un popas pentru a filma putin zona, pentru a manca ceva si binenteles pentru a face reaprovizionarea cu apa 🙂 De aici am ales traseul marcat cu triunghi rosu ce ma ducea pana la cabana Curmatura. Din nou atentie mare, pentru ca si acest traseu este prost marcat, riscand sa va pierdeti pe traseu 🙂 In tot drumul meu de la Botorog pana la Grind si pana la Curmatura am intalnit extrem de putini oameni… O familie de straini pe Cheile Pisicii, 2 ciobani la Poiana Vladusca, 1 cioban pe tentativa spre Vf. La om si acum pe acest traseu inca un strain care ma intrebat despre traseu, deoarece observase si el ca este prost marcat si nu mai era sigur daca merge pe unde trebuie 🙂 Si dupa o plimbare destul de lunga, am reusit sa ajung intr-un final la Cabana Curmatura, unde am si innoptat.

Am fost foarte surprins de numarul extrem de mare de oameni in zona cabanei… Dar, este totusi un loc mult mai „turistic”. De aici am ales sa cobor spre Zarnesti si promisiunea unui drum spre casa 🙂 Mi-am promis ca data viitoare sa vin sa urc direct la Curmatura si de aici(fara bagaj) sa revizitez Vf. Piatra Mica si sa urc si pentru prima data la Vf. Ascutit 🙂  Acum la final va las cu cateva fotografii. Sper ca v-a placut mica mea poveste si plimbare 🙂

ENGLISH:

I always preferred to go to the mountain rather than at the sea side. But i don’t mean at the mountain in places like Sinaia, Busteni, Predeal, to sit in a vila and just look at the mountain. I am the type that goes hiking with a backpack on my back and a tent attached to it 🙂 And i must admit that i really miss the mountain… And lucky me, i recently had the opportunity to take a trip through Piatra Craiului mountains 🙂

This said and done, i took the 6:35 train to Brasov, where i switched a train to Zarnesti. Already when i was close to Zarnesti i could see a superb scenery and i was dying to go on my trip. And i wasn’t the only one on this train, because i noticed at the train station a few other people with backpacks on their backs going in the same direction 🙂 Sincerely i stuck some luck with those people, because i was walking next to some people that were talking about buying bread, and that reminded me that i had to do the same thing… Thus armed with bread, i took off toward Botorog’s Fountain.

Botorog’s Fountain is the „official” starting place through these mountains, even thou there is some distance from the train station to this place… Most of the visitors climb from here to Curmatura Lodge, whether to stay the night, or come back in the same day… I did not take this road, i took my way down the road knowing that it would lead me to Zarnesti Gorges. An amazing scenery on these gorges, that can be easily walked through by anyone, no matter the age or fitness level 🙂 And as i wask walking along the gorges, i happened to come across a wild looking path that lead left and i though to myself what crazy people would go that way? Once i got to the sign at this path, i saw that it read „to Grind Shelter, through the Vladusca glade”, that being where i had to go myself :)) So i took my backpack on the new path…

And wow what a path. Some new gorges with an amazing and wild scenery, and way less traveled by people. Looking for more information i discovered that these gorges are called „The cat’s gorges” 🙂 an information has that greatly amused me The gorges end at a forest road that leads to the Vladusca glade where there are lodges for sheep carding, and where i spotted lots of cows, sheeps and goats 🙂 Beyond this glade we come across the point known as „La table” (at the panels is a rough translation) where we also find a spring to resupply with water. Here you can find road signs toward different locations, some weirder than others… One sign told me i had one hour to go to Grind Shelter, another said i had 3 hours to go and finally the one that i put my faith in, was a very very old one saying i had only 30 min to go to the shelter 🙂 The evening cought me very exhausted, much more so than i expected. There was no one else at Grind Shelter, only a field mouse with whom i shared the shelter for the night… ANd no wonder it took shelter there, considering the massive storm that went on all night long, with lightning and thunder that shook the whole shelter as if an earthquake was happening… But this night passed well…

The next day over breakfast i analyzed the water status… i had a bit under 2l, with the plan to go up „La om” peek, and continuing to „Ascutit” peek, with the final destination being Curmatura lodge. This said and done i took off with my huge backpack and i started my climb… Now i came across a problem i did not forsee… The path was very badly marked. But i knew a bit what trail i have to follow and i start my climb over rocks. Sadly my fitness level is now what it used to be and the weight of the backpack tired me greatly and that made me consume the water very quickly, almost reaching the peek with no water left when a dense fog settled over the area (later i thought that it might have been only the cloud covering the peek). Since it was my first time on this trail, i said i shouldn’t take stupid risks, being already tired and with no water and not knowing the path ahead and with almost zero visibility, i decided to head back. I wasn’t trilled by this, but it was the best thing to do. Never adventure wildly on the mountain, lots of people have died that way. Better to stay safe today, in order to return again some other day 🙂  On my way back i met a sheppard that told me i was not even on the right path to the peek… And that sheppard was not the only living soul i met on my way down, having spottet a bear as well 🙂 (in the distance it seemed rather tiny, but i bet up close it was not all that tiny).

I went back down all the way to the place „La table”, where i took a break to film the surroundings a bit and to grab some food and of course to ressuply my water 🙂 From here i followed the trailed marked with a red triangle that leads all the way to Curmatura lodge. Again i had to be very careful because the trail was once again very poorly marked, with the risk of loosing my way 🙂 During my whole hiking trip from Botorog to Grind and all the way to Curmatura, i met very few people… A family of foreigners on the Cat’s gorges, 2 sheppards in Vladusca Glade, 1 sheppard on my return from the peek and finally on this trail i met another foreigner that asked me some questions regarding the trail, because he has also noticed that it was poorly marked and was not sure whether he was going the right way… And after a long day,  i finally arrived at Curmatura Lodge where i also spent the night.

I was very surprised by the huge amount of people at the lodge… But since it is a more „touristic” spot, it was expected. From here i went back to Zarnesti and the promise of a train ride home 🙂 Not in the end i leave you with a few photos. I hope you all liked my little story and trip 🙂