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“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” John Muir, Wilderness World of John Muir
After a much-needed restful night’s sleep – I mean, we walked so much yesterday, aside from the hitchhiking, of course – we fueled up with the traditional Romanian breakfast of meat and vegetables to get some much needed energy for today’s hike…
…that started off in the car.
At dinner the night before, the owner of our accommodation mentioned that he typically drives hikers to the next trailhead because his guesthouse is three or four kilometers short of the end of the previous section.
Well, who were we to say no to such a kind and generous offer? We would hate to hurt his feelings by declining his hospitality.
Even Costin was on board…and I think that man has walked pretty much every single step of this trail.
We are a bad influence.
We loaded up our gear and headed off…to the market.
Before beginning any hike, one must first acquire snacks.
Priorities.
Then we drove to the start of the next section, hugged our wonderful taxi driver/guesthouse owner goodbye, and were officially off on foot.
I swear.
We really did walk the entire section.
The first half of the hike was awful.
By 9 am, it was already hot, and there were several hills to climb.
Why is it that the majority of these sections seem to begin with a climb?
Is this intentional?
Did the trail organizers sit around a table and say, “How can we make people question all of their life choices before breakfast?”
Or is it some sort of Romanian hiking initiation?
If so, we are failing miserably.
As the morning progressed, the climbs became steeper and the sun felt stronger.
The trail followed a dirt road created for a construction project connected to a new pipeline being laid across the region. Unfortunately, this meant we were walking through clouds of dust, which quickly coated our shoes, legs, faces and pretty much anything else not covered by clothing.
We looked less like hikers and more like archeologists after a big dig.
After about an hour and a half, we desperately needed a break.
The combination of sun, hills and dust was killing us.
We found the only shady spot available and collapsed beside a stack of enormous pipes that will eventually be buried underground.
Of course, the guys had to play a game of echo by yelling into the tubes like children who just found their first cave.
Massimo turned it into his own personal concert hall and performed his usual classical-music routine.
The second half of the hike was considerably better.
We had all been dreading it because the map made it look like we were about to climb Mount Everest.
Instead, it turned out to be a mostly gentle ascent through the forest, winding around the mountain toward our accommodation.
It was beautiful.
And, most importantly, it was cooler.
The canopy of trees provided shade from the increasingly brutal sun, and for the first time that morning, hiking actually felt enjoyable again.
I purposely kept some distance behind the guys so I could listen to my audiobook while they chatted away about God knows what.
Guy stuff.
I’m not sure what they were discussing, but apparently they had a lot to say. I saw the Italian making a lot of typical hand gestures.
When I eventually caught up and found them stopped for a break, I realized something had happened during the hike.
A bromance had formed.
They were now besties.
And I am the third wheel.
Costin is really great.
He and his wife walked the first 1,000 kilometers of the trail together before she had to return home, presumably for work.
They also have two new dogs to look after.
During their hike, two dogs began following them and stayed with them for much of the journey. Eventually, they decided they couldn’t leave them behind and adopted them both. They are adorable.
Agnes did a similar experience. Many dogs followed her as well, so she decided to adopt one of the many street dogs through an agency so she could bring it home with her to Switzerland. His name is Frodo. He has one ear up and one ear down at all times.🐾🩷
I have to say, there is something very special about people who travel through a country and somehow end up going home with more animals than they started with.
If you want a dog, Romania has a few extra who are in need of a good home.
Costin was a construction site manager for many years, but he quit his job six months ago to pursue his dream of working in tourism.
He is currently in the process of starting his own business, and if you’re coming to Bucharest and want to explore the city with a knowledgeable local guide, Costin is your guy.
You can find his website and contact information for his business at My Friend In Bucharest.
During our break some Czech bikers showed up. One of the guys was complaining that he is old at 60 – even though he was riding a dirt bike – until he found out that Massimo was older and walking the same path on foot.
Just a kid.
After lunch, we finished the hike relatively easily.
At one point, the guys got a little ahead of me and disappeared around a curve.
Then I heard:
“Emilia! Eeeeemmmilllaaaaa!”
“What?” I shouted back.
“What are you doing?”
“Eating.”
Silence.
I stopped eating the blackberries that I was pillaging off the roadside vines and walked around the curve.
They looked at me like I was an idiot and asked, “But what are you eating out here?” and shrugged their shoulders
“Look around, you fools. There are berries everywhere.”
They hadn’t even noticed because they were probably busy talking – and talking over each other.
Within seconds, they were both stuffing blackberries into their mouths like prisoners who had just been released from a chain gang and discovered food growing on the side of the road.
Now it wasn’t such a big deal to get to our accommodation.
I had created monsters.
When we finally reached our accommodation we were hot, tired, dusty, and in desperate need of showers and a washing machine.
We weren’t exactly sure what we would find in terms of facilities because the accommodation was named Glamping – and not rustic – but it turned out to be an excellent experience.
Our hosts were incredibly kind and had created a beautiful little accommodation with hot showers, a washing machine, delicious meals and the unique experience of sleeping in tents – on actual air mattresses – with electricity.
Electricity!
This is my kind of wilderness.
Give me all the nature you want, but I would also like to charge my phone and sleep on something inflatable.
Five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I set my alarm for 3 am because I wanted to go outside and look at the stars.
It was magnificent.
The air was a perfect mixture of warm and cool, the sky was absolutely filled with stars, and a tiny crescent moon hung just above the tips of the mountains.
There was something incredibly peaceful about standing alone outside in the middle of the night, surrounded by mountains, silence and a sky that looked almost impossibly large.
I tried to take some photos for you but it’s just not the same.
You had to be there.
Much love & gratitude. Namaste 🙏
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