The time arrived to explore some landmarks outside the city as well. This Saturday I went to the famous Transfagarasan road. I’ve been there before, it is a remarkable place. The different thing this time was that the final objective was to hike to the peak called “Vanatoarea lui Buteanu” at 2507m. Easier to say than done. I grew up in a mountain town. I am used to hiking and I basically spent my childhood in the forest picking mushrooms, different berries, herbs for tea or pines for syrup. My parents are the promoters of a healthy lifestyle and moreover, of cures of nature. If you tell them what it hurts, they will always have a kind of tea for it – even for emotional matters. Under these circumstances, I never thought a supposedly 2,5 h hike could put me down. However, I have to confess that the first part (45 minutes) felt like it was trying to kill me.
I loved it, it was all about climbing on a rocky field rather than thorough grasses (which I don’t enjoy that much), but my breath did not feel the same. So I had to take a few breaks on the way up.
The reward was exquisite, I took pictures during every break. Honestly, I think even if I would not have been so exhausted in order to take a break, I would have had to just because of the fantastic landscape that resided at my feet. Somehow, Earth seemed more like an alien planet. The spectacle of green mountains, high peaks somehow at the same level with you, emerald-green lakes, gave you the feeling of a drone. Yes, I was a drone for 4 hours and a half. Definitely, must try.
After the first 45 minutes, having the impression I have already seen the best, a emerald green lake appeared on the other side of the mountain. Around it there were lots of tents of the brave ones who dare to sleep at 2315 m (Șaua Caprei) where during the night it gets quite cold even though it is summer.
A short break for some snack time followed, sitting on the grass with the beautiful view in front of us. From here you could see the path towards the peak that was our objective. It did not seem like an easy one, but trust me on this one, it was just as easy as taking a walk in the park. In my opinion the first part was the most challenging one. I saw people who gave up going further because they had the impression they couldn’t make it, but if you have gone through the first part, I think nothing can scare you afterwards. On that note, we continued. Ah, I forgot to mention that I suffer from acrophobia (the fear of heights) but it is a strange one, because I am not actually scared of heights, fear is not what I feel when I am up somewhere, but I have the tendency of falling as if the Earth would invite me to go down so I had to be careful. In the last part you need to climb some rocks in order to get to the highest point where the sign is. Words are not enough in order to describe the feeling. You definitely feel that paradise is closer and that you are on top of the world!
