Day 83: Romania

Another early start and the rest of the road walk. The end was quite nice, because I could walk through small, empty and quiet streets. And I found a huge mulberry tree that nobody seems to use. At a church I found a tap and filled all my capacities of over 3 L. 

I passed the Ukrain border control, walked over a bridge and then to the Romanian border. Very smooth, since they don't ask for any corona test, but they did a temperature measurement.

The town in Romania was busy with people. Stores and cafes were everywhere and I was a little overwhelmed. I bought food for at least 7 days. When I wanted to by the SD card I had spotted before, the store was having a 4 h lunch break, so I had to buy a much smaller one in another store.  It was hot by then and my backpack was faar to heavy. So I just made it out of town and sat in the shade to eat and drink.

I didn't 't walk very far anymore that day. It was so hot and the E8, which I followed at the moment isn't marked. There are markers for the current bit, but they are really poor and here in Romania, there are tons of trails that are on no map. So I will be slower than expected the next days and use much more battery.

Before camping I had a little adventure, since I didn't try to follow the route on my map. I found a camp spot on a little flat area in an I credible steep hill. I'm not sure how I will get up there with my heavy backpack when it is wet... Because there is a crazy thunderstorm going on at the moment.  It's supposed to rain tomorrow as well, so maybe I make a tent day tomorrow ;)

Mulberry fingers

I am so sweaty that insects like to link my salt

Romania

Up a steep hill

Day 82: Road walk with some obstacles

I rose again early and descended. The forest quickly changed from needle to beech forest. It was a lovely hiking trail with lots of switchbacks and the last bit was along a creek, before I walked down another 4WD track along a river. I passed a few tents but otherwise it was still quiet and it sometimes felt like walking in a tropical jungle.

In Dilowe I got my usual town treat and watched how hitching works. The people are really ruthless. If someone gets a car to stop, somebody else standing along the road opens the doors of the cars and jumps in. Usually here is still enough space for the other person, but really seems very rude to me!!!

Then I had a long hike along the main road and the brown border river Theiß. But I enjoyed it a bit, because I put in some music while hiking. People were selling blueberries and mushrooms on the street. There was a big fence before the river and every few 100 m there were soldiers sitting along the road  There was one big construction site, where they stopped the cars once on a while, so they tended to come in waves.  At around noon I took a break in the shade, where I even had an Internet connection. But a young soldier spotted me and wanted to see my passport. Luckily I had it in the top of my backpack. Of cpurse he spoke no English.  When I had packed away my passport, he came again and wanted to see it again. So I unpacked it again. I sat a little in the shade but when I wanted to continue, he sad I should wait. So I waited until a car with 4 other soldiers came, one of them spoke English. So I unpacked my passport again and told them, that I just hike and want to cross the offiziell border. At first they didn't get it and asked me if I have money for the bus. Anyways, after some forth and back, showing my passport AGAIN, they let me walk and said they will tell the people along the way that there is a German Tourist hiking :) And I should not cross the river... well, it was a wildly gushing, big brown stream most of the time with a barbed wired fence!

I continued but it started to get really hot. I had a quick break on a bench in Groß-Botschko and ate an ice-cream from a tiny store. Nice people, where drying mushrooms and eantef to talk to me, but sadly thete was a language barrier. When I was on a small dirt road with shade, I had a look where I want to camp. I decided to camp nearby, so it's about 10 km to the border tomorrow and shops should be open by then. So I was sitting and setting in the shade, trying to get a bit organised.

When the ants and flies were too annoying, I continued to find a camp spot in the woods up a hill a little away from the road. Now the mosquitos are annoying and it really bugs me, because it's not like here is water around. I wish! Cause I don't have enough and there is none to come. But it'll be only a few hours hiking tomorrow and then I can buy some or I can ask somebody on my way.

The wild river

Tropical feeling

Strange signs... does that really mean Temperature over 28°C?

Looking down on Groß-Botschko

Day 81: Along the Romanian border

The sunrise was beautiful today, so I started early on my descent. I hiked through pastures, saw a small wooden church and had a pretty leasure encounter with a herd of cows. 

Then I came across a little hut and it turned out it is some kind of border control. At least I had to show my passport. I wondered if I could have officially walked into Romania here, but the guy didn't speak English. So I continued my route along the border between Romania and the Ukraine, setting foot into Romanian for the first time. This is obviously a popular hike, following a dirt road, because I saw at least 30 people!

Just before the end of the day, I had a nice highlight. I ascended Pip Ivan Marmaros (another Pip Ivan one, only 1938 m). Steep but totally worth it! Especially since the weather, which had looked a little thunderstormy before noon, got really nice.

I decided to camp early, since here is no dirt road nearby and it's only 12 km to town tomorrow. If I arrive too early, stores might still be closed. And although I wouldn't need any food, I want at least a typical town treat ;) Especially since it's 30 km main-road road walk afterwards! And then comes Romania!

I'm thinking about taking one day off somewhere in the woods to make full use of the internet and plan my route in Romania in more detail, but it's the question if I can find an appropriate spot with internat and water along the road-walk. Otherwise it's the usual unorganised me, planning the next days on the go ;)

Beautiful sunrise

Very creative :)

Border between Romania and Ukraine

Looking down from Pip Ivan Marmaros (1938 m)

Day 80: Mt Hoverla - it can only go down from here ;)

I had an early start and discovered some really nice campspots only a few hundred meters from where I had camped. I walked up Mt. Patros (2020 m) but it was a very nice smooth hike up. It was a beautiful morning and nobody was there. However, when I descended steeply, the first people were hiking up. 

The next mountain was Hoverla, the highest mountain of the Ukrain with 2061 m. When I walked up, it looked like the mountain was under attack. There were hordes of people walking up from all 3 possible sides and it was like a little circus on top. Did I really say Mt. Blyznytsya was crowded yesterday?! So I started to descend quickly and continue with anothet nice ridgewalk. Much smoother to walk and the first time it was like a real hiking trail, and not a 4wheel drive track. Still lots of people, but at least they were spread out. Lake Nesamovyte seemed very popular, for a good reason. The area was very beautiful. I felt like home: nice mountains!

In the early afternoon there was the usual thunderstorm again. just that I had a really good timing: it started to rain after I set up my tent. It wasn't much rain but it was nice to sit in the tent and eat cookies and halva :)

When the weather looked better, I continued a bit. On the way I talked to a group of 4 people, because the 2 girls spoke English.

I walked up Pip Ivan (2028 m), after which my route will descent considerably. It might be the last spot with Internet for a while, so I camped up there. The views were great, but it was way too busy in my opinion, with a group of campers listening to music till late!

Another beautiful day in the mountains comes to an end and I can't believe how lucky I am to be able to do this!

One of the usual morning surprises

Mt Patros  (2020 m)

Crowded Mt Hoverla (2061 m)

The ridge I will follow

Looking back towards Hoverla

Here comes the rain...

My new shoes won't last long. That's fine since I have a dip in my right pinky toe already from something in the shoe. And I got blisters - very unusual!

Pip Ivan (2020 m)

Day 79: 'Crowded' Mt. Blyznytsya

Yesterday it finally rained but stopped before 6 pm. So I decided to hike a bit to get away from the road, where some Jeeps did already pass during the time I camped there. I just wanted to walk a few kilometers to a campspot, I found on my map. But the sunset was soooo beautiful (I took too many pictures), the air was cool and everything calm, so I continued a little longer. There were 2 lakes on my way, both of course a little drop down from the ridge I was hiking on and I thought I'll camp there. But there were noisy people on both lakes, so I just dropped down a little from the ridge to get away from the road. What a lovely end to this day.

I started early today. It was sunny but the wind was partly blowing the clouds of the valley over the ridge, so I walked in fog for a short period. After the first bit, where I descended, I had a bigger up where there were ski lifts. I made it up to 1881 m high Blyznytsya Velyka. I was surprised, how busy the place was. While there were mainly cars at first, I met several hikers  (both with day pack but also huge backpack) walking up.

When I reached the village of Kvasy in the valley, I was glad to discover that the grocery stores were open on Sunday! Also here, many Tourists! I got lots of food, to make sure I can spend the predicted thunderstorms, eating in my tent :) Today I thought, what a luxury hike this is. Lots of stores, so I can eat as much as I want and spend rainy times in my tent instead of hiking. I have a solar panel, so I don't have to stay in hostels all the time. Plus I even have internet most of the times. Incredible!!!!

After my usual liter of milk with cookies, I started to ascent again. It was hot, so I took it slow and made several breaks when there was water. Clouds were already forming again and later on there was thunde again. Thus I didn't walk very far. Although I was already in a nature park, there were mainly pastures and houses etc. I saw some forest on the map and thought I could camp there. I was hoping for a nice old-growth beech forest. But it is a needle forest or rather a juniper-blueberry-pine meadow and so dense, that I was  lucky to find a grassy spot. Very crappy and uneven, I can be seen from the trail but I didn't wanted to continue (more open area to come) and the thunder was rolling. Of course it didn't rain yet ;)

What a wonderful sunset

Hay stacks

Little cow sheds

I love the sunflower Halva!

Day 78: A beautiful morning

It was a beautiful morning. Just when I was about to take down my tent, some blueberry pickers were passing by not far away. I got some water and then headed steeply down.

After a short hike on the main 'road', I walked up again towards an even higher ridge than the days before.  It was a VERY pleasant walk up and for the first time I had the feeling to be on a normal kind of hiking trail instead on a kamikaze crazy road-like trail. When I walked up I saw sheep tracks and could smell them. So I continued carefully, always ready to stop because furiously barking dogs might run at me.

I heard the little flock of goats before I saw them in the distance, thanks to their bells. There were only a few animals and I couldn't see a shepherd or dogs. But that would be strange! So I made a BIG detour around them, which isn't easy when they stand on the ridge and the trail is on the ridge. But before that, I watched them a while and saw a fox, who also decided to rather go out of their way.

I didn't get far before I heard the next bells. Ahhhh... this must be rest of the group. Yes, there were lots of sheep and a shepherd. I yelled a "dobri den" before they even saw me, to make sure the sheperd will keep the dogs at bay. Just when I had nearly passed him, the dogs realised that I was there and they came running at me, barking like crazy. The shepherd tried to keep them away, but had to throw his stick at one of them. I passed with a racing heart and happy that this worked out as easy.

I continued on the ridge, which now turned into a continuous meadow. And I saw the first clouds forming. Already way before noon! After Mt Tempa, I headed further east on the ridge instead of walking south towards the official border crossing to Romania. I wanted to visit the highest mountain of Romania, Howerla, which lies in a beautiful National Park (at least that's what I was told). But at first 9 Jeeps passed me, the usual tourist group, looking at the mountains the easy way... It got darker and it started to rumble. I decided to set up my tent and have a lunch break. If the weather would be fine, I would continue. My spot wasn't good, the flies were annoying and it didn't rain. So I packed everything and just when I was done and started hiking, I heard the thunderstorm again and there were REALLY dark clouds. I continued only a little bit, before the first lightning and thunder were striking close by. In a hurry I put my tent up on the ridge close to the road again. But the sun was shining on my tent, while only a few hundred meters away, the thunderstorms were going crazy. It was like there was a line, where really bad and really good weather hit. And I was standing with my tent slightly on the good weather side. Two more Jeeps passed me and I started to loose my patience. But the ridge will continue further up and I would have had to cross the imaginative line. So I stayed put for hours, ate all my snacks and although it sounded like the world might come to an end, no raindrop hit my tent!

I'm still hoping it'll get a bit better and I can move to a better campspot, but she's not seem likely since the clouds are above me as well and the thunder is still rolling...

If you ever wondered how lizards spend the night ;)

Another one of my friends

Chain saws and this machine are used to harvest the forest

This is the main road!

Another ridge in beautiful weather

Yeah, looks bad in the background, but I was in the sun!

Day 77: Ridgewalking goes on...

As the other mornings, there were clouds early  in the valley, so it was good that I still had 7 km to hike down to the store. Also, because I had to wait there anyways for the store to open at 9 am. 

Then I walked up again onto the next ridge. Once on the meadows I was occupied by picking blueberries :) One blueberry pickers descender with 2 heavy buckets full and told me, I need a harvester, like he has. Well, I think then I might actually get sick from eating too many berries. I still sometimes wonder, if it can be healthy to eat tons of blueberries;)

Then I passed some more blueberry pickers and their campfire, which was still smoking. So I stopped and used the heat to heat up a cup of water and eat some warm 3 minute noodles :)

The day was beautiful, I had another ridge and so the time just flew by. As usually, there were some really steep ups and downs, but I was in not rush so I made it at some point! I passed some tourists, that get driven over the ridge in trucks or 4 wheel drives, but apart from that it was nice quiet!

I had a really long but late lunch break at a little spring, which always seems like a miracle to me: cold fresh water somewhere up in the mountains. Then I met a Czech hiker, who even spoke German and is hiking the Ukraine for a couple of weeks. However, he was a bit in a rush, since he slept in but still wanted to make it to town. Then I passed some cows with shepherds dogs, but luckily the sheperd was directly there. Already on the Balkan I didn't like these situations and I guess I will hate Romania for it... At least I have a rabies shot ;)

Clouds were building little towers and I could hear the thunder. Since I wanted to avoid the situation from yesterday of being caught by thunderstorms on the ridge (just trying to dry my wet things by the way), I dropped down from the ridge a little earlier than I had planned. The beech forest was beautiful and I thought about camping there. But there was a really steep part that I wantwd to do in dry conditilns and after that there was some water. So I continued. Sadly, there were men cutting down the forest directly at the trail and then there were meadows (shown as forest on my map). I'm a little sad, that I didn't get a beautiful forest spot BUT there are blueberries in my close surrounding, so I can't complain :)
By the way: no rain so far today!

Tomorrow I will drop down a little further to cross a road, just to hike up to the next ridge. So funny, in the Tatra I tried to avoid these 1000 m elevation drops, here I do them every day... I guess it's a good training ;)

Blueberry-fingers ;)

Using the campfire to get my first warm meal on trail

Loooong lunch break

The first clouds are building up

Lovely beech forest!