03.07.2021

In 2021, I added to my wishlist the Parâng Mountain. In June summer dominates in the cities, but on the top of the mountain it is still cold at around 2000 m height. Also at this height in June and early July is the bloom of the rhododendron, which we wanted to see. So on the first weekend, when it promised acceptable weather, we set off to the Paring Mountains with a couple of our friends.

Our plan was to sleep in the Cabana Groapa Seacă on Friday night, then Saturday hike with our backpack to the Agățat shelter, where we wanted to sleep, and from there climb to the Parângul Mare Peak (2519m) on Sunday and descend to the cars.

Dry Pit Chalet (Cabana Groapa Seacă) 1200m – Suspended shelter (Refugiul Agățat) 1750m + hike
Suspended shelter	hike
Time: 3-4 h with rest Distance: 14 km back-and-forth Level difference: 550 m   Difficulty: medium hike	Time: 4 h Distance: 6km Level difference: 400 m Difficulty:  medium

• Dry Pit Chalet – Cabana Groapa Seacă – our Friday night accommodation

It is located 1200 m on the northern edge of the Parâng Mountains, next to the main road. Well equipped, clean chalet, with a friendly host. Part of it is under renovation (2021). The accommodation is worth booking in advance. The current phone number and prices can be found on many websites on the Internet.

On Saturday morning we set off to the Agățat shelter following the red dot mark. Starting from the main road, we hiked for 4 km on a wide forest road. At the end of the forester’s road, we held a rest to gather strength for the ascent ahead, approx 3 km.

Continuing the trail, we crossed the wide-water Jieț stream several times, the path meandering steeply upwards. As we got higher and higher, the fog became thicker and denser, and then the rain started and the temperature did not reach 10 degrees, so we arrived soaked and frozen to the shelter, which really gave us protection.

• Refugiul Agățat, or Suspended Shelter – the most interesting shelter in the mountains

1It is located at 1750 m high in the Parâng Mountains. The easiest way to get there is from the Cabana Groapa Seacă following the red dot mark, the road is about 6-7 km. It got its nickname Suspended from being built on top of a rock at the edge of the forest, 5 m high. It was built in 1985-1986 and renovated in 2016. The equipment is quite complete, it includes a stove, bunk beds, blankets, table, tools and more. One room and a smaller foyer can comfortably accommodate 10 people, but can be doubled if needed (high storm / danger to life). According to official data, the shelter is maintained by the San Montan Association to provide shelter for tourists. Their only request is for everyone to leave it behind clean.

USEFULL INFO: is a drinking water source next to the shelter.

The shelter was not empty when we arrived. A shepherd warmed up inside. After we bought dry clothes and drank a bunch of heart warmers, we were in a better mood. We had lunch and the weather seemed better too (it didn’t rain anymore) so we thought we’d take an exploring hike in the afternoon.

• Our unsucced hike

We headed up the red dot mark following the riverbed and crossing it twice. The cloud did not sweep the valley, but the ridge and the peak of the Parângul Mare did remain hidden. However, we could see the rhododendron open in some places. This excited us and we thought we would visit the valley next to us, hoping to find more rhododendrons next to the glacial lakes Verde and Slivei. None of us had an internet connection and we didn’t know what kind of weather we could expect for tomorrow, when we planned the peak attack. 

I knew there was an unmarked pastoral road on the hillside. We were able to find it, using gps, we even found stone piles, with which the shepherds marked the way to navigate. Getting along upward proved very difficult. The trail rose steeply and was full of dwarf pines that were very wet, so as we walked past them we became the same wet. Finally, we got to the top. Here we saw only fog and we filled the cold wind, which wanted to freeze our wet clothes on us.

There was no question of us going any further or back. But we had to stay some more minutes, until we managed to load the forecast. It took about 10 min, but it worked. The good weather predicted for the weekend has now been replaced by weather unsuitable for hiking. So we were forced to postpone the top attack.

Frozen and soaked, we reached the shelter for the second time that day, where another bad news greeted us. When we were on the hike, 15 hikers arrived who were also planning to stay in the shelter. So we’ve become more than we could have comfortably accommodated.

USEFULL INFO: As it turned out, a larger Bucharest team had booked the shelter at? Tomi Nyulas from Petrila. We do not know the Tomi Nyulas, but all we have found out is that he is the main keeper of the shelter. If you plan ahead and want to sleep here, I personally recommend that you inquire with the San Montan organisation beforehand.

Due to the situation, we changed the plan. It was already late in the afternoon, but we agreed to descend from the mountain, even using a headlamp, and try our luck to get accommodation in the Cabana Groapa Seacă, as we did not book a room for this evening.

Cabana Groapa Seacă was full. But being good friends with the housekeeper of the house from the night before, he accommodated us in the rooms under renovation. We were very pleased. By the end of the day, we found ourselves in a warm bed.

You can see how “great” was our day. But our mood did not take away. Encouraging each other, bringing out a sense of humour, we felt good even in these situations, I hope the others agree with this sentence.

Believe it or not, the next day we went up to Transalpina by car and from there we planned to hike, about which you can read in my next post.

Wikilock:

Strava – up to the Refugiul Agățat:

Strava – hike and back: