First snow in the Bucegi Mountains

. . . a journey, a story, a metaphor. . . Travel Journal (pictures taken with mobile phone)

A journey, a story

Each place has its own story, charm, emotions and experiences. The ones we have found exploring the Bucegi Mountains during autumn are amazing.

The forecast for that Friday was a little unfriendly: -6 degrees Celsius, wind, clouds and a significant chance it could snow . We had to find a really good reason to leave home. In addition to that, we had planned to do a long route of 10 hours – Bran-Omu and return. A friend of mine used to say: “Never regret going!” These words are on your lips all the way back home.

But we needed more than that in order to have the courage to start our journey. In the end, 4 people hit the road; I don’t know what motivated each of them. Personally, I was pleased with the thought that I would enjoy the tranquility that nature has to offer, even if there was a big possibility to experience clouds, fog, cold weather and snow. It was already 8 o’clock in the morning, and we were there in the Bucegi Mountains, climbing the ski area of Bran. It was cold and muddy; we had a wet day ahead, as forecasted. But we also had a goal, reaching the Omu Peak.

You must believe

Motivation is what pushes you forward. I see it connected to a certain reward, or to the faith that in the end you will achieve something. This “something” is always different, every time, according to each person’s inside voice. I could not clearly define what I was expecting, but I’ll describe later what I have achieved. I truly believed that I would reach the highest peak of the Bucegi Mountains, Omu.

You must have a way

The markings that we were guided by were shaped like a red tape. The fog was so dense, that we were unable to see further than 10 meters. When entering the ski area, we lost track of the markings. The road became more interesting, promising a new, difficult sensation. The Bucegi Mountains have shown us their dark side right from the beginning.

Everything is alive

The landscape was pleasant, the forest was mysterious and inspiring, so we really wanted to see an animal living in its natural habitat. Our desire to discover, to go forward, to see more – it soon became livelier. The dream that put ourselves in motion, different for each one of us, has gained more consistency.

It takes the decision

The road was winding through the woods. The slope became steeper and the effort larger.

Are We There Yet?

Just as the road got wider, the fog and the mud became increasingly denser…

Things change

After about an hour of walking we met freshly fallen snow. The landscape became whiter and the climb darker.

Sometimes it’s easy to get over

It was cold; the snow on the tree branches was intact. The hard climb and the cherry wine had banished the cold.

There comes a time when something must remain behind

We leave behind the forest and the fog. Something big was about to happen.

At one point the sun comes out

We saw the Sun for the first time that day. The clouds were revealing a stunning view. The mountains were white and looked steamy. It was incredible. We had a huge privilege to receive these gifts. The Bucegi Mountains revealed all their beauty and greatness to us.

You have to believe it

When we reached the alpine cliffs, we couldn’t imagine not seeing what’s behind the fog that surrounded us. Therefore took our chances and waited for something to happen. Soon we got the privilege to enjoy a fairy-tale landscape.

The roads became more beautiful

A wide smile kept us up when we saw what was next to us.

Searching for harmony

It’s hard to define what we felt back then, when the clouds withdrew, revealing a land of fairytale in front of us. The harmony that we saw around us was mesmerizing: the blue sky, the white Bucegi Mountains, the green meadows from Bran, the gray forest dressed in fog and Piatra Craiului Mountains showing their sharp crests over the white clouds. We were feeling empty inside from all the mundane thoughts and feelings, yet flooded with the surrounding harmony. Gradually we were engrossed in the place, we became part of it and that put a big smile on our faces… It was like a drug that filled us with smiles and harmony. Everything was fitting perfectly. The silence was urging us to be aware that we were in the right place. The sun slightly warmed the snow among the remaining clouds.

Close to the clouds

The road brought us closer to the clouds that were moving towards the Transylvanian Depression.

Imagine what’s beyond

We were laughing, screaming, smiling and moving forward wanting to see more.

Live the emotion

We are uploading every step, every twinkle of snow next to us; we are living intensely and that gave us the power to go further nice and safe.

You must get there in order to see far

Once we climbed up to 2000 meters, and we could see a good portion of the Rucar-Bran Pass and Piatra Craiului Mountains. The sky was crystal clear, and all the effort made perfect sense.

Keep going

Our journey was ongoing when we saw the Omu Peak and the road that lead to it. The landscape was changing and we became smaller and smaller. The Bucegi Mountains were vast, and the overall experience was impressive.

Smaller

We felt increasingly smaller, but the purpose, the initiative and our inner vibration kept us big enough.

What you see is what you feel

We were always intrigued by the Bucegi Mountains. We often saw people or objects when there was nothing but limestone formations. It’s weird to see rocks that resemble birds, or even human faces.

Looking to give your stories a color

The white next to us is getting shades of turquoise, green, red or yellow. The sun shapes the entire landscape in cloud shades. The shadows appear to be moving alongside us, making us attentive to certain places while hiding the others.

It’s more beautiful together

In Bran we have found a companion dog – Lupu. We were 5 of us taking this journey, and it seemed that the harmony would be greater with Lupu joining us. In addition, this dog showed us what it means to be a good marathoner; there is no trail running competition that he couldn’t win.

The contrasts inspire

I was deeply fascinated by the contrast between the white surrounding us and the greenness of the Rucar-Bran Pass.

The roads to the top passing through shady areas

Our path was hiding between the high peaks in an area where we only saw the reflected light. Following a technical portion. We had a few emotions.

Major accomplishments are made in a team

The road was slippery, while icy chains of cold were turning our fingers numb; the abyss that we saw in our left side softened our knees, and while the snow was melting when falling on our clothes, it turned into cold droplets of water.

Look forward

The abyss remained behind. We were getting closer to the Bucegi Plateau.

Up there you see how small you really are

There comes a time when you get to the valley but you still have to climb

When time came for us to descend, we chose a different route – Valea Gaura – and we had chosen well, because we were given other wonders of nature to see.

Watch and learn

My attention was drawn by the symmetry shapes hidden under an apparent imperfection. Everything was carefully carved. Maybe human life follows the exact same pattern, and I think that you get to this conclusion when it all starts to make sense in your life.

The more slippery, the better

The ground was slippery, while the snow, soften in sun-warmed areas, became unsafe for climbing. Areas of ice hiding under the snow were becoming authentic springboards. We become more cautious and less hasty. Even if the upcoming night was urging us to run, it looked like we had even more time to measure our steps and admire.

A road, a story, many colors

We approached the greenness that we saw above. The story takes a different color.

There are beautiful things that should remain behind

We leave the snowy peaks and the forest patches behind; limestone shaped by our times and our story through the whiteness of the snow fall, they remain behind, but the beauty of the journey is ours to carry on.

Places are changing as they change people and their perceptions

We return to the forest – the same forest, the same vibration. There wasn’t fog anymore, while the sun slithered among the trees. We were experiencing a feeling of accomplishment. In our minds, we were carrying the images that we had discovered during the first part of the day.

Down but at height

You can’t always be there, you can’t always live at maximum intensity, you cannot always share powerful experiences. . . but you always have to believe that they exist, to look for them and to be ready to commit yourself in finding them; but above all, when you get them, you must take care in order to keep parts of them into your mind and soul. Suffering makes sense when it has an end to it, and at the end you get rewarded with something big, as beautiful as the honesty you flirted with during the journey.

A motto comes to mind, one that links the ideas of passion and freedom with the story described here … “fuel your instinct”.

First snow in the Bucegi Mountains