Weather: ☁️⛅⛅⛅🌧️
Picnic: 🥪🥪 (2 out 5, a few wraps and nuts in a blueberry field…)
Track: 🇷🇴🇷🇴🇷🇴 (3 out of 5, mostly easy going 4×4 roads with beautiful views, 1 point less because of the 3km bushwhacking maze of pine shrubs to the top of Pietrelle Rosii)
Campsite: ⛺⛺ (2 out of 5, at an angle next to the 4×4 road, close to a spring)
Name of followed trail: E8
We have our breakfast and say goodbye to Maria. Today we’ll walk the rest of the 20 km that we originally planned for yesterday, and we hope to get a bit further, so tomorrow will be a short day into Vatra Dornei.
The trail today mainly uses 4×4 tracks and roads. There is quite some elevation, but the gradual angle makes it easy going. It’s still cloudy, but since we’re now I der the clouds, it’s dry 😁. We’re in the middle of two layers of clouds, and the lower clouds between the mountains make for stunning views, on a road where we can enjoy them!
We meet a few berry pickers along the way before lunch. We’re quite pleased with the progress we made so far!
As if the trail has heard us being pleased with ourselves, it changes from 4×4 track to a narrow trail of semi-impenetrable pine shrubs. We struggle for 3 kilometers, pushing trees aside like we’re in a pine tree moshpit 😅🤔. The shrubs are too high to peek over, so it feels like an involuntary maze. Luckily, there aren’t many side tracks, and we get out on the other side.
From here, the trail goes through forest and open fields. Around 16.00 we get to the spot where we planned our campsite for yesterday. There is a shepherds hut here, but the spring is nowhere to be found. The shepherds hut also is being used, and the dogs make it clear that we are not welcome. I suddenly feel motivated to quit my search for the spring, and go a bit further…😅
We hike another 8 kilometer to the next spring, which luckily is flowing. There is not really a flat spot here, but we go for a spot that seems doable for tonight, right next to the road. Eventhough Mark thinks nobody will come this way, 30 minutes later a car passes us. We have a short chat with the driver, that’s on his way to find a campspot with his 4×4 with roof tent.
We also see a free roaming horse going past our tent. Later, when we’re in the tent about 15 of them run past on the road. Really happy we didn’t camp too close to the road!
We start cooking our dinner outside, but soon move because it starts raining, which makes for a beautiful double rainbow.
After our dinner, it’s hikers bedtime!