So what’s this two day ridge stuff? After reading last year about Silviu Balan’s record (13h18′) in running the whole Fagaras ridge, I thought I should try it as well. Knowing I’m about twice as slow, I estimated I needed around 27 hours to finish. Since I’m not a big fan of running at night, I decided to go for the two day approach. To have it done in a properly fashion, I went for the unsupported (from start to end you only rely on yourself for food, no outside help allowed) no crew (nobody takes you to the start point or from the end point, you have to get around by yourself) approach.

Logistics

The plan: train to Talmaciu (a town near Sibiu). Walk to the village of Turnu Rosu (about 7 km), then walk another 3 km to Turnu Rosu Monastery and camp there.

Finish the ridge in Rudarita. Camp there. Walk to Plaiul Foii, then Zarnesti. Get a train to Brasov, then another one to Bucharest.

Equipment

Prepared a spreadsheet with everything I needed, along with weights. Useful in making decisions regarding what (not) to take. Some things are luxury items (USB battery), others (looking in retrospect) could have been dumped (the third water bottle, one of the buffs, the water purification kit).

The most important kit item was the backpack. Specifically for such challenges I used an Ultimate Direction Fastpack 20. Great bag! After almost 200 km, I can say it lives up to its promises. As long as you don’t expect magic (you will have sore shoulders, it does bounce a little when running), you will be satisfied.

The next most important kit item was the sleeping bag. Ordered the Nahanny Alpin down bag, since my old Millet Baikal 750 was quite chilly at under 10 degrees C. Down is a little more prickly regarding moisture, but it’s lighter and warmer, so an overall winner.

Training

I wanted to see how feasible was running with an 8 kg backpack. In April I went on two runs, 14 km and then 24 km, around the hills of Prahova. Overall I was very pleased with the backpack and I gained some experience in using it, adjusting the straps and optimal use of pockets.

About 10 days before the Fagaras Ridge attempt, I went on another run. This time I chose a long and technical track across the Bucegi Mountains.

Left Busteni at 8 AM. Clear weather, cool but humid. I started sweating as soon as I entered the forest. First climb – to Babele. Saw a little mouse that was undisturbed by my camera. Saw a couple of foreigners descending the trail by bike. They were obviously pushing their bikes, as it’s impossible to ride it. They were obviously foreign, since Romanians would never attempt such a trail by bike.

From Babele I descended to Pestera, stopping at Salvamont to resupply with water. Continued up to Saua Batrana on a less traveled trail. From there I took the steep descent to Poiana Gutanu. Discovered this trail at Marathon 7500 and loved it!

In Gutanu I noticed a thunderstorm approaching. It was nice and sunny at lower altitudes, but higher up it didn’t look very well. I had all the emergency equipment with me, quality rain gear, even a sleeping bag (packed it to give some volume to my backpack). I could even camp out for the night. I started the climb to Omu Peak via Gaura Valley. It started raining while I was still below the canyon section. At first it was OK, but when hail started falling I decided to wait it out under a tree. The stones were small, but they still pinched a little.

After about 5 minutes, the rain stopped. I went on and was halfway up the canyon when it started raining again. Continued on and got to the alpine area when hail started as well. Nowhere to hide now. Surprisingly, despite the elevation, rain and hail, it was not cold. I stayed in my shorts and, as long as I kept moving, I was good. It didn’t last long. I even got a few minutes of sun as I got to Omu Peak.

Stopped at the chalet for some food and hot tea. In less than 10 minutes I was back out, descending down Cerbului Valley. Took it slow, it was only downhill from here, no rush. Got another shower before entering Busteni, probably to make my train ride to tropical Bucharest more memorable.