Just 2 weeks after conquering the peaks of the Piatra Craiului Mountain, I set off again, this time to go around it, by bike. I managed to find 2 other companions crazy enough to try this not-so-trivial track.

The day was sunny, the first clear one after a week of rain and even snow (above 2000m). We arrived in Brasov and then headed by bike to Zarnesti, while admiring the snow-capped Bucegi.

In Zarnesti, we arrived just in time for the local harvest festival. Who could resist those barbecues?

We headed on to Plaiul Foii and then up the mountain, for a tormentingly steep 700m high climb, that was tough even for pushbiking.

You’d think that going down is easier, right? Well.. wrong! We went down on a “shortcut”, actually a riverbed, blocked every 100m or so by fallen trees. Awesome.. just awesome!

We arrived back in civilisation (the village of Satuc) after dark. Luckily, a dude on the street directed us to a place to sleep.

The following day, the route was easier, with very little pushbike. We passed some awesome landscapes: the Plaiu and Dambovicioara Gorges, followed by the beautiful mountain villages of Pestera and Magura. We biked through forests, down pastures and on some crappy roads (well, crappy for cars, for bikes they were a treat). Finally, we arrived back in Zarnesti and took the train to Brasov and Bucuresti.

This is the track for the first day. It seems that my Garmin ate most of the second day’s track. Bad Garmin, bad!