the last uphill

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This post is about a 24km walk from Șugag to Rod. I tackle the last incline of the Carpathian mountains in the rain.

The weather forecast said it was going to rain. The sky said it was going to rain. I felt tired to my bones, and I didn’t want to be out there, walking. But I had to go. My medication was waiting for me in a pharmacy in Sibiu, and I needed to get it soon.

misery

So I left the guesthouse, and I walked east from the village of Șugag until I reached the foot of a hill. The map had warned me of it: this 600m climb was going to be the last challenge put forth by the Carpathian mountains.

I was halfway up when the clouds broke. There was no place to hide from the rain, so I sat under a tree for a while, drinking Bojan’s slivovitz. Then I thought ahfuggit and continued walking. It was miserable.

transylvania

It only got better when I reached a height slightly above the clouds. And then, once I had gotten to the highest point of the incline, the sun came out. I sat down and waited to dry off a little. Then I walked through a village where all the houses seemed to have walls with massive gates in them. I had reached Transylvania.

The problem was finding a place to camp. There were forests and hills everywhere, and I couldn’t find a half-way sheltered, level place for the tent. Also, there was a thunderstorm on the horizon, and it seemed to be coming in. I kept walking until I had passed another village, and then, when I found a place that was level and had short grass, I pitched the tent.

pictures

the walk from Șugag to Rod:



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