the last uphill

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:

Șugag

abandoned house near Șugag

the road to walk from Șugag to Rod

village near Șugag

the last uphill of the Carpathian mountains

rain

uphill in the rain

Caboose in the fog

forest

above the clouds

water fountain

the road from above

after the rain

the village of massive gates

church

village

no level ground

thunderstorm in the distance

wood stacks

potted plants

camp