Stana de Rau shelter
On the track from Stana de Rau shelter to Taul Tapului
Arriving at Taul Tapului (the Goat’s lake)
Enjoying a well deserved rest close to Taul Tapului.
The views from Hornul Tapului pass (the Goat’s Horn pass) are breathtaking. It’s easy to see the rock that gave the pass it’s name.
The upper end of Valea Rea (Bad Valley).
And our destination for today, Papusa peak, at 2508m altitude.
This is part of tour spanning several days. Check the end of the post for links to other days.
On day 2 we hiked to Peleaga peak (yellow cross mark), then Papusa peak and went back to the base camp at Bucura lake through Bucura pass.
Starting the hike to Peleaga peak on the yelow cross mark.
Piciorul Pelegii – close to the peak now
Peleaga peak, at 2509m, is the tallest peak in the Retezat mountains
Papusa peak, 2508m alt, just 1 meter less than Peleaga. Unfortunately surrounded by clouds.
Coltii Pelegii area
Custura Bucurei peak at 2359m alt. From here we descend to Bucura pass and to our basecamp close to the lake. This continues on Day 3.
Full tour links: Day 1 – Bucura camp, Day 2 – Peleaga, Papusa, Day 3 – Retezat peak, Day 4 – Judele peak – Slaveiu ridge.
Iezer refuge (2165m) in Iezer Papusa mountains, Romania
The starting point of the trip was Voina, an accessible chalet at the base of the Iezer – Papusa mountains (983m).
This is also a good site for camping, if you don’t want to take your equipment with you.
Starting close to the chalet, the track marked with a red stripe takes us, after a steep climp, on the alpine back of mount Vacarea.
Here we are passing close to a sheep farm made entirely out of wood.
The track takes us uphill, and we get a beautiful panorama of the surrounding mountains. We are getting closer to 2000m altitude and we find small bits of snow on the track.
And finally we reach the highest point of our track, the Ateneului Cross (crucea Ateneului) at 2279m. This is an important junction point as several tracks split here.
We will follow the one leading downhill to Iezer lake and the refuge with the same name.
We pass close to Iezer lake (2130m) admiring the beauty of this glacial valley that now surrounds us. Towards the NE we can spot the refuge, where we will have a much deserved rest, after starting our descent towards Voina chalet. (on the track marked with a blue dot).