I appreciate your comments and questions.
I like varied landscapes: Mehedinti, Godeanu, Retezat would be a good option as each of those ranges is different. However,…
Dear Michal, I came across your website while looking for information regarding a thru-hikes in the Carpathian mountains. Your website…
Hi Florian, overnights do not depend on duration but on the area. In national parks you can camp only in…
Hi Michael, this is a very inspiring and helpful page of yours! Thank you very much for your input! I…
My pleasure. I strongly recommend visiting Romanian mountains for a week or two before attempting the thru-hike. Deserted ranges and…
Greetings!
I have been searching online and inbox for precisely what you have done here, a remarkable achievement!
From approximately May 25, 2021 until about August 15, 2021, I am planning to through hike as much of your trail as I can.
I will be focusing on Romania.
I have to say, I am limited in my computer/math skills and need to learn!
I have an idea for you: can we correspond and can I tentatively plan to walk precisely your Romania hike, updating the water sites, shelter in camping sites in real time so that your great work is continued?
Please advise.
My native language is English.
I was fluent in German in the past and can certainlyRelearn it if it would be helpful.
Sorry I do not speak Czech or Slovak!
Hi, I sent you an e-mail. We can have a chat.
Just fell across your website and well thank you for posting!
A friend and I have plans, in a couple of years, to take the same hike. It looked like I would have to knit a bunch of single country info together, but you have already done all that.
Holy cow how inspirational and what wonderful info you have posted.
Regards,
Patrick
This page is great for everyone who considers to hike the carpathians.
I wondered how you stored your food. I read some of your blog entries, there you mentioned some encounters with bears. I would like to hang my food on trees, though I’m not too sure if this option is even possible in the highlands.
Can you recommend me anything?
Cheers
Theresa
Hi Theresa, I stored the food in a closed drysack so it keeps all the smells inside. I kept the sack near to me overnight because European brown bears are afraid of humans. While cold soaking overnight I closed the pot and put it at least 20 meters away from my place.
I think it is good to understand the European bears to be on the safe side: they are not willing to meet humans at all and they have extraordinary great sense of smell. That is why I tried not to left any food leftovers or other attractive smells around the campsite. When I camped near a place they may walk through, I urinated on the path/road to warn them. Going alone in places with low visibility or many signs of bear activity I used jingles to warn bears about human presence in advance. Their main sources of food in summer are blueberries and insects so they have no need going to the high mountains if blueberries are in lower altitudes. However, I always had the pepper spray ready both day or night time.
There are areas with very high concentration of bears in the Carpathians and also many places without bears. Veľká Fatra in Slovakia has high concentration, forested areas of Nízké Tatry as well. Ukraine is quite densely populated and I could not see a single track of bear activity. In Romania the high southern mountain ranges are quite safe, highest parts of Rodna too. High concentration of signs is in the southeast: Nemira, Vrancea, Penteleu and also in Călimani.
Zdravim, na stranky jsem narazil nahodou, pri zkoumani dalkovych pochodu pobliz CR. Mohu se zeptat, nahodou nejaky navod na vyrobu varice “drivkace” nemate? Stale jeste varim na plynu, ale hodne pokukuji po “lihaci” ci nejake jine alternative.
Dekuji.
Miroslav
Ahoj, já používám dřívkáče s dmychadlem. Vloni jsem velmi úspěšně otestoval připojené dmychadlo k běžně dostupnému titanovému dřívkáči (17 USD z Aliexpressu). Zásadní rozdíl oproti modelu, který jsem si vyrobil pro přechod Karpat, spočívá v nízké hmotnosti a provzdušňování pouze části roštu, což vede k podstatné úspoře ve spotřebě elektřiny. Vloni jsem přecházel polské Karpaty od Bardejova na Moravu a na 8 dní vaření pro 3 lidi 2x denně mi stačila 1 (!) baterka CR123 = 18g. Tekutý líh používám jako záložní palivo do míst, kde nemohu rozdělat dřívkáč a také k rychlému rozdělávání ohně (kapka lihu na odličovací tampón), ale kvůli váze nenosím lihu více než 200 ml (obecně nerad nosím palivo do přírody, kde je ho dost).
Zatímco vařič na přechod Karpat vážil i s ventilátorem a obaly 360g a byl na moje potřeby předimenzovaný (široké topeniště vařilo vodu prakticky okamžitě, takže jsem se mohl po cestě krásně sprchovat děravým drysackem), ten set na obrázku váží necelých 200 gramů. Místo titanové misky lze pod rošt strčit třeba výřez z obalu na pěny na holení či podobné obaly od sprejů. Ventilátor je 5V z 3D tiskárny, u nás jsou běžně dostupné, přechodka je 3D tisk.
Dear Michal,
Next spring I will set of on a foot journey from my home in the Netherlands to the Caucasus mountains. Part of the route I’ve set out follows the whole Carpathians range.
Many thanks to all the information and stories you’ve shared, it has been a tremendous joy and help for me!
Your words have been heeded.
Thanks you.
Wish you all the best,
Rovers
My pleasure. I strongly recommend visiting Romanian mountains for a week or two before attempting the thru-hike. Deserted ranges and sheep dogs were shocking to those who had not been there before.
Hi Michael,
this is a very inspiring and helpful page of yours! Thank you very much for your input!
I would like to go hicking for 1 week in summertime (July/August).
I heard that camping for one night is no problem in Rumania from the law point of view. How is it in the other countrys on this trail? Did you ever had a problem with that?
Is there a area you can recomend for a aprox 1 week trip in particular regarding great lonly nature and not to hard to get there via plane/train/bus?
kind regards,
Florian
Hi Florian, overnights do not depend on duration but on the area. In national parks you can camp only in designated areas. This is very strict in Poland and Slovakia, more relaxed in Romania and not respected in Ukraine. If you want to have lonely experience not far from the main transport hubs, go east from Buşteni (but expect that Vrancea and Penteleu are forested). If you want to walk meadows and see glacier terrain in higher altitudes, yet not meet too many people, go for Mt. Cernei, Tarcu, Godeanu, Small Retezat and Vilcan.
Or any others apart from Fagaraş, Rodnei, Great Retezat, East Bucegi and Ceahlau – these are visited by tourists.
Dear Michal,
I came across your website while looking for information regarding a thru-hikes in the Carpathian mountains. Your website is a mine of information and inspirational as well. Thank you for sharing your experience, stories and pictures with others!
I’ll be traveling to Budapest early April for work and afterwards, i’d like to escape for a 7 day hike in the Carpathian. Can you tell me what was your favorite part in terms of landscape? I could go either hike Slovakia or Romania.
Thank you in advance for you input.
Best,
Daoud
I like varied landscapes: Mehedinti, Godeanu, Retezat would be a good option as each of those ranges is different. However, this is not a hike for April as there is still snow up there. In April I would go Bihor or Trascau in Romania. In Slovakia Suľovské skaly, Strážovské vrchy, Malá Fatra.