Bâlea Lake - Bâlea Waterfall trail, February 24, 2021

Type: Interesting

Description:
After visiting the Bâlea Cirque we set off on foot towards Bâlea Waterfall. It took us 4 hours because we spent a lot of time on the way taking photos and admiring nature. Normally it is a marked trail but we took shortcuts and where we thought it was safer from an avalanche perspective. When we had uncertainties we checked the trail on the mobile app. We had a special time, sunny and relatively warm, with temperature around zero degrees Celsius. If at the lake the snow was frozen, as we descended below 2000m it softened a bit. At first we descended cautiously, then we reached the cirque at 1700m where the snow was about 30 cm and partially frozen. We identified the tracks of Transfăgărășan and found that there was no avalanche danger on this section because the snow had slid or melted on the ridges! Everything was ok until we reached the section where you cross to the left side of the valley to descend to the waterfall, through the forest, on a steep slope crossed by 2 very steep gullies. There we saw some dangerous gullies with avalanche risk and decided to take the road trail, which bypassed but seemed safer. It was a special feeling, we felt overwhelmed by the grandeur of the mountains surrounding us! At one point we heard some thunder and observed on the left slope a slide of ... stones with snow! It came from over 2000m and went down to 1300m, intersecting the tourist trail. We congratulated ourselves for not choosing that trail and continued the descent on the road with emotions because on the edge of the road there were huge fallen boulders and above us unstable rocks threatened us! After 4 hours we reached the waterfall, where we changed and went home! It was an unforgettable experience that reminded us how small and powerless we are in the face of nature's grandeur. In the evening we were in the city, happy about such a hike! Thank you Ionuț for the company!

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Video length: 03:33