A trekking day to the Mălăiești Valley

A trekking day to the The Mălăiești Valley 

In the last day of summer 2019 I was with a couple of my friends at The Mălăiești Hut and since then it has been three months of autumn so I felt like I had to finish the season with another hike in the same place. On November 29, being accompanied by my family members and one of my best friend, I got to see The Mălăiești Valley again, one of the most spectacular region of Bucegi Mountains.

Arriving to Râșnov. What else is to see in the area

We got up early in the morning and left the house at about 6.30 AM. The destination we were driving to was Râșnov, a city situated in the so called “Țara Bârsei” near the Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Mountains. Speaking of Râșnov, in the past years I have visited other main attractions which I consider worth exploring in the area such as the city’s landmark, more precisely The Râșnov Fortress situated on a rocky hill and „Valea Cetății”  Cave located outside the city at about 3 kilometers away.

From Câmpina we followed the DN1 road and passed through the Prahova Valley. Before the Predeal resort we entered on the 73A road on which we drove until the entrace in Râșnov where we turned left and continued on the 101 road. Since the beginning of the 101 road, the trekking path we were about to take was visibly marked with the blue stripe and it eased our orientation to the access of The Bucegi Natural Park and finally got us to the indicator showing the right direction to be followed towards The Mălăiești Hut.

As a side note I mention here that if you are new to the romanian mountains and don't know where to start and how to guide yourself around while trekking, I already wrote an article about this topic which can be helpful : Worth seeing places in Romania: The Mountains . Also, at the end of the article you can find information about how to get from Bucharest to Bucegi Mountains and read about the other main attractions that these mountains have to offer. 

 Starting the trekk

We left our car near the beginning of the path and started the adventure by passing a wooden bridge and then going up the forest. It was 8.30 AM. The first part of the hike was very gentle, the terrain was quiet flat with just a bit of elevation, but it didn’t last for long.

Soon we came across a path intersection marked with tourist indicators which were telling us that The Mălăiești Hut was situated at 2 hours trekking from there. The time was reasonable, but the path was about to get steep and challenging to climb. From close to close, the slope became more inclined making our breathing heavy.

Thus, the surroundings were enchanting and often distracted us from the physical effort we had to put in. Throughout the forest there were many weird and large rock formations covered with green moss contrasting strongly with all of the orange and red fallen leaves. The scenary was just perfect for taking lots of muddy photos.

Glăjărie sightseeing

The portion with the steep climb lasted for circa 30 minutes and got us to the called  “Glăjărie” where the nature rewarded our effort with an amazing sightseeing over the mountains. On the right side of the trail a deep abyss opened up creating both a dangerous terrain and a wonderful landscape.

The “Glăjărie” view point has also a wooden table with benches where trekkers could take a so needed break after the sustained climb before it. We couldn’t rest there because the benches were wet, but we admired the views for a few moments but not for long because it was cold and we would chill if we stayed in one place.

The most beautiful part of the entire hike

We continued on the path which introduced us to an area that proved to be the most beautiful part of the whole route. To the left and to the right we were surrounded and protected by green coniferous trees. There was no steep sloop to climb anymore, but only a smooth trail which was easily to walk on. It felt like we have stepped into a fairy land and even if it was the beginning of winter, the forest was extremely green as it is in the summer time. I cannot think of a bigger pleasure than walking among the living beings of the mountains.

The meadows

From the dense forest we came out into a wide meadow and from there the cliffs of the mountains began to be seen. At the same time the terrain was getting kind of steep again. After the first meadow we encountered another part of the forest whose path led us to a second meadow where we found an indicator announcing us that we still had 30 minutes to reach our destination.

We left the meadow behind and followed the path amongst the forest. The terrain started to be rough and the trail was strewn with rocks and tree roots. On the other hand, as we advanced above, the great rocks of The Mălăiești Valley made their presence felt soaring in front of our eyes and even if they were half covered in clouds and fog, they were still extremely grand and imposing. Suddenly, The Mălăiești Hut appeared unchanged in front of us. I say here that the hut was unchanged because it was the third time I was in that place.

Mălăiești, the first hut of the Bucegi Mountains

As far as I know, the first construction of the Mălăiești Hut was built at the end of the 19th century being the first hut of The Bucegi Mountains, but unfortunately the wooden shelter didn’t survived too long because it got burned. In the following century another construction was made at the altitude of 1720 meters on the place where it is today, but sadly the construction burned again at the end of the 20thcentury. But its story was not over yet.

In the recent years, another hut was constructed and the current building is the latest one. Back in the days, many trekkers stopped at Mălăiești which could host up to 100 people. There are stories, memories and songs related to the pleasing and specific atmosphere of the hut.

The Glacier Valley of Mălăiești: a more than spectacular view

As we were stepping on the narrow path leading to the hut, on the right side, protecting Mălăiești, we could see “Padina Crucii” and on the left side, the Bucșoiu Mare’s summit was elevating above the clouds. When the hut’s dogs felt our presence, they started barking at us. We were the first visitors they had that day, but probably because they are used with the tourists, the barking didn’t last too long. It was almost 11.00 AM and the outside terrace was empty, but the mountains were home for sure.

The sightseeing from the Mălăiești Hut was more than picturesque. The Mălăiești Valley was very large and its rock formations were creating a spectacular landscape which could easily impress anyone. We were standing in the middle of a glacier valley which was looking like an intimidating fortress. Were we inside of it or outside? Well, a thing was pretty clear, the place included a constant “wow” in our thoughts.

Warming ourselves with a hot soup at the Mălăiești Hut 

Even if we wanted to continue staring at the greatness of the mountains, we got cold very fast and decided to warm ourselves up by having a hot soup inside the hut. I had a vegetable soup which I liked because it was very hot and warmed me up instantly. What a good feeling I got when the hot soup was warming up my throat! After we had the meal break, we went outside the cabin, took another look at the landscapes and started our journey back. We followed the same path, but it was good to know that from Mălăiești people could go on various trail on which there are many natural attractions to see such as

• Hornul Mălăiești

• Țigănești Lake

• Brâna Caprelor

• Bucșoiu Mare

And so on. For example, a trail goes to the Omu Peak which is the highest peak of Bucegi Mountains.

The rain caught us but we were not sad about it 

As we were trekking back, the rain started and the atmosphere got foggy and spooky, but the landscapes were still wonderful. The only problem was the muddy ground which made walking difficult because we had to be extra careful where we were stepping, especially on the fallen leaves that were very slippery. In the beginning, the rain didn’t lasted for long, but the fog came creating a mysterious scenary which forced us to stop many times for taking lots of photos.

The rain caught us but we were prepared for it. We had good hiking boots and rain coats which helped us to get through the challenging weather. When you go mountain hiking you have to be prepared for any situation that might occur during the journey. You can find information about what to take with you when trekking in the following two part article: Mountain backpack and equipment 

A dog guided our way down 

We came across a dog that looked like a wolf from a distance. He was probably lost and in search for food, so we gave him from our sandwiches and he followed us all the way down. Poor dog, he was very friendly, but hungry and he probably belonged to the people who were working at the forest road.

On the last part of the route, it started to rain very seriously, but we were still taking pictures of the so misty woods. It was a great opportunity to catch those autumn mysterious vibes. Soon enough, we got back to the car. The way back from the Mălăiești Cabin to the entrance of The Natural Park Bucegi lasted 2 hours.

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