Would you believe the sun was shining today? Hallelujah! A good thing since a 4-5 hour hike was scheduled from Sucevita to Putna Monastery.
Marinel drove the Explore Worldwide group a short distance away from Popas Turistic Bucovina in Sucevita to a trail leading uphill through Beech Forests; very muddy Beech Forests I might add since it had been raining for days. I debated all last night, “Should I hike or not?” There was no doubt that trails would be godawful but I finally succumbed, wearing rain pants in case I slid, or fell, in the mud. Eeww… Well-marked trails followed paths, old cart tracks, and the river course.
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a short rest next to empty whiskey bottles on a hike in Romania
hiking through a towering beech forest on muddy trails in Romania
The valley trail became stonier while rumbles of thunder ominously came and went along with short bursts of heavy rain, forcing us to pick up the pace. (“Went” is an important word since hiking through a forest in an electrical storm is neither fun nor advisable.) The sun finally reappeared along with sporadic houses in a grassy valley, followed by a small farming community near Putna where Marinel stood waiting for the group to reappear, one by one.
trail markers in Romania
Steve making his way down a slippery and muddy slope during the day hike, Romania
It was not a difficult hike by any means except for the stoney river bed and uphill portion. A short pause to snarf down packed lunches and take off “unbreathable” rain pants that had left capris sopping wet from perspiration trapped inside.
A portion of this Romanian trip was dedicated to hiking through the country’s beautiful landscape and it was rewarding that at least one out of the three scheduled hikes was accomplished.
FYI: This area of Romania was very close to Ukrainian border and Cristi told us that locals cross the border to shop for goods that are much cheaper than in Romania.