Bran - Clincea - Mălăiești Saddle, Bucegi Mountains

1. Bran Poarta (916) - Salvamont Bran (917) / Partia Zănoaga - Poiana Clincea (1750)

3 hours / medium / red stripe

With the daypack, i.e. the small backpack on the back, a rain towel (the forecast was for 2 rains in the afternoon, anyway rain jacket is a must), socks and a change of t-shirt, a little food, namely 2 sandwiches, some energy bars and an energizing liquid, I set off. I read the signposts, set myself mentally for the 7 hours of climbing and set off on red band.

Immediately after the branch, we start to climb, we pass by Salvamont Bran and we have some hau hau hau hau from the dogs from the Clincea sheepfold, we inhale the smell of proapsat milk and other cheeses, but we see our way to the right past a large building left in disrepair towards partia Zanoaga (Bran). The wide road passes through a wooden gate, type maramuresean, from where it continues next to the party in quite steep uphill, on the right side of the party (in its downhill direction).

In the distance we see the high ridge of the Buceg Mountains towards which we are heading, behind the ridge of Piatra Craiului, we go up, and in 10-15 minutes we enter the forest.
The trail is very clearly outlined in the spruce forest and still bears some traces of the summer rains of the last days. On the way we will also find fallen trees on the trail, a sign that the local mountain rescue did not do all that was necessary in this respect. A few raspberry fruits tantalize our taste buds early in the morning.

I recommend spring water supply from this part of the trail, as you might not find it higher up (point 4 on the map), and once you come out of the forest, you really only have to rely on your water supply.
After an hour and a quarter, we meet the trail marked blue dot that will double our marker for a short while between the two S curves we were following. On the map we noticed a few shortcuts that were not obvious on the ground. Happy flowers still wet from the morning dew begged us to photograph them.

The path narrows to the width of a person, and we even "swim" among quite tall plants, cooling our feet. The climb gets steeper in places. After 3 hours we arrive in Poiana Clincea.

2. Poiana Clincea (1750) - La Stânci - Mount Țigănenești - Saddle and Refuge Țigănești (2195 / 2178)

1.5 hours / medium / red stripe

The spruce forest gives way to a wide meadow, Poiana Clincea, at whose entrance on the right he greets us Sphinx of the Clinic, less famous, but superb. The bells of the bells move their slender heads in the wind. The upward slope of the path is maintained in the glen. The wide frame reminds us of the weather forecast, but should we really get wet before lunchtime?

We are on Tiganesti Mountainwhose summit measures 2,214 meters. We will leave the summit on our left, although there is an unmarked alternative path that mathematically holds the ridge. Several times we turn our eyes towards the valley and admire Bran, in the foreground, and Zarnesti, in the background, at the foot of the Pietrei Craiului, which is now covered in snow. We locate Moeciu, Pestera, Magura.

After a passage with dwarf junipers, we come out at the alpine goal. On a prominent rock we see a man. It's a shepherd, perched on the huge rock to watch his flock of sheep as if from a vantage point. Thirty minutes from the clearing we pass by the huge cliff born from the pasture at a slow pace among the sheep, not to disturb them too much and in fact not to arouse the dogs. Further on some donkeys show us their asses.

The trail rises slowly in elevation on a gently ascending contour that emerges into the ridge after several rocky formations lined up like the fingers of a hand. We follow the ridge up to the hemispherical construction with hat  out of our way. It's Tiganesti Refuge, which we had seen earlier, but then it seemed far away.

3. Saddle and Refuge Țigănești (2195 / 2178) - The Towers Țigănești - Scara Peak (2422) - Gaura Valley Arch - Mălăiești Horns Saddle (2330)

60 - 80 minutes / difficult / red stripe

Gygnaesti Refuge is in very good condition and can accommodate 20 people. We stop for a break, and we crantanim "some energy" from a bar. Here we met more tourists, about 10 to 15. Saua Tiganesti at an altitude of 2,178 meters, according to the information on its door. The signs say that we would have 1.5 hours to Saua Malaesti. From the saua in which we are (Tiganesti) the yellow stripe trail to Cab. Malaesti via Tiganesti Lake and Tiganesti warming, duration 2 hours.

We resume the tour, climbing gently under the ridge, on the left side of the ridge. On the left we admire the Tiganestilor Glacial Warming with 3 small water holes, the largest being Lake Tiganesti. The Tiganesti Caldarea is flanked by Muchia Tiganesti and Muchia Padina Crucii, after which another glacial valley, the spectacular valley of Malestilor, which can be glimpsed from here, but not to its base.

Next, the path red band offers us a more effortless sector, with marvelous views from the narrow gill through which it slips. Hat in the distance, an archway in the cliff, it will become clearer the closer we get to it. It's the Arch of the Hole. To the left of it, we can identify three of the top peaks of the Buceg. Omu Peak (2.505) flanked on the left by Bucsoiu Peak (2.492) and Bucura Dumbrava Peak (2.503). The Omu is unmistakable because of the hut and the weather station on the summit and the cliff they stand next to.

We pass a horizontal area with chains, which we do not use. But we approach a huge cliff wall and we even wonder which way the path goes, because the haul was impressive on the left, and in front of us we seem to approach a big natural wall.

Enter the area Tiganesti Towers. Another sphinx rock and whoops, there's the trail. This one turns sharply right and follows a very steep chimney to the top. Ouch! It's a exposed part, in which we are helped by several chains solidly mounted in the rock, even if some of them look old. This is the difficult part of the route and we are glad that the rain cloud avoided us. The area is well marked.

One hour from the refuge, we're on the ridge.

Up in the ridge, perfume, the road again like the palm of the hand. Immediately, we take the option going down Ciubotea to Bran on the yellow triangle for 6 hours. If the rain had caught us, we would have followed it. It is worth mentioning that it embarks relatively quickly on a very steep and difficult descent.
See you on the ridge road, through the alpine pasture, on red band. Note that in this area there are many metal marker posts, very helpful in case of fog. After another few minutes, we are on Scara Peak (2,422 m), in terrain marked to the left of the trail, on the MN map marked to the right of it (!). And one more paradox when we came out of the chimney in the ridge the altitude indicated by the MN app shows a slightly higher elevation than in the Scara Peak (!).

From Scara Peak you can see the ridge path that holds the right side of the ridge, its line stretching in the distance up to Omu Peak (2.505 m).
We descend gently down to Saua Hornurilor (Malaesti). We're going on a great skyline tour. Onward to Omu, back to Scara, left in the sensational Great Horn of the Malay, to the right descent on Gaura Valley to Bran, a route marked with a red cross, which we will follow for 6,5 hours according to the signpost.

By fanta Big Horn we're looking into the Upper Malay Warming, which is magnificent.
We climbed a little over 6 hours from the place where we parked the car, on the signpost at that place it said 7 hours to Omu, that would translate to 6.5 hours to Saua Hornurilor. So we were fine. It should be mentioned that if we had started from the center of Bran we would have added 1 more hour.