Piatra Dragoslavelor, Leaota Mountains

1. Dragoslavele (680 m) – circuit branch (800 m)

1.2 km / 30 min / easy / shared blue triangle with blue dot

Several signs, quite rusty, but legible, give us information about the route options from this point. We were interested in the Saua Prislopului blue dot routes, on which we will return, and respectively the blue triangle route to Vârtoapele peak, which we will climb, estimated at 2.5 hours. We are ready to go. We don’t leave the wagon road yet, because after only 5 minutes a big surprise comes our way. A gorgeous semi-domestic deer. In decades of hiking, I have never encountered anything like this. She was so gentle that she stayed with us for about 10 minutes even though we didn’t feed her.

In front of us stands the Piatra Dragoslavelor, which culminates at the top of Vârtoapele, a rock mountain that can also be seen from the national road and that clearly dominates our visual frame. After walking with the deer, we reach the bifurcation that forms the actual circuit. To the left is the blue dot, to the right the blue triangle continues, on the wooden indicator fixed in a tree, having passed 2 hours to the top of Vârtopul, our ultimate goal of the day. We are at point 2 on the map.

2. Circuit branch (800 m) – Vârtoapele peak (1,434 m)

2.3 km / 2 hours / difficult / blue triangle

We follow the blue triangle. At first we climbed through the forest quite smoothly. I had read that the big challenge awaits us at the exit from the forest, where the real climb begins. A detritus inclined at about 45 degrees and with many and small stones, obviously slightly unstable takes the place of the path in the shade of the trees. Well, and this is exactly where the mark is taken from where it is not. I knew that it is recommended to climb the left flank of the detritus and I can only confirm that it is by far the best solution. It’s one of those passages where everyone calls on their own inspiration and stability.

At our feet, we admire the village of Dragsolavele located on the Dambovitei Valley, the one that separates Leaota and Iezer Papusa, which dominates the horizon beyond the valley. Do we come from down there? Really? On this slope of stones like some cubic wheels? At the top of the detritus we see a blue arrow that confirms that we are on the right route and where to continue. But, the show must go on…. I escaped the detritus, but it follows a grassy and steeper path, up to 60 degrees in some places I appreciate, so I was not ashamed to climb on four feets. But I was thinking with concern, but also with the utmost admiration, how my father will manage at his 77 years, who climbs this slope with difficulty.

I came out on the ridge! Hurray! The ridge of this great rock formation brings a little of Piatra Craiului. It keeps more of the left edge of the ridge line, partially wooded. The big surprise was that on the right, along the ridge line, there was a big gulf. After climbing steeply from the left, it’s as if you don’t expect that on the right the steep is even steeper. On this segment, the path climbs very slowly and presents no difficulty, despite the surrounding chasm. From now on, we also have the perspective along the ridge line, to the right towards the Leaota Massif and towards Bucegi. We were getting used to the straight road, but it was clear that we still had some climbing to do. To our delight, after about 1 hour of the ridge, walking slowly, the peak of Vârtoapele appears, marked by a large metallic cross. Wait, I didn’t arrive, I just saw him. The assault to the top is on a grassy area with large tufts of grass, which is quite tiring. At least my father found this portion more exhausting than the detritus. To make it more colorful, the route is strewn with flowers, the marking disappears for a good part of the weather, which can complicate orientation in foggy weather.

3. Vârtoapele Peak (1,434 m)

Lunch break and horizon tour on the Vărtoapele peak at an altitude of 1434 meters. I took 3 hours to the top, walking slowly especially on the last half of the route. From the peak of Vârtoapele (1,434 mdm, 1,421 mdm according to another source) or the peak of Vârtopul or Piatra Dragoslavelor, next to the huge metal cross and next to the solar installation here connected to some equipment, we admire, favored by the excellent visibility, the following:

To the right, i.e. to the east, the majesty of Postavaru and Bucegi in the left half of the frame and the central area, the highest of the Leaota mountains. To the left, we definitely recognize the Postăvarul peak (1,799). From the snowy Bucegi we can distinguish the peak of Bucsoiu (2,492), the peak of Omu (2,507) with the rock next to the hut on the top, and to the right then slightly further to the right and slightly further forward Coltii Obarsiei (2,480), again on the background line Costila ( 2,498) and Caraimanul (2,384). Further east we have the Leaota Mountains, right in the center of the frame being the Leaota peak (2,133) and to the right of it the Leaota Cioara peak (1,858).

https://youtu.be/QyVRi6vcgDE

We turn our gaze to the opposite side, to the left, to the west across the valley of Dâmbovița, located at the bottom. Here we have in front from left to right peaks of the Iezer Mountains, among which the highest: Iezeru Mic (2,409), Iezeru Mare (2,463), Rosu (2,469, the highest), Batrana (2,341), Papusa (2,393, more prominent). Further to the right, the unmistakable and majestic ridge of Piatra Craiului, with the peak La Om (2,238, about 1/3 of the extremity from us), Piatra Mica, then Magura Zarnestilor, and in the background, the conical and wooded Magura Codlei.

https://youtu.be/4hHbPHYgDFc

Well, yes! What a wonder! Magnificent view from Piatra Dragoslavelor. And if I think that until recently I had no idea about this place. I think it’s good that I stopped for about 1 hour on the top, because I had something to see.

4. Vârtoapele Peak (1,434 m) – intersection (1,330 m)

0.6 km / 20 minutes / easy / blue triangle

It’s time to start the descent. Our route in the loop, continues in the same direction we came. Marking signs, rarer, not at all, but hard to find, especially since from here the summit seems to be sloping and the path is not clear, you really have to not miss the place where you turn left in the forest in a few minutes. It descends sharply, but without being difficult. Attention to the still quite uncertain path. Again a lot of spring flowers delight our eyes. Our blue triangle path meets the blue dot marking on which we will continue our descent via Fundul Neagului to Dragoslavele. From here to the cars it should be about 2 hours. We are at point 4 on the map.

5. Intersection (1,330 m) – Fundul Neagului (1,130 m)

1 km / 15 minutes / easy / blue dot

Attention, if you take the opposite route than described, there are some arrows on the trees that point you in the right direction in this branching. It starts to smell like garlic. We were crossing an area covered with wild garlic (which is edible). The vast clearing from Fundul Neagului appears in front of us, in which we descend as if in a saddle and where we meet a shepherd who is looking for his cows, the man coming motorized with a tractor that is as small as it is powerful, we would convince ourselves later after the route which he followed to get here.

6. Fundul Neagului (1,130 m) – circuit branch (800 m)

1.4 km / 1 hour / easy / blue dot

In the middle of the clearing, the direction must be changed to the left by about 90 degrees, towards a valley that can be seen below. In the valley, in its upper part, in extreme cases you can take water from the spring, but the place is not landscaped. From here our road will follow the thread of this valley on a tractor road. Near the end of the route, another wide clearing opens up, where there is an abandoned house and from where we can once again admire the Piatra Dragoslavelor, at its foot. We are at point 6 on the map.

7. Circuit branch (800 m) – Dragoslavele (680 m)

1.2 km / 30 minutes / easy / common blue dot with blue triangle

We manage to close the loop, we meet again with both markings that we saw in the morning when starting the route. After 2 hours of descent, the superb hike from the Leaota Mountains ends at Piatra Dragoslavelor.