Parângul Mare peak, Parâng Mountains

1. Parâng Mountain Rescue (1.800 m) - under the Cârja Peak (2.405 m)

Marking: red stripe

Duration: 2 hours

We drive up to the last relay. We look down towards Petrosani.

This approach to the Parâng Mare has the advantage that you have in front of your eyes the perspective of the entire route.
Cârja Peak and on the horizon Parângul Mare Peak.

After 10 minutes, we reach a bench where there is also the branch that climbs forward on Parangul Mic and half right on the contour far below the summit. Both are marked with red tape. In fact, the red stripe is the marking that will accompany us all day. On the ascent, I recommend the contour road. The path climbs gently through the first rhododendron bushes. Behind us and even behind Petrosani you can see the crests of the Retezat Mountains.
After another 40 minutes, we rejoin the variant trail over the summit of Parângul Mic and then look ahead to the first challenge - Cârja Peak.
In 10 minutes, in the next saddle is another fork, leading half left and then downhill to Lake Mija. What great weather we are having! In the glacial warmth to the left you can see Lake Carja.
The road becomes a bit stonier, the Cârja is getting closer and it is clear that we will face a more demanding climb.
An hour and a half after the start we arrive at Cârja Refuge. Hidden in the rocks and damaged. We're at 2,231 meters.
The only steeper climb follows. In serpentines on a stony path we reach the bottom Cârja Peak - altitude 2,405 meters. We traveled 2 hours from the start.

2. Under Vf. Cârja (2.405) - Vf. Stoienița (2.421) - Vf. Gemănarea (2.437) - Vf. Parângul Mare (2.519)

Marking: red stripe

Duration: 1.5 hours

It's a piece of cake now. We'll continue over two other peaks over 2,400 meters linked by not very deep sei: Stoienița Peak (2,421 m) and Gemănarea Peak (2,437 m).
In our viewfinder on the left are glacial calderas with glacial lakes. Several tongues of snow give the right contrast for pictures.

Easy detour Twinning Peak on the left in our direction of travel and the path enters the snow. We orient ourselves and aim for the return to go around on the other side on "unmarked", it seems even shorter.

You have a very good view of the Parângul Mare. The view towards the caldera on the left is completed by narrow windows into which deep chimneys descend. The view zooms the unmistakable Buila - Vânturarița ridge.

Before the last climb there is a container shelter brought by Salvamont. Very useful and welcome when needed, because the whole ridge is uncovered and in bad weather can even save lives.

We've gone 3 hours and something from the start and conquered Parângul Mare peak (2.519 m altitude). It was the target of this hike, part of the second stage of our 2500-tour. Parângul Mare peak is the fifth highest peak in Romania and the highest in the Parang Massif.

3. View from the top of the Parângul Mare Peak (2,519 mdm)

Off Parângul Mare peak we have a 360 perspective. To the South we can see the Subcarpathians and the city of Targu Jiu (slightly SV). To the West we have in the foreground the Valcan Mountains with the Straja Peak and to the North-West the Retezat Mountains with 2.500-heaves Peleaga and Papusa, and at their foot Petrosaniul. To the north below the summit is the superb glacial warming Rosiile and in the second plane the Sureanu Mountains and much further back the peaks of the Apuseni Mountains. Northeast are the Cindrel Mountains. To the East we can see the Lotrului Mountains and, after them, the Fagaras, Iezer - Papusa and Bucegi Mountains, which are barely guessable, luck with the app that confirms it. Also in the east, slightly southeast, we have the Capatanii Mountains and the Buila Vanturarita Mountains. And closer in, Rânca resort and the Transalpina highway.

MI-NU-NAT!

You can watch two videos of the skyline tour on the Parângul Mare Peak on the following links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI0mnoMm9Ro&list=PLlH9tlgCODG8Bl-3vzuVTpUAIunWRLMmr&index=9

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9ACkocoeT4&list=PLlH9tlgCODG8Bl-3vzuVTpUAIunWRLMmr&index=11

We take a 30-minute break to admire, rest and snack.

4. Parângul Mare Peak (2.519) - Cârja Peak (2.405) - Parângul Mic peak (2.084) - Parâng Mountain Rescue (1800)

Marking: red stripe

Duration: 3 hours

After finding a shelter between some granite blocks to eat without the wind blowing, it was time to say goodbye to the Big Grove and thank him for welcoming us on its summit, a first for me. We will follow almost the same route marked red tape with three little ""flic-flacs"". We will go around the Gemănarea peak on the other side of it and go down the unmarked trail in the saddle after it, we will actually climb the Cârja peak, and at the end of the tour we will tick the Parângul Mic peak before descending to the Parâng resort.

An hour after we start our descent from the Parângul Mare we reach the Cârja Peak (2,405 m), this time right on the summit. And from Cârja Peak we have a nice view. The summit is marked with a ... crutch.

We descend the Cârja steadily, pass the refuge and head through the flowers, through the pastures, among some dwarf junipers and through some rocky areas to the branch that interests us. Exactly 2 hours since we left Parângul Mare.

In the branch that climbs up or around the Little Parângul Vârfuș, we keep heading forward on the ridge. The route is easy, admiring, admiring, admiring... It's a little bit to the last peak of the tour.

After almost 3 hours we find ourselves on Pico Parângul Mic (2.041 m). We descend to the relay, in the upper part of the Parang resort, where we left the car. We still look back to the peaks of Cârja and Parângul Mare, the fascination of the day, together with the panoramic views.

After a little more than 3 hours our wonderful tour is over! In total an easy or rather average 7 hour hike at a good pace. You can consider 8 hours if you go slower.