Bucegi Mountains, Romania, July 30th – August 4th, 2018
I take a deep breath and start unloading our gear. A good part of the cable car had been taken up by our equipment.
We unload everything and set off towards the last patch of snow. Before long, a light rain begins to fall, then the sun comes out again. After a month of unpredictable weather, rain, and wind, we were ready for almost anything.
We pull out our rain jackets and settle into a comfortable pace. There was no point in arriving exhausted before we'd even put our boots on.
Then we start walking.
Evening slowly settles in. The wind picks up, followed by more rain. I switch on my headlamp and we begin setting up the area.
After a few hours of restless sleep, I wake up before the alarm goes off. I stay inside for a little longer, then step out of the tent.
It's 6:00 a.m.
The weather has settled. I put my hands in my pockets and head towards a peak where the morning sun arrives earlier. I return through a parallel valley, where we'd left our food overnight, and start preparing a place for breakfast, hoping Marius will wake up in the meantime.
After almost an hour spent around the patch of snow, I choose the spot for the kicker and start shoveling.
Then the sun comes out.
And Marius wakes up.
We have breakfast, drink our coffee, and get to work.
The next two days bring rain, fog, and wind. But the forecast for the following day looks better, so that evening we keep working until the batteries in our headlamps finally die.
A little fox starts visiting us more and more often. By now, we'd learned to recognize all the sounds of the night and were sleeping a little better — except when Marius's tiny snores suddenly woke me up.
One evening, during our final check before going to sleep, we find the honey inside the tent.
I put it down by Marius's feet and decide it's better to think about something else.
In the morning, the buzzing of bees promises a sunny day. I start smiling before my eyes are fully open.
We finish the kicker.
And finally, we ride.
On Saturday evening, we pack everything up and start making our way back towards the cable car. We head down late.
It's past midnight.
We stare into the distance and smile.
