Night and Dawn Trails in Forests of Transylvania

I'm a week, most of a week, working away from home at our technical centre in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in the heart of Transylvania. Friends and colleagues have been asking me if I would like to do some trail running here, in the forests, and get some Cluj mud on my shoes for a change. So a plan evolved, a night run on Wednesday in Hoia, and a dawn run on Thursday in Faget.

Hoia Night Run, Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Six gathered in the cool dark outside the muzeul satului (Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania), near the Hoia Forest trails, at 7PM, adjusting clothing, headtorches, and shoelaces before we set off as a group into the trees.

Dani (fast), Luci, Adi, Cristian, Cristina

Dani, Luci, Adi, Lyndon (plod), Cristi

I am delighted that Cristina joins us here tonight, we have not run together before. I know Luci and Adi enjoy running trails, but I believe both are first-time night-time trail runners. Watch out you guys, this stuff can be addictive! I can remember when Dani and I last ran together, a year and a few days ago, the memorable night of the fireworks and drenching pool, his first-time night-time trail running experience, I reckon he was hooked right there and then. Cristi leads the group tonight, he lives very close, these are his woods, he wastes no time from the get-go, so its a huff, and a puff for the old plodder. We have about an hour free for our run, Cristi knows these trails, he can improv route to fit the time, we are in good hands. Dani takes the camera from me and (whoosh) speeds ahead to photograph the oncoming headtorches. The result looks a bit like something from "Close Encounters".

The camera can see only the lights of the oncoming headtorches ...

... like something out of "Close Encounters"

The mud and puddles along these trails are a complete delight. I am definitely getting some "Cluj mud" on my shoes tonight. The mud is dark and wet, its gorgeous ... others in the group are amused at my "straight through the middle" approach. The Hoia Baciu forests have something of a reputation for the paranormal and UFO sightings. I make a short movie. There is something oncoming, I am afraid. You can hear my heavy breathing ...

Well, alright, what really happened here ... as we reached a decent descent, I picked up speed ahead in an attempt to make a short movie of the oncoming headtorches. I am afraid the effort was not so succesful, and alas I dazzled a couple of friends with my super-bright headtorch (should have turned the stupid thing off), but we think the amateurish production is hilarious, a little bit "Blair Witch", perhaps appropriate for this "haunted" forest.

Just a short one tonight, 6km dead, total ascent/descent 162m, came in a bit under the hour at 52:46, good clean fun (except for my shoes, socks and feet). Dinner time now.

Faget Dawn Run, Thursday, November 13, 2014

Three gathered above Faleacu, near the Faget Forest trails, at 7AM, it was still dark, and cold, eleven hours after the finish last night. Same as the start twelve hours ago, adjusting clothing, headtorches, and shoelaces before we set off as a group along the trails. The moon is clear and high in the black-blue sky. The lights of Cluj-Napoca are 300m below our feet (two very poor night photographs, alas).

The moon above our heads, clear and high against the black-blue sky ...

... the street lights of Cluj below our feet.

Dani leads the group tonight, he lives very close, these are his woods. We have maybe a couple of hours available for our run. Cristi and Dani start off along the dark trail while I fiddle about with my camera. and the sky grows lighter as we approach the dark forest. We are over-dressed, a pause to adjust layers and a couple of photographs, we are a happy bunch this morning.

Dani and Cristi running along the dark trails ... 

... the sky grows lighter as we approach the forest ...

... autumn leaves carpet the trails through the dark forest.

The light improves, and we are hot, time to pack headtorches and adjust clothing ...

... and a couple of happy-face photos.

We are following way-marked trails here and are amused by the trail marker which appears to be a white frog. We had a few sights and some fun along the trail. We paused to read an information board about the "Faceul Eggs". These are growing stones, although we only see a few simple-shaped round examples. Further along we pause at a spring to drink the water and fill our bottles. Then there was the mud, the soil here when dry has a sandy texture, when wet it becomes clay. I have been caught in the clay once already, it was awful, the clay clung to my shoes, the leaves clung to the clay. While Cristi picks his way around a large patch, Dani looks back smiling, wondering if I will fall for the clay again ... I wisely followed Cristi this time (I preferred the mud at Hoia twelve hours ago).

Following the froggy trail ...

... passing the Feleac Eggs ...

... and drinking delicious cold water from the spring ...

Eek! More clay! Better avoid the mud here.

The trails twists and turns to a short, sharp and slippery climb. The reward is a lovely run along a ridge and then through the pine trees, a left and we are at the summit, 827m above sea-level. This is the highest point around Cluj-Napoca (I think). We've earned a short pause, a chance to admire the scenery from the top, the mountains in the distance, and a couple more photographs. The post-dawn rose colours are glowing low in the cloudy sky already.

Short sharp climb ...

... onto narrow trails along the ridge ...

... and through a delightful avenue of pine trees ...

... the summit at 827m above sea-level.

Dani

Cristi

Time to descend back toward the cars now. Through the trees back on the carpet of leaves we return to the track where we started in the dark almost two hours ago. The city below is bathed in mist, as we approach the observatory we are just about done.

Descending on the carpet of leaves ...

... back to the track so dark this morning, the city below is bathed in mist ...

... approach the observatory tower, just a couple of hundred meters to go now.

Bit of a longer one this morning, 12km dead, total ascent/descent 301m, came in a bit under the two hours at 1:55:06, good clean fun (except for my shoes, socks and feet, again). Breakfast time now.

Dani, Cristi, Luci, Cristina, Adi ... each of you colleagues or ex-colleagues, friends, thank you for running with me these days, for your generous patience and kindness, for showing me your beautiful forest trails. You're the best, and I am a very lucky man.

Enjoy!