After nearly a month of waiting, the morning came to get out of bed, pack my backpack and hurry to the train station. The longing for the mountains is like a disease that makes you sad when you do not take your “dose” but gets you overload with energy when you finally are in the middle of nature.
Arriving at the train station, it was easy to find my colleagues, all having around their neck the ID badge Christian Adventure. The road towards Busteni seems shorter every time, as we joke, have fun, enjoying each other’s company. At Busteni we cheated somehow as we skipped hiking and took the cable car up to the top of Bucegi Mountains. And although the weather forecasts scared us a little, announcing record temperatures of minus 40-50 degrees Celsius, when we reached the top – surprise! the sun was dazzling and we had 6 degrees Celsius. At one point, I glanced at a small concrete building – near Cabana Babele – which is actually the bathroom, where written in pain stood: “Zalmoxis loves you” , thinking that perhaps someone up there took care of us and gave us the much desired sun. But the inscription was there also a year ago, at the end of June, when in the same place, in two hours, we experienced all seasons: from 20-25 degrees and sunny to 2-3 degrees with snow & blizzard. That day nobody loved us 🙁 .
Small steps to Ialomiţa Valley and Padina Chalet
Arriving at the cottage we quickly grabbed something to eat and hurry towards Ialomiţa cave. There were 80 people, dressed to “play” and anxious to see what we have prepared for them. Leaving them at the entrance with the other instructors I went with Cosmin to check out the route. At the end of the cave, reaching the edge of the special platforms, Cosmin says: “Come on, jump the fence”. I look and saw a hole before my feet that seemed too small for me to fit in. I laughed thinking he is joking as he knows the cave by heart for ten years now. But to indulge him I carried on and made my way through this tiny entrance into the ground.
The water was up to our ankles; nevertheless I am followed by three boys and a very ambitious girl. We crawl on our bellies, on the back, whatever we could until reaching a large room with a very high celling. After a bit of wall climbing we found a stalagmite which had a blue tie wrapped around. Cosmin tells me that this is the furthest point of the cave. Soon all 80 people fallowed us and climbed the walls, especially for the group photo. It took while, especially since some of the guys had fear of heights, but in the end, with a few cries and prayers, everybody climbed.
At return we began to help them descend as the wall was wet and slippery. All well and good, until the cave had its first victim: a girl who had a slight fear of heights. She descended for about a meter, than froze. I climbed the wall next to her to help. Catalin, my colleague, tried to explain her how to get off, but the poor girl was frozen. He said – lift the left leg, she raises the right leg. I told her to let go of her hands, she didn’t move. We reached the point where I pulled her right leg, the left leg was pulled by Catalin and her boyfriend pushed her hands. In vain …it was like she had a superhuman strength, because she could not be moved, as if she was glued. Luckily after a while and two seconds in which she relaxed and we managed to help her get off that wall. 20 people later, we are done. We regrouped and headed towards the exit, stopping on the highest platform of the cave, with Catalin asking them if they want to explore some more or go home. Now, do you think they wanted to give up? Not at all:. “Let’s stay some more!” echoed throughout the cave.
Well … This time we went down to the left of the cave, through a hole of 1 meter and a difference of 2-3 feet. Muddy and a little wet, everybody descended. We advanced through the rocks, among bats hibernating, on our belly, walking on dwarf mode and many other acrobatic movements, until we reached a hole smaller than a sewer. I got through, descending about 2-3 feet from a small underground lake. When we looked up on the wall, surprise … there is a beautiful waterfall which supplies fresh water to the lake. And we had to go through the quickly flowing water because the exist was behind the waterfall. Just like in the movies J ..
Out of the cave we checked to see if everyone was there. And not to lose the gained adrenaline cumulated during our speleology trip, we now had to descent a very iced slope. After this we moved quietly through the forest downhill to Padina cottage, had something to eat and then sat in the bed with a big smile on our faces. How could we not? Wouldn’t you be happy after an experience like that in Ialomiţa cave?
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