Green Party on top of YO/EC-008

Saturday, 9th of June was organized the very first EUFF Green Party, an activity encouraging the activation of Natural Parks all over the world and I had a free weekend after quite a long time and even better the forecast was surprisingly good given the very bad weather lately, so I decided I have to go out activating. The summit YO/EC-008 (Piatra Mare, Nagykő-havas, Hohenstein) was already a top target for me, being the second closest summit to Brassó (the closest one YO/EC-011 already activated this year) and also promised to visit soon YO6HSH running the hut on Nagykő.
The whole mountain is in the Natura2000 reserve YOFF-379, so it is also the right place for a Green Party activation, and given that one can sleep over at the hut which is like 200m down ( 1 hour walk up ) from the summit, it is also available for a whole day long activation.
So friday afternoon I met with YO6HSH and YO6HXJ going up to the hut with some supplies and I also tagged along for a nice easy (yeah sure!) hike up on the family trail (red stripe). This is the easiest trail to the hut, even the donkeys can take it.

some help is needed to carry up everything to the hut

With a very few stops, just to enjoy the scenery

View to the summit above the Bears Ravine (Medve-szakadék, Prăpastia Ursului)

 we finally made to the hut just before sunset.

YO6HSH making some QSOs at the last blazes of the sun

 Of course some preparations are needed for sleeping :)

that's just me

 The next day very early started out to the summit continuing along the red stripe

Irott-kő

 The first part is rather steep until the Irott-kő (Piatra Scrisă), but after the is just the plateu,with the summit on the other end of course :)

The plateu of Nagykő

 I arrived to the summit just before the official start of the Green Party ( 06:00 UTC )

The summit: 1844m altitude

 So after I caught my breath and a few glimpses of the panorama around

Panorama of the Bucegi mountains and Predeal city from the summit

 I quickly set up the gear near the summit

The activation area (with last time activated YO/EC-028 in the background)

 and started operating. Well I did try my best, but it seems that the HAM gods were not with me this day, propagation was terribly wrong, I hardly could manage a few contacts per hour. So after about 8 hours on the summit with almost nothing in the log (somewhere around 60 contacts) and because of some real ugly clouds started coming in my direction I decided to call it off and pack up my gear.

Ugly clouds

 Hiked down to the hut (this time it was much easier like 40mins) and spent the evening down

Some more sunset shots of the hut

 and made some more shots around in the sunset

The ruins of the old hut

 Also gave a try to continue the Green Party from down there (even if not on the summit but I still was in the YOFF area), no luck though

Kept CQing into the evening

Slept over again in the hut and the next morning started out the hike back down, this time on the much more picturesque but also harder trail towards the Seven Ladder (Hét-létra, Șapte Scări) canyon. The trail well marked with yellow strip takes down rather steep in the forest

The path goes through dark forest and shiny clearings

 and finally into a deep canyon with very nice waterfalls

waterfall

 The proper canyon is a very narrow and very deep one (something around 160m long with a height difference of 60m) and the only way of going through is by seven very steep and very long ladders pinned into the walls of the canyon

one of the ladders

and another one

The whole canyon with all the waterfalls is extremely beautiful, I think it's a must when visiting the region.
After the canyon is still a long trail along the stream but without much height difference, so is rather boring.
Unfortunately the activation was a fail, but at least I could give out the reference for a few chasers, but the scenery is well worth it, I can only recommend for future activators. I will certainly come back...