Lake Buhui to a hill before Vila Klaus: Day 64

After an easy section this morning, but the trail along an old railway track in the afternoon proved challenging.

Another walk among the woods

Thankfully the rain had stopped by the time I woke up and packed away, although sadly more is forecast in the next few days. The first part of the route was relatively easy, a good track to the edge of Anina. The hillside by the village had a number of half finished concrete apartment blocks, similar to ones I saw yesterday, evidentally an abandoned project. Later I passed a "motel and restaurant", which had also been abandoned although a hopeful sign on the door referred to renovation.

Abandoned, half finished apartment blocks

Much of today was on an old railway track. The first part was easily walkable, although overgrown in places it was on a solid stone foundation with cuttings and short tunnels. Built into the side of the valley the river was a steep drop below me. Later the track deteriorated, saplings were increasingly blocking the path on the old track bed and rocks had fallen over it making the going slow. Many fallen trees lay across the path and had to be negotiated in various ways; over, under or around, but invariably with difficulty. Branches and briers in the undergrowth tried to trip me up. One of the tunnels had partially collapsed requiring an awkward detour around it. In places it was necessary to ford the river, where a bridge was missing or the old railway could not be followed. Although the river was not deep, it could still come over the top of my boots. However my socks and boots were still wet from yesterday's precipitation and the rain soaked grass this morning, so I kept my boots on and crossed where it seemed shallower on available rocks. The river had made a series of natural weirs, with rocks bound together by leaves, branches and tufa deposited from the water.

An old railway cutting which trees are trying to fill up

An old tunnel, the blue and white waymark beside its entrance indicates it is part of the route

A group of five came walking towards me. Four in their twenties and one older gentleman. Using one of the younger lads to interpret, the older man said I was the first person he had seen walking the trail in the last five years. He then warned me about the bridge I would soon come to. A skeletal steel affair where you had to walk along a girder to cross some 40 metres above the river. Fortunately there was a handrail to hold onto and the girder was wide enough for your feet, so you could safely shuffle across, so long as you did not think about what would happen if you fell. I went slowly, holding the hand rail with both hands, moving one foot or hand at the time, very relieved when I reached the other side. A sign said the bridge had been built between 1941 and 1945, and abandoned in 1971, leaving the railway embankment, cuttings, tunnels and bridge in a "deep state of decay". Nature was reclaiming its own.

An old railway bridge I crossed

My left knee was suffering with all the rocks and stones on the path pushing it in directions it would rather not go, so I was pleased to reach a vehicle track. Shortly after I reached the Comarnic cave. This was a "show cave", although, as I understood from the sign, you needed to book in advance with a minimum of five people. Nearby was a spring where I refilled my water bottle and a building with two men outside. They called me over. One was a National Park ranger. I was in the Semenic - Cheile Carasului National Park, having been in the Cheile Nerei-Beușnița National Park in the previous couple of days. Unfortunately language difficulties got in the way but he was trying to be helpful and established that I was headed for Semenic and advised camping on the way as the path was very steep and would take time to negotiate. As I was tired from my battle with rocks, fallen trees and undergrowth this seemed a good plan. I climbed up the next hill and, although only 4 pm, pitched under some birch trees just as it began raining.