Small tour diary: the walls of the Upper Terraces of the Crișului Repede gorge, from Vadu Crisului
On the last Sunday of November, I couldn’t sit still. Initially, I didn’t plan to go out this weekend, but because the weather was, once again, exceptional, I went out with Andrei for a little nature walk. And where else could I go but to Vadu Crișului? Close by, about an hour’s drive from Oradea, that area is full of climbing trails, each more beautiful and more difficult. We didn’t leave until around 10.00, like old men. Andrei would have wanted us to start on Saturday, but as I didn’t feel like going for a walk, this time I started late, just because of my own fault. We arrived in Vad around 11.30, after a short stop in the town of Aleșd, just long enough for Andrei to buy something to eat. And this time, I got stung… Now him, not me. Andrei bought some pastries, which tasted terrible. A nice shop on the outside, in the center of town, but with food below standard. Frozen dough products are tasteless, but good… to throw away. The store has a “Balkan” ring to it. A fitting name.
Let’s get back to our trip. We left the car, at the gym in Vadu-Crișului, just where the river exits from the gorge. A splendid late autumn day! Sunny, air temperature 14 degrees C, no wind. So we decided to go to the Upper Terraces, on the tourist path on the left bank of the river Crișul Repede, a trail that connects Vadu-Crișului with the former Vadu-Crișului cabin.
(http://salvamontbihor.ro/…/Tr.%20Circ.vers.stang%20-%20PR.p…. The trail is easy and can be walked all year round. On this route, we climbed up to the right of the cave that shelters the Caprei Cave. From there we climbed to the Lower Terraces and then to the Upper Terraces, an area that hosts no less than 33 climbing routes, most of them re-equipped by Marius Vecan, see: http://alpinismbihor.ro/page/terasele-superioare-1
By the time we reached the Terraces, after taking some photos, there were already two teams of climbers at the base of the climbing walls. One of them I knew well. It was Pöttyi, as his friends call him. We’ve known each other for years, from mountain tours. He’s a nice guy with a lot of climbing experience. Andrei picked a nice route, a little out of the way, so we wouldn’t be in the way. Climbers don’t like an audience. We didn’t stay long, after Andrei had equipped himself and climbed the wall, two other teams of climbers showed up. Without much fuss, they got equipped and started climbing on other routes, a few meters from Andrei’s route. Hey, what can I say, seeing the craftsmen at work, climbing walls with 6, 6+, and 7 routes was a delight! As he loved the view from his height, Andrei lingered for a while longer, during which time I happily watched my friends Dorel Miheș, Brigi, and everyone else present. Eventually, Andrei came down. But, as the sun had already passed its peak, I gave up on the idea of climbing anything else that day. I stayed with the boys and we set off for home, on the same route we had climbed. How was the tour? The tour was great. Thinking about the photos, and the exchange of information with experienced climbers.
Bottom line: yesterday, I didn’t climb. I belayed Andrei in climbing. It wasn’t to be, but we met some cool guys. That’s what counts! I took pictures. Hope you like them.
Photo and text: Vasile Gheorghe