Hiking duration:
- on summer: 6 ½ - 7 ½ h
- on winter: 8 – 9 h
Refuges: the Pătrunsa Hermitage, the Pahomie Hermitage, the Iezer Hermitage
Water sources: the Otăsău Valley, the Pătrunsa Hermitage, the Pahomie Hermitage, the Iezer Hermitage
Description:
The trail connects two villages downslope from Buila: Cheia and Bărbăteşti, passing by 3 of the hermitages in this area: Pătrunsa, Pahomie and Iezer. It’s rated as an easy trail, mostly following forestry roads and being accessible in winter too.
The trail starts from Bărbăteşti village, exactly at the end of the village, from the last houses, same as trails no. 6 and 7. On its first part, it is joined with trail no. 7.
It sets off on the forestry road, for 3 km, on the Otăsău Valley. You will cross an area of glades on both sides of the river and pass by a barrier, an information panel, a spring with a cross and some water caption facilities: basins, filters, decanter, caption barrage. At the end of the forestry road there is a crossroad and a confluence (Pătrunsa valley with the Apple’s Stream, that flow together into the Otăsău), where there is a building of the Pătrunsa Hermitage, an information panel and an arrow-pointer that points to trail no. 7 that goes up to Curmătura Builei.
Going up on the intervalley, on the steep mountain path, after 15 minutes you will get from the range on the western slope, and get to a small pass, wherefrom you will get down smoothly on the eastern slope. Another 15 minutes of walking upwards later, you wil get into a pass where there is a resting space, and then go upwards again, along the range at first, and then on the eastern slope. Getting back on the range again, in another place for resting, and after 15 more minutes, you will get to the Pătrunsa glade (980 m), near an information panel. 100 m further down, going through the glade over to the west, there is a campground and a spring. 50 m upwards from the panel, there is the arrow-pointer, that states the meeting with the trail nr. 6, marked with an yellow dot, that goes up to the ridge at Curmătura Builei.
From the crossroad you start to the east, among the monk dwellings, pass near the new church, the main buildings and the old church, and get to a cross with a spring. Keeping the track over to the east, you will cross a valley, walk upwards to the ridge with a cross, then downwards to the next valley where there is another cross and a spring, then upwards again on the grasslands to the edge of the woods, to another wooden cross. The track goes into the woods from here, and, after crossing another valley, you’ll get at the end of the forestry road. From this point, you’ll go down to the left, on the road that coincides with the boundary of the BVNP (marked by a white-framed red square), down to the valley, to a timber exploitation plot, where there is another cross. From here, the roads gets easier, as it proceeds on a level curve and, half an hour later, you’ll get to the Pahomie Hermitage (820 m), keeping always on your left the view on the south eastern steep of the ridge.
In the last curve, before reaching the hermitage, there is the crossroad with trail no. 9, signed by the blue dot, that goes upwards to the Ştevioara Pass; there is also a spring. Before going down to the hermitage, you’ll pass nearby an information panel and a campground.
From the hermitage you’ll keep going downwards, on the forestry road, pass the Beautiful Spring, with its waterfalls, and the crossroad with trail nr. 10, marked with an yellow dot, that goes to the ridge, at Curmătura Oale and you’ll get, 3 km further, in the Cheia Valley (680 m), where there is a cross, an information panel and an arrow-pointer (crossroad with trail nr. 12, marked by a blue triangle that goes up on the Cheia Valley). From here to the village the trail concurs with trail no. 12. From the crossroad, you’ll go down the valley and, after 9 km, get in the Cheia village, passing through a small canyon, carved by the Cheia river in the conglomerate rocks, then through the Cracul Tisei Valley, Wolf Valley and Călăuzul Mare Valley, affluents on the right side of the Cheia River. 3 km away from the village, there is the Iezer Hermitage, after the forestry station and after a refuge.
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