26 Oct 2017, Part II - YO/EC-006 "Piatra Secuiului"

Essential info for activators

Target summit: 6 pointer YO/WC-006 "Piatra Secuiului" - www.sota.org.uk/Summit/YO/WC-006
Our Route: We climbed on the marked tourist path from Coltesti (blue cross). It's a steep climb, gaining over 500 meters in altitude in about one kilometer of trail.
GPS Track: http://www.mopedmap.net/en/route/3544204-piatra-secuiului-yowc-006/
(download the track by clicking on "Export GPS data").
GSM coverage: Fair.
Summit conditions: Open, grassy.
Other info: Beautiful vista.

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Activity report

We didn't plan to climb and activate Piatra Secuiului, but as soon as I saw how beautiful it is... I just couldn't resist it. In hind-sight, I'm not sure if I'd would've attempted it, knowing how painful it would be on the way back. We came from the south, on an alternative route between Sebes and Cluj Napoca. After passing throgh some nice vertical cliffs we saw Piatra Secuiului a few kilometers away, on the right. The first village we passed through was Coltesti. I checked the maps on my phone and Andrei did the same on his phone, looking for the best possible route. There seemed to be some trails so we decided to try it. In Coltesti there was no store open, so we couldn't buy bread or anything else. We had a couple of boiled eggs and some sausages with us, luckily. We managed to get closer to the foot of the cliff on a very muddy road. With the sausages and eggs quickly disposed of, we started up the incline. At first, the grassy trail seemed like any other in terms of steepness, but soon enough the climb got more and more vertical. The surface was a mix of grass, moist dirt and rock. Soon enough I overheated and stripped to my t-shirt, despite being the end of October. The climb was great and almost fun. In about a kilometer of walking, we've climbed 500 vertical meters. The trail at the top was on the relatively flat ridge of this little and spectacular mountain. But I had more trouble on that flat, grassy trail than on the actual climb. My ankle (yes, the ORIFed one) started aching badly from walking on that flat, yet irregular surface. After almost a kilometer or so, we got to the summit, which is marked by two concrete pillars. The weather closed in and, as we installed the rig, a few raindrops appeared. We got lucky, though, as rain didn't start. Made 33 QSO's in total, all in 14 MHz. No luck in 2m or 70cm bands. Met two guys who were climbing on the northern trail, from Rimetea. That path is even steeper, but also more spectacular. We turned back and left the summit on the same route we climbed on. The descent was brutal. The slippery dirt and loose rocks posed quite the threat on my bad leg. Thankfully, I got down safely, in great pains, but completely satisfied with the achievement.