Today we (YO8SBR & YO8SSQ) activated Ghirileu. The weather was pretty good, sunny and a couple of degrees over freezing. Without checking our location on the GPS we parked the car near a wooden bridge, changed our clothes and started on our way. Something didn't feel right, though. A brief glance at the GPS and it was all clear: we were 5 kilometers downstream from the entry point, on a different bridge. We got back into the car and drove to the right spot.

Immediately the climb gets pretty steep. The trail itself is sketchy, with ice, mud and boulders hidden under a layer of snow. The peak is just 2 kilometers away, yet we take it easy. Still, I overheat quickly and have to discard some layers before I can continue. The hot weather (~2 degrees C) is a nice change, though. We spot a fox, but nothing else. At the top we find a large tree stump and decide to use it as a table. Bad idea, because the position is very uncomfortable (our feet fall asleep .zZ .zZ several times).

First we make two S2S QSOs on 145.500 and then I focus on 14MHz. There are plenty of stations in 20m and I spend a few minutes to find a quiet frequency. A few calls and the pile-up is on. Weirdly enough, many of the stations quickly lose interest and leave before we can make contact. Still, there are a lot of people calling and I log an entire sheet without much effort. I'm glad to make contacts with the "usual suspects" again, a group of chasers which are always there, listening. Then I step aside and give YO8SSQ a chance to "doodle" on his blank sheet. Meanwhile I check the 145.500 and make a couple more contacts there. Then a S2S from France in 20m. At the end of the hour, we log about 60+ QSOs between us. The battery is almost dead and the cold starts creeping in. We pack and head home. Down at the bottom, while crossing the bridge we spot a great egret fishing in the freezing water. We think it's a very unusual time and place for an egret...

Target summit: YO/EC-576 "Cota 1071" - http://www.sota.org.uk/Summit/YO/EC-388
Our Route: Moderate to steep gradient, 2km long, 340 meters altitude difference from bottom to top, through mixed wooded and exposed areas. The trail at the bottom is tough, both muddy and rocky at the same time, gets better with altitude. Check the map and GPS track here: http://www.wandermap.net/en/route/3505826-ghirileu-sota-yoec-388/ .
The route is marked as a touristic path by red crosses (white squares with red crosses painted on them). Map and downloadable GPS track here: http://www.wandermap.net/en/route/3505200-cota-1071-sota-yoec-576/ . At the top, the path blends in with the ridge trail marked on the trees by a blue vertical line over a white square (which goes all the way to another summit, YO/EC-584).
Summit conditions: Wooded, mixed beech and pine trees, but with plenty of space to set-up radio equipment. Plenty of shade too. Can be done regardless of season. No authorization required (Jan 2017).

Target summit: YO/EC-384 "Dealul Vulturul" - http://www.sota.org.uk/Summit/YO/EC-384
Best Route: After we pass the Solca dam we took the first dirt road to the right that climbs into the woods and followed a series of tracks to the top, then pushed through on the ridge until we reached the summit. The first couple of kilometers are uphill, then it gets easier on the ridge. During the winter the snow can pack on the ridge, slowing things down.
Summit conditions: Wooded, mixed beech and pine trees, but with plenty of space to set-up radio equipment. Plenty of shade too. Can be done regardless of season. No authorization required (Jan 2017). From the top you can follow the trail marked with a red cross to "Pietrele Muierilor", some rocky formation (a few kilometers away).

Target summit: YO/EC-584 "Plesa" - http://www.sota.org.uk/Summit/YO/EC-584
Our Route: From the Plesa village we took the dirt road next to the Dom Polski (Polish House) building. The trail is marked as a touristic trail with a blue vertical line. The ridge is reached after a few hundreds of meters of moderate climbing, then it gets rather easy. Towards the end be sure to go left and climb on the actual summit, which is not on the main ridge. GPS track here: http://www.wandermap.net/en/route/3503405-plesa/​ .
Summit conditions: Wooded, mostly beech trees, with plenty of space to set-up radio equipment. Can be done regardless of season. No authorization required (Jan 2017).

On the 4th of January we said "Tomorrow and the next few days we'll be, most probably, taking a break from SOTA due to low temperatures and strong winds in our area. We're a bit tired, too! :D"

But we managed to do some hiking after all. The weather was better than expected, mostly sunny, with some sporadic winds. We started climbing at 9:20 UTC and reached the summit around 10:30 UTC, deployed the antenna and the rest of the equipment. First we called our YO friends in 70cm and 2m bands and then switched to 20m. Unfortunately there were some problems with the SOTA database and we couldn't spot ourselves on sotawatch.org . Our usual chasers questioned our reference number, but we double-checked everything and we seemed to be OK. Even so, and with the help of YO8SKY who spotted us on regular clusters, we made enough QSOs to go home satisfied. Now the SOTA websites are working fine. Thank you for chasing us! 73!