Caraiman Valley on Bucegi Natural Park

I came across the beauty of the Pinus Mugo in my childhood, when I visited for first time   Caraiman Valley / Valea Caraiman  aka Mugo Pine Valley / Valea Jepilor on Bucegi Natural Park/ Parcul Natural Bucegi, Carpathians Mountains / Muntii Carpati, Romania. I'm glad that this beautiful evergreen shrub is included in the list of natural species protected by law in Romania and in many other countries.

Caraiman Valley, Valea Jepilor, Valea Caraiman, Bucegi Natural Park

Mugo Pine named also Pinus Mugo, Jneapan / Jnepeni,  Jepi, Mountain Pine, Pinus Montana or Latschenkiefer is an atypical dwarf shrub from Pinaceea family of a pine native from the sub-alpine areas of Europe, very popular in Romanian Mountains.

Wild Mugo Pine, Jneapan, grown on Bucegi Plateau, Romania

They grown wild over 2000 meters altitude on Bucegi Mountains Plateau, in the Carpathians Mountains and Sub-Carpathian meadows but are also very populars in gardens and parks. This year I enjoyed again their stunning beauty along the Prahova Valley and atop of the Bucegi Massif.

Mugo Pines tunnel along Small Mugo Pines Plateau / Platoul Jepilor Mici

In summer we spent few amazing days around Busteni, together with our friends and we enjoyed the generous weather (actually really hot) mountaineering in Bucegi Mountains. We hiked the Babele-Jepi trail, starting by Babele Cabin / Cabana Babele (2200 meters altitude), passing between Mugo Pine Valley / Valea Jepilor and Valea Izvorul Dorului, getting off to the Small Mugo Pines Plateau / Platoul Jepilor Mici, then climbing alongside Skylark Peak / Varful Ciocarlia (2056 meters), cutting through a mugo pines tunnel more then half of hour and, finally... camping at Burnt Rock Cabin/ Cabana Piatra Arsa (1950 meters).

Piatra Arsa Cabin/ Burnt Rock Cabin/ Cabana Piatra Arsa, Bucegi Mountains

This hiking trip remembered me one song learned at a camp in my childhood, named  "On the Loose". Hope you like it, too.

On the loose to climb a mountain, On the loose where I am free,
On the loose to live my life the way I think my life should be.
For I only have a moment, and a whole world yet to see.
I'll be lookin' for tomorrow on the loose.


Have you ever seen the sunrise turn the sky completely red?
Have you slept beneath the moon and stars with pine boughs for your bed?
Have you sat and talked with friends, though a word was never said?
Then you're just like me and you've been on the loose.

There's a trail that I'll be hiking just to see where it might go,
Many places yet to visit, many people yet to know.
But in following my dreams, I will live and I will grow,
In a world that's waiting there for you on the loose.