Roșu (Iezer-Păpușa)

Roșu (Romanian: Vârful Roșu, «the Red Peak») is the highest summit of the Iezer-Păpușa Mountains in the Southern Carpathians, 2,469 m above sea level (2,470 m on muntii-nostri.ro). It lies in Argeș County, according to Czech Wikipedia about 23 km north-west of the town of Câmpulung and 53 km south-west of Brașov. This is where the connecting ridge branches off north from the Iezer-Păpușa massif towards the main Făgăraș ridge.

How to get there / routes

From the Făgăraș main ridge. Route No. 69 with the red triangle (07MN69) links the Curmătura Brătilei saddle (2,125 m) on the Făgăraș ridge with Roșu peak. According to muntii-nostri.ro, it is 15.2 km, 6¼–7 hours, 1,144 m of ascent, medium difficulty. The path skirts Brătila (2,274 m) and Cățunu (2,206 m), with views of Piatra Craiului, crosses the Curmătura Mezei saddle and passes Mezea and Oticu before the long climb to Roșu: first through dwarf pine, then a rocky stretch covered with slabs «like in the Făgăraș, Retezat or Parâng».

From the Voina mountain hut (about 950 m) in the Târgului valley, loop route No. 76 with the red stripe crosses the Iezer peaks and the Păpușa ridge; according to muntii-nostri.ro, the waymarks are good as far as Roșu. Variant No. 77 with the blue dot climbs from Voina along the Bătrâna and Iezerul Mic valleys to the refuge and Lake Iezer and on to Crucea Ateneului on the ridge (8.7 km, 4–5 hours); from there you see Iezerul Mare peak with Roșu next to it.

What you can see from the summit

From the route below the summit, according to muntii-nostri.ro, you look into the Boarcășul valley cirque with small tarns — one of the sources of the Dâmbovița river. From the ridge you see the Făgăraș to the north, Piatra Craiului to the east, and the peaks of the Iezer-Păpușa ridge — Bătrâna, Tambura and Păpușa (2,391 m) — to the south-east.

Nature and history

The Iezer-Păpușa Mountains are a separate massif of the Southern Carpathians between the Dâmbovița and Târgului valleys, joined to the Făgăraș by a narrow ridge. Their cirques with glacial lakes, including Lake Iezer by the refuge of the same name, recall the Făgăraș high mountains; above the tree line grow dwarf pine and bilberry. The name «Roșu» means «red».

Safety, season and rules

According to muntii-nostri.ro, between Cățunu peak and the Curmătura Mezei saddle the path is faint and you can get lost in poor visibility; in winter the route requires winter mountaineering equipment. The climb up the Iezerul Mic valley to Lake Iezer is not recommended in winter — it is an avalanche corridor. In winter the high ridges carry a serious avalanche risk — follow the avalanche bulletin of Romania's National Meteorological Administration (ANM) on meteoromania.ro.

Bears are common in the Romanian Carpathians. Salvamont rescuers advise not to hike alone, to talk loudly so that an animal hears you in advance, to keep your distance and never feed wildlife, and to store food in sealed containers away from your tent; if you meet a bear, do not run and back away slowly without turning your back.

Mountain rescue: Salvamont national dispatch 0SALVAMONT = 0725 826 668 and the emergency number 112.

Interesting facts

• Roșu is the highest summit of the Iezer-Păpușa and the junction where the massif connects to the Făgăraș.
• Below the summit, in the Boarcășul cirque, rises one of the headwaters of the Dâmbovița, the river that flows through Bucharest.