Hello, I'm Ilinca

I grew up with mountains on the horizon, and for a long time that's where they stayed. I started hiking properly in my twenties, first on day walks with friends from university, then on longer trips with a tent and far too much in my pack. These days I live in Brașov, and on most free weekends you'll find me somewhere above the treeline, or at least trying to get there.

Why this blog exists

Friends, and friends of friends, kept asking me the same questions. Where should I go in June? Is that ridge hard? What should I pack? Is the road open yet? I got tired of typing long replies on my phone, so I started writing notes instead. Carpathian Notes is those notes, tidied up a little.

I write in English because many of the people who ask me are visiting from abroad, and because explaining things in another language makes me slow down and notice what I'd otherwise take for granted.

What this is, and what it isn't

This is a personal blog. I'm not a mountain guide, a rescuer or a meteorologist, and these notes are not step-by-step route descriptions. They are what happened when I went, what I noticed, and what I'd do differently next time.

Conditions in the mountains change from week to week, and the people who know them best are the local mountain rescue teams (Salvamont) and the park offices. Ask them before you go. I keep facts general unless I'm sure of them, and the distances and times on the trail cards are deliberately rough: your pace, the weather and the route you choose will all change them.

The illustrations

I draw the pictures on this site myself. They're simple on purpose: I'd rather show the shape of a place than pretend to be a photograph. There are no photos of people here, just mountains, lakes, forests, the occasional hut and one or two wooden churches.

No ads, no tracking

There are no adverts, no sponsored posts, no affiliate links and no tracking of any kind on this site. Nobody pays me to recommend anything, and I don't name brands of gear. If something here is useful to you, that's all I'm hoping for.

Get in touch

If you spot a mistake, have a question, or want to tell me about your own walk, write to me at hello@carpathiannotes.org. I read everything, though replies can take a while when I'm in the mountains.

Ilinca