Călimani Mts NP

This is a picture of some interesting andesite rocks about 2 km SW of the highest summit plus me (1981 edition:)) on the slopes of the huge – approx. 10 km across – caldera of an extinct volcano in the Călimani Mountains, East Carpathians, a few dozen km south of the Rodna Mts, Romania.

The area was designated a national park a few years ago. The funny thing is that just over the rim, culminating in the 2,100 m high Pietrosul Călimanilor, a sulphur quarry, in operation in the last decades of the 20th century, has wiped out much of the inner cone, along with a string of unique caves. There's a fine sketch map and photos

The impressive staff in the hand of the backpacker is a local version of dog spray. Three years before, I was attacked by two and bitten by one of those special, trained to cope with a bear, native shepherd mongrel dogs; right afterwards I was instructed to carry a decent wooden dog-repellent like the one in the pic and shown how to apply it full-force to the dog's muzzle. (When the shepherd-instructor delivered the smash I thought the dog would pass away but it just shook its head, then turned round and strolled away.)