15MN02: Sat Miţa-Şaua Terha

Trail 2 (Red triangle) connects Colibita Lake and the main red stripe ridge trail, following a very well-maintained forest road along Izvorul Lung Valley, then the Dalbidan Brook to get approximately 1 km away from Terha Saddle, where the path continues steeply over the boulders. This is a relatively easy trail, an elevation difference of over 700 m however. It is an approximately 4-hour hike.

Situated within only 50 km of Bistrita, between the Calimani Mountains and the Bargau Mountains, Colibita Lake fascinates with its beauty. It is an oasis of quietness that the mass-media calls ‘the sea between the mountains’ due to its tourist potential, the healing properties of the ozone rich air and the piscatorial legends. Approximately four decades ago, the location of the current lake, which resulted from the construction of Colibita Dam (inaugurated in 1986) on the course of Bistrita Ardeleana River, belonged to the village of Colibita, its name inspired by the ‘huts’ set up by the first shepherds, which turned the picturesque place into a village. The lake resulted from the flooding of the old settlement, which marked the locals, generating numerous legends about the curses of the lake due to the flooding of the church and graveyard. Situated nearly 1 km up, at the ‘tail of the lake’, Mita village was chosen as the new location. At present, Colibita is recognized as a tourist resort.

Mita village is the starting point of many of the tourist trails around Colibita Lake. Thus, starting in front of the village shop, the red triangle trail shares sections with trail 3 (red triangle) and trail 4 (blue triangle). Within approximately 1 km, the marking leads you toward the left as it follows a well-maintained forest road along Izvorul Lung Valley. Shortly, a wooden pavilion hosting a mineral water spring can be found to the right. Then, you continue to climb for another 4 km to then join the valley of the Dalbidan Brook for another 6 km as you follow a still well-maintained road. At its end, you have reached an approximate elevation of 1265 m.

The last section climbs steeply over boulders for approximately 1 km to reach Terha Saddle at an elevation of 1470 m, at the intersection with the main ridge trail of the Calimani Mountains (trail 1 – red stripe), from where you can continue toward Bistriciorul Peak (1990 m) or descend back to Mita village (via Dalbidan Meadow) (in a loop) along the red triangle marking (trail 3).