Fortress of Ponor (Cetatile Ponorului) Traditional Cache
bihoreanul: no immediate plan for maintenance
Fortress of Ponor (Cetatile Ponorului)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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The Apuseni Mountains Romanian: Muntii Apuseni is a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Carpathians. Their name translates from Romanian as Mountains "of the sunset" i.e. "western". The highest peak is "Cucurbata Mare" - 1849 metres. The Apuseni Mountains have about 400 caves.
The Fortress of Ponor represents without doubt the greatest karst phenomena in Romania, known and appreciated all over the world.
They are made up of three large stone circles, situated in a huge 300 m deep forested depression, its upper diameter surpassing 1 km. The surrounding slopes that encircle the depression are cut only in a single spot, by the Cetati valley canyon.
The access trail departs from the forestry road and gradually descends through the forest on rugged terrain, parallel to the Cetati valley, until it reaches the so-called Doline I.
The 150 m lateral stone wall in the West is perforated by an over 72 m cave portal, in which the Cetati valley flows.
In the right side of the portal, a spit of scree ascends through under an arcade into Doline II. This is actually a 200 m deep circular pothole, having two windows at its base: one represents the access to the Doline I under the portal, while the other opens to the underground tunnel of the cave system.
Under the portal, to the left, the flooded tunnel brings to the light only for a short while the waters originating in the Lost World plateau which flow underground in Caput cave.
Doline III is reachable through Doline I, after climbing the metal stairs from the left side of the portal and surpassing the stone edge that separates the two dolines. Doline III has a triangle shape with a 300 m long margin, in the middle of which scree slopes descend towards another cave portal. To its left side, above the access gallery into the subterranean sector, there is a vertical stone wall over 200 m high, with small vegetated edges. In the Southern part, the tourist trail climbs on the steep slope of a torrential valley towards the balconies.
The four wooden balconies (two above Doline III, and two above Doline II) allow the contemplation of the sizes of the impressive karst system of the Fortress of Ponor.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Arne gur gerr, ba gur fznyy evqtr gb n fgbar, nf lbh ybbx ng gur cbegny, gb gur evtug fvqr bs gur cngu.
Treasures
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