This book first appeared in 2007, when we appealed to the support of sports teacher Vasile Raschitor, teachers Ilie Alexandru and Mihai Pantiru, geologist engineer Constantin Andras (former geography teacher and cabin owner in Ceahlau), students then in the 8th grade at Grinties School, Neamt County. What binds the aforementioned supporters of the book? The love of the mountains, without a doubt. There are inhabitants of the Eastern Carpathians, the Moldovan-Transylvanian group, at the foot of Ceahlau and Grinties, Muntenians who know how to use the scythe in the meadow and drive the horse to the forest, the patron saint from "Schimbarea la Fata", who know how to admire, but not break, the corner flower on Ocolasul Mic or the mountain peonies on Calimani or the lady's slipper on Budacul. Teachers and teachers named above for decades climb with students on Mount Ceahlau, Rarau, Giumalau, Hasmas or Calimani, but who also advanced to Retezat, Parang or Fagaras. They wanted those guided by them to receive the so-called "culture of the mountain", as it was shared with them by Dr. Gheorghe Iacomi, old Cerbu, Gheorghe Baciu, God and Bulai, Ilie Ciucanel, Dragomir Gaina, professor Constantin Pantiru or the cabin owner Dorut.
It also mattered to the authors that in the 1980s at Grinties it became a tradition for students to win the county and even national phases of the PTAP (Preparing the youth for the defense of the homeland) contest, the summer and winter editions, under the leadership of Professor Raschitor. The students were prepared for tourist orientation, first aid, traffic rules, installation of tents, crossing rugged terrain, skiing (cross-country and alpine), etc. Things that prepared them for mountain trips. Contests whose abolition we consider pointless, because students learned many things: to use a map, a compass, to apply a tourniquet, to know the traffic signs, to ski, to sleep in tents, to use a compressed air rifle, to throw the sheep ball and many more.
Through the "Pro Grinties" Association, in 2012, the project "Spiritual Itineraries at Mount Ceahlau" took place, and in 2014 another project called "Junior Ranger on Mount Ceahlau" took place and we considered it necessary to enrich this book. We were joined by the geographer Iulian Sandulache from the University of Bucharest and again the former collaborators. This book was more than useful in the "Ranger Junior" camp in August 2014 at Cabana Dochia in Ceahlau. With the support of the representatives of the Administration Directorate of the Ceahlau National Park, the young people involved in the project found out not only what is the behavior for a trip on a mountain, but also how to behave in a national park, where there are areas, floristic species, fauna or geological areas that need to be protected. With this book being born in Ceahlau and around Ceahlau, we could not help but join a component dedicated to this mountain and the national park it has: a short description, rules for visiting, tourist routes. In fact, within this project a good practice guide and a bilingual (Romanian-English) anthology of legends were made and we consider that all these edited materials are complementary.
Our book is a praise for the mountain and its people, but also a plea, an exhortation for hiking and mountain expedition. It is a pocket book and, why not, a backpack book for those who climb Ceahlau, but also Retezat, Bihor or Calimani.