Bulgaria - To climb Ruen Peak three times in a day

The next training for Kilimanjaro gathers five of us, Ivan, Stan, Dimitar, Petar and I, as all but Petar are going to climb the highest African mountain. I offered an unknown for all of us peak, the Osogovo Mountain's highest one, Ruen and the rest of the group accepted it. After some research we find out that the peak is 2,251 m/7,385 ft high and the border passes right through it. Also it is the highest border point in the European Union. The chosen route starts at the Tri buki hotel and should take us 3 hours and a half to get to the peak covering 13 km/8 mi or a total of about 26 km/16 mi. A great training, which equals to more than 1/3 of the ascent and descent in Africa. And that's for one day.

On the road, as it is Saturday, we get lots of drivers who move at about 20 km/h under the limit, hitting the brakes constantly, and the people of the county that we are passing through, Kyustendil, are famous for their reckless driving. Well, I guess, the racers are sleeping and only their grandparents are on the road. But let me mention something funny. We catch up a Honda CR-V, which like the above mentioned cars at times is going quite slow, then all of a sudden is speeding up. As we are waiting for a straight to overtake it, just before another bend, we note that the driver raises one of his/her hands up, most probably to the music he/she is listening. In the next moment, the second hand is being raised, but the car manages to go around the bend. All of us are speechless and stare in disbelief for some time, but next we get that the car is with a right steering wheel and start laughing. While we overtake the Honda we see that on the left, normally the driving seat in Bulgaria, a boy twists violently to the music, while an elder man imperturbably drives.

We reach the hotel and I go to the reception to collect a stamp in my booklet with the highest mountains in Bulgaria – Osogovo Mountain is the fifth highest with Ruen Peak. We shoulder our backpacks and take on the long road ahead of us. In the car, we heard on the radio that in the early afternoon rain is expected in the western parts of Bulgaria, especially in the mountain areas. And we couldn't be more to the west, that's why we set our expectations that most probably we'll gonna get wet.

A view of Ruen Peak

We think that one of these peaks should be Ruen, but it's not sure which one. (Well, neither of them is.)

Bulgaria - Pirin Mountains (Part 2)

Two days after the rather long hike according to my standards, my father and I head to climb the second highest peak in Bulgaria, Vihren Peak (2,914 m/9,560 ft). I've been waiting for a long time to conquest it. We come near the Vihren Hut and cannot believe our eyes – there is almost a traffic jam of cars, even though it is the first working day of the week. I thought Vihren wasn't one of the easiest to climb, so why are these hordes of people here? We find a free spot to park, prepare ourselves and head uphill. And the uphill starts right away, there isn't a flat section to warm up. At least we are relieved to see that 90% of the people are going in another direction – most probably to the Lakes Banderishki. As the total displacement of the climb is about 1,000 m/3,280 ft, just after 30 minutes of walking the hut is quite small.

View towards Vihren Hut

Bulgaria - Pirin Mountains (Part 1)

It is time to go for a walk in the Pirin Mountains, which differ from the other Bulgarian mountains with their rocky landscape. Together with my father and two family friends, Dilyan and Natalia, we head to Dobrinishte and Gotse Delchev Hut, where we get on the ski lift to Bezbog Hut (or Godless Hut). For some time I want to visit this hut and its near ski track, as many of my friends have mentioned it and I nodded positively, as if I know it (I have heard of it), but in fact I don't know it (since I've never been here). The track looks pleasantly long, just the way I like my ski tracks. I'll have to come in the winter to check it, for sure. Under the lift, there are lots of people gathering blueberries using some strange devices. They are strange, as I have never seen them, but they are logical in their design – wooden/metal box with open on one of the sides, onto which is attached something like a comb that combs the bushes and picks the lice, oops, the blueberries, my bad.

Bezbog Hut and the adjacent Lake Bezbojko

Bulgaria - On the Day of Rila Mountains to the highest peak on the Balkans, Musala

I continue with the mountain series with a post about Musala peak (2,925 m/9,596 ft, the highest one in Bulgaria and on the Balkan Peninsula) on the Day of Rila Mountains, where the peak is situated. A few days before the weekend I and a friend of mine, with whom I will climb Kilimandjaro (the third in the group) talk about going to Musala peak. He comes with some friends, I come with some friends and 10-15 minutes after the appointed hour we gather in front of the gondola – a group of ten. Today and tomorrow happens to be the Day of Rila Mountains and of Musala peak, as well. The two way ticket is discounted and a lot of people have come to celebrate and to make use of the discount. But really, there is a lot of people, especially for the summer/low season for the Borovets resort. We get off at the last station of the gondola, get to know those who we don't know in our group, prepare ourselves and head out to the peak.

The first of many pictures with flowers on the front

Bulgaria - The weather in the montain is female or trip to Botev peak

As you might have noticed in the last couple of months I have barely posted anything. Here are some of the reasons, if not all of them. First, the protests against the current Bulgarian government started, and although I was regularly participating in the beginning, I admit that now I go rarely. Second, I started researching about my upcoming trip to Africa (there are less than two months remaining, as of 15.08.2013). Third, I started to prepare myself for part of my African adventure, and more specifically the Kilimanjaro climb by trekking the Bulgarian mountains, which in the best case are two times lower, but still it is some kind of preparation. You can expect in the next posts mainly mountain sceneries. Fourth, my summer laziness has started, not that I have categorized the different kinds of laziness I get, as all of them are the same, but the current one reveals itself in the summer. Fifth, I started, not that I have stopped, to read more. Everybody needs time off my writings, even I. Sixth, I don't want to make up any more reasons.