Conquest of bulgarian mountains

Day 1

The plan of this weekend is hiking some of the bulgarian mountains. Iskra, the friend of a couchsurfing friend of mine called Maya, arranged all the trip with her other friends. We start the trip taking a train at 6pm from Sofia to Pirdop, everybody with positive energy, smiling, lauphing, nice conversations... Important for a complete adventure!!

The Bulgarien trains, I just love them!

Asking for information

At 8pm, we arrived to Pirdop then climbed to Pascal, the hut which is about 1400m where we have to sleep the first night. En the end, it was bit dark, but no matter we had to fight all the wild plants and the mass of watter everywhere.
In the refuge, we found a familial environment of a bulgarian granma and her family.

Into the forest

Breakfast time at paskal hut

Day 2

I tittle this day by "Between life and death".
In the morning, we had breakfast with the granma, she prepared for us a nice coffee and had some discutions using the few bulgarian words I learned. Later we followed our route today of 12 hours.

With the lovely bulgarien granma

Paskal hut

Starting the hiking

Just in the beginning, we met 3 guys who are walking from Serbia crossing all the mountains of Bulgaria, so all of us walked in the same direccion.
The first part of the route was quiet easy, but there was a strong wind and many clouds which make the way all white without future expectations. But after 5 hours, it started raining so hard as I have never seen, then a strong thunderstorm like it was the end of the world, where to escape? - nowhere!

Just before the storm

where to escape? - nowhere!

We had to discuss what to do, we tried to go back, escape to another route then try to reach the closest refuge. But we weren't successful, somehow we found ourself crossing the storm again, had no choice except accept it as our challenge to survive, praying for God and wait our destiny, we did it in half an hour, everybody safe and the sky is blue again.

Bulgarian hourses.. woww!
just want to ride themmmmmmmmm

Iskra: THEN THE THUNDERS CAME TOGETHER WITH SOME CHAOS IN THE GROUP BUT THE TRIP'S MOHAMMED PROPHET SAID WE SHOULD TAKE OUR CHANCES AND RISK CAREFULLY THROUGH THE STORM - THE GROUP WASN'T SURE - BUT THE SKIES SAID YES WITH A THUNDER - SO THE GROUP JUST OBEYED AND STARTED SILENRY ASCENDING...

The guide, the savior

After the storm, we found another route which leds to another refuge in 1 hour, while ours had to be reached in 3 hours, so we had to change our plan, we arrived all wet, we dried our cloths, set close to the fire and the life semed to beggin again :-)
The refuge is supper cool, being here makes me live a new story of the first moroccan who conquest the bulgarian mountains. Time to hear the stories of the other guys and very good night!!

Iskra: THE THUNDER DIE OUT SOMEWHERE HERE AND LED US COME BACK TO LIFE, ALIVE, AND ENJOY SOME REAR MOMENTS OF CLEAR SKIES AND VIEWS OF THE WHOLE MOUNTAIN RANGE.

Iskra: ANF THE CLOUDS FULL EN US AGAIN SO WE ABANDON OUT ECHO HUT PLAN (STILL 3.5-4 HOURS AWAY) AND TURN LEFT TO THE EMERGENCY EXIT - THE VEZHEN HUT. IT TOOK US HOUR DOWN THE STEEP HILL - TO REACH THE FIRE IN THE STOVE AND MOHAMMED'S FIRST EVER MASHROOM SOUP.

A siesta(nap) into the clouds

Iskra: THE VEZHEN HUT AT 18.30H
MOHAMMED, SHOES FULL OF WATTER, SOCKS FEELING (AND LATER ON LOOKING) LIKE HELL, HAPPY SMILE ON HIS FACE - GET OUT HIS CAMARA AND START SHOOTING AROUND LIKE CRAZY (THAT'S WHY THE MOUNTAIN MAKES OUT OF PEOPLE, AS ONE GUY SAID AT DINNER) SO THE FIRST MOROCCAN GUY TO VISIT THE BULGARIAN MOINTAINS WAS NO EXCEPTION -> AND BEING CRAZY FELT REAAALY CONFORTABLE TO HIM.

 Day 3

It is Sunday, time to go back home, no drama anymore. After 1 hours walking we hitchhiked a car back to Sofia. Big thanks to these wonderfull ladies who know how to enjoy the nature and nature itself knows how to protect them and even it understands their complicated joks :-)

I am sure we will hike more mountains together! And don't forget that Tobkal is waiting for you and looking forward to enjoy your stay in its refuges.

Bests,

 It's me, follow me!

Same second, same moment, Same shout :-)

 Alive even after this picture :-)