Bulgaria Mountain High –

Bulgaria Mountain High –

 Lynn and I only have one month left here in Bulgaria, and we are trying to do all the things we have wanted to do, but have not the opportunity to accomplish.  Attending a wedding was one of the things we wanted to do – and thanks to Kay and Tyler, we did that.  This past weekend, we had another special experience.   Bulgaria is a relatively small country (about the size of Tennessee), but it is filled with mountains.  During our two years here, many of you have seen some of the pictures, and heard about our trips into the nearby Rhadopi moutains just south of Plovdiv.   But…. We have wanted to visit the Rila mountains, and see the seven lakes.  This past weekend, we visited the Rila’s, but not the seven lakes.  But we think we ended up in a better place.  We climbed the highest peak in Bulgaria (and the sixth highest in all of Europe) Mt. Musala (9,600ft -  1.8Miles high), and it was AWESOME!!!  

Bulgarians often tell us about the “spirits” of the mountains, and the energy hidden in the vast mountain tops.  In fact every August, hundreds of people dress up in white garb, travel to the mountain peaks, join hands in a circle, and perform rituals hundreds of years old which celebrate that special spirit. 

We are not sure about these specific ceremonies, but Lynn and I definitely did feel the “spirit of the mountains” this weekend.  We were in one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen, and it was hard not to feel the creator’s power as we viewed the beauty and grandeur constantly around us.  It also makes you feel terribly small and insignificant – but full of the wonder of it all.   It was a complex set of conflicting emotions while constantly being overwhelmed.  Our only regret was that we did not make this trip early in our service, so we could have repeated it often. 

Musala Hut lower left corner

This adventure began when Vladimir (one of the people from our English class) called us.  Everyone in the class knows we love the mountains, and wanted to visit the Rilas.   He and a friend (Sergae) offered to organize a trip to Mt. Musala.  We had to look at a map to figure out where it was.  But we jumped on the idea.  Vladimir has done this trip a couple of times, and knew how to check on everything.  The bus left Plovdiv at 7:30AM Friday.  Two hours later we were dropped off in the Borovets (elevation 4,265 Ft.).  Borovets is the oldest ski resort in Bulgaria.  It has a gondola that goes up 3,400 Ft. on the side of Musalla.  The gondola ride was amazing in itself.  But the 7,600 foot world it dropped us off at was almost like the moon – but with a clear blue sky above.  We strapped our packs on, and headed off on the almost flat carriage road for the two-plus mile, one hour walk to Musala hut (7,800 Ft.) where we would spend the night.  The hut is nestled in the bowl of  Mt. Musala next to two sparkling glacier lakes.  Bare rocky summits surround you overpowering your visual senses while you often hear the sound of spring waters pouring over the rocks crashing towards the clear blue lakes dotting the rock-filled canyons. 

Although it was only a “short” 1,800 foot climb from the hut to the top, it took us three hours to trudge the rock fields, and walk up the shear climbs to the top.  We had never been that high, and we both found ourselves getting slightly dizzy as our bodies desperately tried to get quickly acclimated to the high altitude.  Vladimir was a wonderful help, putting himself between Lynn and the ever-present cliffs, and always checking on me and Sergae to be sure we were all doing OK.  The views all along the way were spectacular, and we often stopped for “photo opps” using them as rest breaks.  But toward the top, we came over the crest of the ridge, and had our breath taken away by the views westward where we could see all the other Rila Mountain peaks.  Within 15 minutes of reaching the ridge, we were at the top.  The pictures actually do a good job of showing the magnitude of views.  We took some special “Lynch Lunch Pictures”, and I “Lorded Over” some of the scenery.  We spent a long time on the top, and an even longer time slowly coming back down.  

Diner and Breakfast - No restaurant can beat this view!

The weather during this trip was perfect.  A front had passed through on Thursday, and Friday and Saturday were crisp, cloudless, with warm sunshine.  We know the perfect weather had a special impact on our trip.  We got back to the hut about 7PM after stopping and just sitting in the sun near the lakes several times during our descent.  Musala hut is very rustic, but functional.  The old tables outside have a beautiful view, and we shared some of our food with two other ladies (one from New Jersey, and the other from Israel).  We monitored the sun set by watching the shadows slowly move up the side of the mountains in front of us.  After sunset, we checked our flashlights, visited the “very primitive” outhouse, and headed back to our beds in the hut.  But the mountains had one other special surprise for us before we got into the hut.  The full moon was rising over the mountains where we had just watched the shadows climb during dinner.  We all stopped, and silently watched the white edge of the moon slowly rise over the ridge like the moon coming out of a full eclipse.  We tried to get a picture, but we were in too much awe, and the pictures did not come out.  We finally all crashed in our beds by 9:30, and slept soundly for about 10 hours. 

Vladimir - on the mountain medow

Saturday dawned just a beautiful as Friday.  Breakfast was at the same table outside where we had dinner.  We had to catch a bus from Borovets at 4PM, but there was plenty of time to spend in the mountains before departing.  Lynn and Sergae hiked up to the second lake, sat in the sun, and soaked up the mountain energy.  Vladimir and I took a very challenging (about 1,200 Ft. straight up) hike up the ridge opposite Mt. Musala.  I thought we were crazy a couple of times during the hike, but the massive mountain meadows  on the top coupled with more fantastic views made it worthwhile.  Vladimir and I found a quicker trail down, and by 1PM we were packed up ready for the hour “flat” walk back to the gondola.  It was hard to leave.  The beauty continued to surround us on the walk out.  But – all good things must end. We jumped into the gondola, and were whisked down the mountain. 

Lynn and I are popping advils, but are doing fine.  And the memories are worth any minor aches and pains.   Enjoy the pictures.  We took 300.  We hope these few will give you a small idea of the fantastic 30 hours we had. 

Thanks for reading….

Mike

Just your average lunch stop!!!!