Above the Sky - On the highest peak of Balkan, mountain Musala [My Travel Blog]

Last part of our little adventure in Bulgaria takes us to one amazing, mystical place - mountain Musala, the highest peak of Balkan peninsula with 2925 meters (9596 ft) high summit.

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One of most common question about my climbing days was 'Why do you climb?' I had a million answers to that question, including most common - 'I climb the damn mountain because is there!' But true is - I somehow found it very hard to explain. Maybe I can give you an answer at the end of this blog... let's try.

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On the first day of our weekend in Bulgaria we went to National Park Rila, or to be more precise in the area of Seven Rila Lakes - a place of beautiful and amazing Nature with some unforgettable views. After a day full of hiking and enjoyment we went to Borovets - popular mountain resort located on slopes of Rila at an altitude of 1350 m. After amazing dinner in one local restaurant, we went to even more amazing apartment we rented. We needed some rest for next day and for the climb to the highest peak of Balkan peninsula - Musala.

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Local restaurants are amazing! For sure try some local dishes as they have rich flavour and aroma which you will not easily find outside of Bulgaria. I would like to recommend some of them, but, unfortunately, I forgot names of all those excellent meals we ordered. Best advise is to ask for local specialities and experiment. As we were a large group, we ordered six or seven meals with a lot of side dishes and salads and, of course, some local wine and beer. Everything was delicious, and with a lot of enjoyment, we left only empty plates. Prices were more than affordable too.

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In the morning, we had the hard time to exit from a very comfy apartment and went into the mountain. The weather was somehow unwelcoming, and we didn't want to force ourselves into the light rain and wind. But finally, somewhere around noon, the weather got much better. Sun was shining and everything was more than perfect for another day in mountains. So we packed our backpacks, filled our water supplies and, with big smiles on our faces, went to live another day of our adventure.

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As it was quite late for a long walk, we used the cable car to climb first part of our trip. A cable car named Yastrebetz will get you to the altitude of 2300 meters, and I highly advise to use it. You will save couple hours and a lot of strength that way. Be sure to check when the last car is getting back to Borovetz, or you are going to walk for few more hours to the town. When mentioning that - also check when is the maintenance time for the gondola, as for day or two each month, it is closed for maintenance. From the end of the gondola, the path will lead you for another hour up to mountain hut Musala. That part of the trip is very easy, almost there is no climb at all. Mountain hut Musala is at the altitude of 2400 meters.

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Along with that path, you will see a lot of ski trails, as Borovetz is one of the most popular ski resorts in Bulgaria. If you are there during winter, prepare yourself for a lot of happy skiers and big rush. After some easy walk, you will reach 'hiza' (mountain hut) Musala, where you can rest for a while and refresh yourself. At the same place, big and monumental mountain shelter is being built, and I do believe that it will be one of 'must visit' places when it gets completed. Right now, you can enjoy the first view to peak Musala next to one of many glacier lakes.

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Name Musala is, maybe, known to you from another context or place. This is because there are a dozen, maybe hundreds of places with the same name around the Globe. There's a very simple reason for that - Musala comes from the Arabian phrase "Mus Allah", which means "Closer to Allah" or "Closser to God". This expression was used to describe places used for prayer and to get closer to Him. As highest peak, Musala got their 'Godly' name with a good reason.

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From mountain hut Musala, climb to the summit will take you about an hour and a half. Trademark of this climb for sure are glacial lakes. I didn't count them, but they are everywhere. They are not that beautiful as those in Rila Seven Lakes area, and they are for sure a lot smaller, but they will make your climb very colourful. This, second part of the climb is a lot harder and require some physical strength and stamina. However, in my opinion - anybody can do it.

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About 40 minutes later you will reach last mountain hut before the summit. Lodge Everest have a very modest name, and one look at her is enough to ensure you that it is built to sustain heavy avalanches. It is located directly below the summit on the altitude of 2710 meters. From there, some forty minutes of climb will take you to the top of the mountain and the roof of the Balkan.

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At this last part of the climb, you can choose one of two paths to the summit. Easier but the longer one is hard hiking trail which runs along the slopes of the mountain. I prefer this one, as it requires less stamina and from time after time you can relax and enjoy beautiful view below you. The second one is more adrenaline rush, as it is half via-ferrata, very steep and hard, but much shorter. Whichever path you choose, somewhere at 2900 meters they will merge, and last part of climb will be just moderate hard. This is very welcomed, as some of the most amazing views can be seen from this last steps.

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At the very top of Musala, you will find another mountain hut where you can rest and relax before you decide to descent. This, last mountain hut, is actually old meteorological station which was more than once destroyed by thunders and bad weather. Bulgarian meteorological institute decided some years ago that they had enough of rebuilding that old hut, so they build a new one from solid concrete and steel and left old building unattended. As mountaineers are very practical people, they rebuilt old hut, properly protect the building from thunders and now it is used as summit lodge, as a shelter and place where summiteers can rest.

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There at the summit, I had the most emotional moment of the whole visit to Bulgaria. I am very relaxed at the mountains tops. I feel like all worries and problems never existed. I can be silent for hours. My good friends call that state 'pure meditation' as I am not aware that time is passing, or that anybody else is there. I am at my happy place, and as far as I'm concerned, nothing else exists. So after making a few photos, I went into my meditation state and simply sit there and enjoyed. But, at some moment I realized that beautiful smell coming from the hut. I was sure that it was a mountain tea.

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If you never had tea at the mountain prepared from local herbs, then you missed a lot. At mountain huts, tea is made from local herbs, which are very aromatic and not to mention very clean and healthy. Water used for tea is usually glacier water, pure and clean as you cannot imagine. Last, but not least, forcing water into the boil at high altitude is very easy, as water boil at the lower temperature because of the low pressure. That's why mountaineers let their tea to cook very long until it becomes thick and rich. The result is amazingly tasty tea - something you must try at least once in your lifetime.

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Pretty soon, I found big kettle and source of the amazing smell. Without hesitation, I asked for a cup of tea, but relaxed as I was, I did it in my mother language - Serbian. Old mountaineer looked at me with surprise on his face and ask me on Bulgarian from where I am. Bulgarian and Serbian are very similar languages and if you and other side talk slow, you can understand each other without too many problems. I smiled, and answer him and then I saw a glimpse of tears in his old eyes. He slowly stepped aside and hugged me with words "Bratko" (brother)...

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With a cup of the best tea I ever had, he told me the story about his late wife, who was from Serbia and how he was just thinking about her when I showed up. He shared memories of her and places they visited, mountains they climbed and dreams they had. I had tons of pleasant conversations with complete strangers in mountains, but this one was more like speaking with an old friend about some good old times. This surprised acquaintance filled up my heart with joy and gratitude I cannot easily explain. It was fulfilling and heart welcoming and... well, forgive me, but it was divine. I realized that I talk about my life, about that moment I do not easily share, a story about the best friend I lost, a story of empty hart and weight of years... At the end, we simply sit there, quiet, calm with the understanding of friends who know each other for a long, long time...

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So there we were, at the top of the Balkan, drinking The Best Tea In The World and looking clouds in the distance. There we were, two people connected by chance in the middle of nowhere sharing best of us with each other. There we were - two strangers, but brothers to the last bone. There was a mountain named by those who wanted to be closer to God, and around us was just a sound of distant thunders, a howl of wind and pure peacefulness and calmness of our souls...

...so, do you still need an answer to the question "Why do I climb mountains?"

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^{All photos were taken with Canon PowerShot SX50 HS, and post-processed in Adobe Lightroom CC
All photos are clickable - click on them to see them in full resolution.}

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^{This blog entry is part of My Travel Blog series. All my posts are !originalworks
I have many more travel stories in my bag, so stay tuned.
To see all mine travel entries, click here to visit my @SteemitWorldMap author link.}

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