Category: Walking

I climbed Musala for a second time this year

~ Veselin ~ 2 Comments

One of my annual goals was to do three real hikes in 2026. A week ago, I did a semi-unplanned hike to the highest peak in Bulgaria, Musala, which is 2925 meters high. Kids couldn’t come with me because one got motion sickness, and the other didn’t want to come out of solidarity. However, they got inspired and wanted to go to the peak as well.

So this week, we attempted a retry. This time, phones were banned in the car, I drove extra carefully, nobody vomited in the car, and all four of us managed to get to about 2500 meters. Then the big kid got signs of altitude problems and had to give up.

The little one (aged 7) kept going, flying ahead of me for the most part, and we reached the top. Took us 3h, only 20-30 minutes slower compared to doing it on my own. He didn’t want to do any breaks. I’m not sure what to do now because I have one of the kids achieving this relatively difficult goal, and the other – not. Maybe we need to come for a third time this summer. We can still improve the organization because we lost 1h waiting for the gondola. The optimal hike would start with buying the tickets the day before and then going to the line at 8:15. Does it matter all that much if you start at 8:30 or 9:30 – probably not. You need to be super slow to miss the lift, which works until 18:30.

The final step count for the day was almost 30K, which is my personal best since I started tracking. I couldn’t imagine I would ever be able to do that 3-4 years ago, when I had trouble walking up to the 4th floor without a break.

I climbed Musala for the first time since 2001

~ Veselin ~ 9 Comments

Musala is the highest peak in Bulgaria, standing at 2925 meters, and also currently a major tourist hot spot. We attempted to climb it last year with the little one, who was 6 at the time. Gave up at around 2600-2650 meters. He got motion sickness this year and didn’t want to hike, the big kid didn’t want to try without the little one, and after much waiting to figure out what to do, my wife encouraged me to try on my own. Hard to repeat circumstances.

So, I started at 11:10 from Yastrebets. My recommendation would be to start much, much earlier to avoid the sunburns. See the blue sky? The UV was insane. The little triangle, close to the center, is Musala, 13000 steps away and about 500 meters above the starting point. Not much for seasoned hikers, close to my limit for me.

I got a strong headache in the area of the Musala hut and was ready to give up but didn’t and at some point it went away.

It was pretty crowded at the top.

Met a cat on the way back, at around 2500 meters altitude. I grew up meeting mountain dogs, who would just walk with you for a few kilometers and then depart. First time I see a cat living by the path. I think her name is Murry, as I saw a sign mentioning Murry on the top.

Going back was hard. I can’t imagine doing this hike with kids without sleeping in one of the huts.

There’s a 3-4km path between Yastrebets and Musala Hut that’s nearly flat but is in reality a series of small hills and you go up and down, up and down. Takes away all of your energy. The peak isn’t really that far after that but it felt exhausting.

Just like I mentioned in the post last year, any attempts to reach the top must start way earlier, when it’s colder and the sun is down. And only in good weather. The terrain can quickly become hostile if it starts raining or snowing.

The hike was around 26000 steps and took 5h. I hurried a bit too much because I started late and didn’t want to miss the gondola, which closes either at 18 or 18:20, depending on which sign you trust. Given the very high number of people walking everywhere, I suspect it won’t close until the last person is off the mountain. I could’ve spent another 2h just chilling, making long breaks, but I also didn’t have sun screen. By the time I walked down, it already hurt too much to encourage any stops.

So, a note to me. Next time, if there’s a next time at all, apply sun screen and start early.

The little hut

~ Veselin ~ 2 Comments

Every real construction has to start with this little building. Found one in the mountain, not quite where I expected to see it. My kids were disappointed that I didn’t take a photo of the horses on the opposite direction of this hut, and looking back into the morning, I think the horses would’ve made a better blog post 🙂

Malyovitsa

~ Veselin ~ 2 Comments

The low cost airlines have brought lots of tourists to Sofia, so many that entire areas become foreigners-only. Thankfully, they stay away from Malyovitsa because it doesn’t have a gondola.

This peak is one of my long-term hiking goals. Last time we made it, it took us 8 hours both ways. This is about 2 hours more than my current abilities so I don’t expect an attempt this summer.