We climbed Cherni Vrah 124 years after the first organized mass climbing
In August and September of this year, a team from Terolog went to Bulgaria to test the hiking tours offered on this website.
It so happend that our tour Above the rooftops of Sofia coincided with the 124th anniversary of the first organized mass climbing of Cherni Vrah in Vitosha Nature Park at the end of August 1895.
We met our guides Dr. Nikola Doykin and Silvia Arangelova at the starting point Aleko Hut. On weekends and on public holidays there is a bus to the starting point of this tour from Vitosha metro station.
After we had tasted delicious spring water, the tour began.
On the occasion of the anniversary, many people of all ages, often as whole families and groups of friends, were out and about in the nature park. The Vitosha Mountains are the local area for recreation in Sofia and offer many leisure activities.
First the path led through the forest, and then we crossed a stone river, caused by erosion. Soon after we reached a plateau with the Bistriko braniste moor protected area.
Already here we had an impressive view into the wide landscape and down to Sofia. Despite the dry weather wildflowers bloomed everywhere along the way. Nikola and Silvia pointed the special features of the fauna and the landscape out to us. The golden hue of the stones for example is caused by lichen.
On the summit of the Cherni Vrah at an altitude of 2,290 m we had a lunch break.
The summit was also the finish of a competition in which the participants started down in Sofia and ran up to the summit. The winner completed the run in less than two hours. On the occasion of the anniversary of the ascent, groups from all over Bulgaria came and hiked to the summit.
The way back led us along the track of a ski lift back to Aleko hut.
Especially impressive on this hike was the variety and vastness of the landscape and the breathtaking views.
At the end of the tour, Nikola and Silvia presented us with a certificate of the nature park as a memento.
Text and photos: Terolog