Climbing A Mountain

We started early in the morning from Sofia taking a train to Karlovo.
Karlovo is a small town with beautiful architecture and touch of history. Still, I'm not talking about the town here; it was only the beginning of our route.

We stepped off the train and were immediately wrapped in mist and rainy drops.
The weather was not on our side and did not help at all.

The mountain roads were dirty and bumpy.

I was invited to join the group from a colleague. I had never participated in such activities and felt a bit strange. All of the rest were experienced climbers and only I and my friend were there for the first time.

I did not expect to walk on paved street up to the top, so we walked and walked.

We were cold, and wet. There was not exactly rain but the type of mist which goes into your clothes and every possible opening.
It was slippery and steep at places. Fortunately the friend who invited me apparently had taken into consideration our lack of experience and they had chosen a relatively easy route with little climbing actually. The bigger part of the route was not too quickly going up would be even pleasant if it was not for the weather.

Nothing special happened. We were climbing, up and up, all day long. Around noon we stopped, unpacked, took a bite, relaxed and went up again.
Around 4 p.m. it began to feel really cold, the rain-mist became more intense, and we were a few meters already away from the top. There was some snow as we climbed higher and higher.

When we finally reached under the top of the mountain, I already was barely standing on my feet. I felt terribly exhausted and the last 2-3 meters felt like a great trial.

But I was ashamed to stop and give up and made a final effort.

Just under the top there were steep stones and the group stopped. Each one climbed individually since there was not enough place for all to go together.
"The peak" itself was something resembling a large boulder of rocks, mud and snow. To get there one should climb two or three meters slippery, steep and rocky distance.
We were standing right down the top, each of us carefully climbing up and getting down. It was hard to see what those that have reached there were doing, and I waited for my turn to come. I was not sure if I can make it, but I did.

When you are up there, you see ...nothing but the fog around! I was a bit disappointed since I expected a spectacular view but it didn't turn out so. Still I felt good about making it all the way there.

The last person from the group told me to look under the big stone which was up there. I bent beneath and there was a small tin with a piece of paper in it hidden so it could not be swept by the winds. There was also a pen, and I found out what the rest were doing there: they had all written their names!

I do not know if this is a usual habit of climbers. I do not know if on every mountain peak there is a tin with the names of all who had been there. But I put my name on the Kozya Stena list and I was so proud!

Finally we went down to the cottage where we spent the night. It was large enough for a group of thirty people, but offered almost nothing but warmth from the lit fire and a large cauldron of hot tea!

Yet we warmed up, found our sleeping places (the lack of running water was another disappointment, but we were explained that the route was good and the cottage was the only one on it so we had to put up with it) and stayed for the night.

The next day turned sunny, warm, light and pleasant unlike the first one. We got out of the cottage early, enjoyed the fresh mountain air and view
and went on our way down.

I learned that day that no matter how hard is going up even harder is the way down! When the inclination of the slopes got bigger we were forced to almost run down, which is especially unpleasant with your backpack, and I felt terribly unstable having no support to cling on, being pushed down by both the weight of luggage and the steep slope.

Still we supported each other and when entering the wood got some tree branches to use as crutches. After that moment we were relieved. The route got back even, and slowly changing the inclination. The air was warm and pleasant, the fog was gone, it was sunny and clear and there was no sign of the previous day's grumpy weather.

Going down apparently everyone felt better. We started to chat, mixed up, and got to know more about the others in the group. To me and my friend it was the first mountain experience; we found out that some of the rest were for the tenth time only on this route, and had lots more to tell about different mountain climbers' experiences!

It turned out that the route we were going on is a part of a forest reserve. It is the smallest one of the Central Balkan nature park. Situated in the area of Chiflik -a small village- it is reachable from several other locations one of which was the chosen by our tour guides, Karlovo.

It was late autumn which was the reason for the disappointing first day's weather. Still we saw lots of the beauty of the mountain on our way down.

Wikipedia says that there are lots of endangered species in the forests we went through. I don't know the appearance of each so we did not study them there, but what's listed in Wikipedia is beech and fir tree, the rare and beautiful edelweiss flower (we came upon some of it and it was spectacular indeed).

Apparently animals are driven into the woods by the tourists since we did not see any around the track. Besides the more of the listed species to be found in this region are rare birds-giant hawk, small hawk, black woodpeckeer, and tawny-owl.

Still I cannot miss mentioning the beauty, serenity and grandeur of the mountain. We could stay on the top forever if it was not that cold only to experience longer the satisfaction of our rewarded persistence; and we would not leave back for the city to walk the woods for days ahead if we could allow it.

Climbing a mountain is not only a beautiful and elevating experience. It is also a learning opportunity.

I discovered on the way up that you are required to make an effort to take the next step. As you go higher, it gets more and more difficult! As philosophical as it may sound, anyone who has done it can bear testimony of it!

I also found out that it is not the climbing that is difficult; the harder part is to return down to earth!

And my largest life lesson (you are allowed to laugh, I am not a guru or any spiritual advisor, yet it was a life lesson to me) was one that I became aware of a few years later.

I and a friend of mine (another one) were talking about some work related issues. We were a bit exhausted, and she said "I just don't get it, what is the purpose of all that we do? Every day problems, hardship, troubles, and all... Why things cannot be just easy and simple?"
Exactly then I had my revelation! You must have experienced moments like that, when a truth appears in a flesh of light. And I asked her:
"Have you climbed a mountain?" "No"-she answered. ""But you have met people who did". "Yes, "she said.
"Did anyone tell you about the top?" "No. They only talk about the way up". "This is it", I told her." It's not about being on the top. It's about going all the way there".

I'm not an expert-this was my first and last climbing experience. Still I learnt a bit about what you need.
First thing are the good shoes. Tight on feet, steady fastened around the ankles is the best solution. Warm and water resistant is also important. The sole should not be slippery since there are quite unpleasant surfaces to walk over!

Clothing is another aspect. You should be both warm since the air in the mountain is colder than in the city, and simultaneously you should be lightly dressed enough to move free. Ideally you should have a warm jacket and sweater and enough place in your backpack to put them away when you get too hot. Your clothes should also be water-proof in the perfect scenario.

Luggage should not be too much. Warm clothes, dry socks, and some food are enough. It would be good to have also some hot drinks packed.

A real mountain climber should not leave without a good camera! That is the one thing I did not carry then!

A good company is also required, and you are off to the top!

Sami4; jwindsor375; rwoman-thank you all for the angels blessings for this lens!