Zlatnite Mostove - Ostritza - Edelweiss - Kumata - Zlatnite

Pictures from our Saturday hike on Vitosha. We walked on a new circular path from the Golden bridges (Zlatnite mostove) moraine up to Ostritza hut, Edelweiss hut, Kumata hut and down back to Zlatnite mostove. When we started from home, the day looked foggy and cloudy, but as we drove up the mountain the fog suddenly disappeared (Wow, did we just pass through a cloud - an exclamation from the children at the back of the car - Yes, we did!) and the sun was up and shining for all (who were high enough above the clouds to see it). In December the Sofia plateau, encompassed by the Balkan mountains to the north and Vitosha, Lulin, Lozen, Plana and other smaller mountains from all sides turns into a cauldron, filled with clouds and fog. The notorious London fog has nothing on our morning and evening December fogs :(

We  still haven't had our first snow for the year in the city and when we started from the Golden bridges, the whole ground was covered with frost, but there wasn't any snow yet.

A bust of Rakovski absolutely in the midst of nowhere. We could have missed it if it wasn't in my route notes.

As we went up, the frost gradually was replaced by patches of snow:

One of the many holiday houses and huts on the way:

After we passed Ostritza hut, the path became more or less horizontal, we had reached the snow line. The fir forests were fairy tale beautiful:

We had our lunch break at Edelweiss Hut:

The most beautiful part of the route was the path from Edelweiss to Kumata Hut. One of the many Vitosha moraines, lighted up by the sun:

The cauldron of Sofia plateau, covered by clouds up to the snowy peaks of the Balkan mountains:

The snow was very unusual - because of the higher temperatures in the day the snowflakes had formed very long crystals and the ground looked like covered with a white sheepskin carpet:

And another moraine. Vitosha rivers run under these moraines, creating a nice rumble:

Like cartoon characters, with clouds coming through their mouths while talking:

Kumata hut - it was warm and cozy and some very delicious meat was cooking outside, but we had already lunched, so we moved on down the steep path back to the Golden bridges moraine.

Gradually the snow was again replaced by frost:

The Vladaya river, which runs under the Golden bridges moraine:

A small part of the huge moraine, called Golden bridges, because the stones are covered with yellow lichen and one can cross the river by walking on the stones: