Vitosha, Peak Ushite 2024

Pictures from our hike today on Vitosha, on another very sunny, very hot day. We had planned a hike from Zlatnite mostove to Cherni vruh, but only 100 m into the hike I realized, that we had forgotten the sunscreen. The trail to Cherni vruh passes mostly through the bare alpine part of the mountain, and up in the open, under the scorching sun without sunscreen seemed a very bad idea. 

So, we quickly reorganized, turned and started in the opposite direction, to peak Ushite - a shorter and easier hike mostly through the forested part of the mountain. The peak itself is in the open and we did get quite a lot of sunshine, but much, much less, that we would have been exposed to, if we had followed our initial plan.

Another plus side of our revised plan, apart from the fact, that we climbed a new to us peak and that is always exciting, was the fact, that the tracks we chose were almost empty and the peak was also very unpopular, so we were able to enjoy some real mountain peace and quiet.

The raspberries were already ripe and we did eat quite a lot of these :)

The plateau and peak Kamen Del in the distance

Peak Kamen Del a bit up close. It is one of the most popular peaks on Vitosha and it was like a public gathering there - such a contrast to peak Ushite, where we were the only tourists almost the entire time we were there.

Hike info:

Date: 28 July 2024

Destination: peak Ushite (1906 m) along circular trail

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 11.6 km

Elevation gain: 516 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 4.5 hours

Average difficulty: 4 / 10

Peak Ushite - like almost all peaks on Vitosha (there must be a geological explanation somewhere), the peak itself is an enormous pile of rocks with no particular path to the top.

Cranberries - I don't think I've ever seen so many and so big in the wild. We did have quite a few, although I wouldn't call myself exactly a fan.

Finally closing in on the top

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Cargo pants

I: lingerie, Sabrina Slims II

We had our lunch on a rock, with a view to Kamen del, Kopitoto and Sofia

The sight to the east - the plateau and Maluk Rezen, Golyam Rezen and Cherni Vruh in the distance