To the Blue Arrow 2025

After two days of rain and cold, the sun came out on Sunday and we packed  our backpacks with herbal tea and home-made tortillas and rushed to the outskirts of the village of Zeleznitza, to climb to the Blue Arrow shelter.

Although the trail is quite steep, it is scenic and short and there's a bus from Sofia, which stops right at the beginning of the trail, so it is fairly well frequented. As we live in a part of the city with easy access to Zeleznitza, we like the trail and climb it at least once a year.

Although the sun was quite strong, the air was still cold and there were clouds in the sky, so we kept our hoodies and winter hats on. But what a difference May makes, even when the temperatures are low - everything is luscious green, the meadows are covered with flowers in all the colors of the spectrum. One can simply not complain, even when the wind is strong and cold.

Hike info:

Date: 18 May 2025

Destination: Blue Arrow Shelter

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 10 km

Elevation gain: 550 m

Total duration (plus rest): 3 h

Average difficulty: 4 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

I:  lingerie, Lotte Sinclair blouse, Houndstooth Burda hoodie, knitted legwarmers

Husband: men's boxershorts, Burda cargo pants, Burda T-shirt

 

Today we chose to climb a little further to a smallish peak above the shelter and to have our picnic here, with a glorious view in all directions. Finding the perfect picnic place is one of the critical moments of a hike, for me, and I am happy, that today we accomplished the mission with flying colors.

On the way back we took an alternative, even steeper trail, which brought us back to Zeleznitza and the parked car.

The Blue Arrow Shelter 2024

On the last Sunday on April we chose to hike close to home, along a familiar fairly short, but very steep trail from the village of Zeleznitza to the Blue Arrow shelter and back along an even shorter and steeper alternative track.

The day was sunny and warm after a series of rainy days and the trail was packed with tourists - some aspiring to the shelter and even higher, others picnicking on the lower meadows.

 :A local orchid

 The highest part of Vitosha is still covered in snow

Hike info:

Date: 28 April 2024

Destination: Blue Arrow Shelter

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 10 km

Elevation gain: 530 m

Total duration (plus rest): 3 h

Average difficulty: 4 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

I: lingerie, Sabrina Slims III, Burda striped blouse

Husband: men's boxers, Knipmode cargo pants, colorblock Burda blouse 

We had out picnic at the shelter (1650 m) and then turned back down. Next time, however, we plan to have only a small snack around the shelter and continue to the nearest peak Belchova skala (1877 m)

On the way back we decided to take a detour and "climb" peak Bukite (1250 m)

To The Blue Arrow Shelter 2023

A brisk and steep climb to the Blue Arrow shelter on Vitosha on a cloudy day. The forecasts promised rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon, and there were showers in the distance, but we were spared the heavenly water and happened only upon a few scattered snowflakes at the altitude above the 1600 m line.

Although the trail is fairly short, the elevation gain is significant and the climb was a good exercise in expectation of the more interesting and extreme hikes we have planned for this year - it is high time we got out of the comfort zone of easy hikes we've been favouring recently.

Hike info:

Destination: Blue Arrow Shelter

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 9 km

Elevation gain: 530 m

Total duration (plus rest): less than 3 h

Average difficulty: 4 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, Knip Mode cargo pants, Blue henley blouse

I: lingerie, Sinclair Lotte blouse, Houndstooth hoodie

A beautiful find - a white crocus in a field of purple crocuses:

We had never climbed this path in late April and didn't know whether to expect snow at the end of the trail, but at this altitude the snow was gone, thankfully. Up above the 2000 m altitude it will keep at least for a month or longer.

While on the way up I was clad only in a blouse, I was so soaked in sweat and cold on top, that on the way down I put on all of the clothes I had in my backpack.

:Rain in the distance. While we were up, it had rained down in the village of Zeleznitza, where we had left the car.

:The peaks of Rila in the distance. The snow there will keep until June, at least.

Belcheva skala

A memorable hike we had today on Vitosha - from the village of Zeleznitza to peak Belcheva skala (1832 m). The peak is not very high - almost as high as Kamen del, but the elevation gain from down the village up to the peak along the fairly short and extremely steep trail, was a killer! 

:The day was very hot and humid, with promise of rain, which came in the early afternoon, with the first rain drops falling just as we got back into the car. Talk about timing :)

:In late May the south-eastern slopes of Vitosha are like an English garden - juicy green and abundant with flowers

Hike info:

Destination: peak Belcheva skala (1832 m)

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 12 km

Elevation gain: 700 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 4 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 6.5 / 10

:The Blue Arrow shelter, a place we often hike, down to the left

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Knipmode cargo pants

I: lingerie, striped tunic, hoodie

:Finally, on the peak. It was difficult, but the reward was fitting - gorgeous panoramas, beautiful vistas and sweet solitude - we were the only hikers on the peak at that time

:We ate our lunch here, taking in the view, and planned an even harder hike for the future - along that ridge across to Kupena hut and from there down to Zeleznitza and back to the car

:A wild orchid - Orchis masculata