Pictures from our hike from Aleko hut to peak Golyam Kupen and back along the same track on a very hot July day.
Me-made items, worn on this hike:
It has been 9 years, since we last climbed the trail from the village of Zeleznitza to Kupena hut and back. This is probably one of the steepest trails on Vitosha, with over 800 m elevation gain over less than 6 km. Because of the significant slope, the trail is exhausting in both directions - much more, obviously, up, but the downhill traverse is a killer for the knees and leg muscles. Quite frankly, after yesterday's hike I don't feel an urge to repeat this climb any time soon. No wonder it took us 9 years since the last time :)
Despite the difficulty of the track, it is a fairly popular one, mostly because of its accessibility - the village of Zeleznitza is close to Sofia, with excellent public transport. A lot of the climbers rest at Kupena hut and then continue up ro Cherni vruh - Zeleznitza is one of the starting points of the tracks to the summit. We've done this extreme climb too, but yesterday our aspirations were modest - Kupena hut and back.
Hike info:
Me-made items, worn on this hike:
This week we chose an easy trail in the upper parts of Vitosha, from Aleko hut to Kupena hut and back, along the high altitude circuit track. The timing was just perfect for the various flowers on Vitosha, especially the endemic yellow globeflower (Vitoshko lale), the mountain lilium, the wild orchids and many others.
The day was hot and sunny and the trail was packed, like never before!
Me-made items, worn on this hike:
:Tollius europaeus (витошко лале) - protected species
:And back to Aleko
