Christmas on Manastirishte

This Christmas, as is almost a tradition already, husband, Gaby and I went hiking. We chose a very easy and short trail, expecting something like a walk in the park. Down in the city the snow melted around the middle of December and we were surprised and a bit unprepared for the conditions on Plana. The trail was covered with deep wet snow and at the end of the hike our three-season hiking boots were all dripping wet. Luckily, the weather was sunny and a bit above zero and apart from our wet feet we were actually quite warm.

:The church at the end of the village and the beginning of the trail

:Vitosha in the distance

Hike info:

Destination: peak Manastirishte (1338 m)

Mountain: Plana

Total length: 8.2 km

Elevation gain: 160 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 2 h 15 min

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

:The old abandoned house, one of the landmarks on this trail

:The path on the ridge of the peak was covered with deep snow and barely trodden. We followed in the deep steps, left by some other hikers

:The chapel on the top

:At peak Manastirishte

:The view from the peak. The only other tourists we met on Christmas were a family on ATVs

:We had our picnic on a bunch of rocks at a sunny clearing

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, Knip Mode cargo pants, knitted socks and hat

I:  socks, lingerie, Chaika Sweater, CC copycat hat, Borika gloves, scarf

Gaby: socks, Striped Longsleeve, Tweed Hoodie, gloves, hat, scarf

:Back to the village of Plana, with Rila at the background