Chepun and Dragoman Marsh 2024

The warm, summer-like weather continued for almost a month till mid-April. Last Sunday on Chepun mountain it was true summer - hot and sunny, super unusual for this time of the year along the ridge of the low mountain. This is our fourth hike in this area and it was very much identical to the one we did three years ago. The track, starting from the marsh, has been completely abandoned and is not on the maps any more, so we followed the fairly short 4 km eco-trail up and down the peak.

:To our surprise, the eco-trail turned out to be very popular and we met a lot of people along the track

Hike info:

Date:  14 April 2024

Destination: Petrovski Cross (1206 m)

Mountain: Chepun

Total length: 10 km

Elevation gain: 400 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 3 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

A view to the town of Dragoman

A small chapel was built recently on top of the mountain at the end of the trail

Petrovski cross, probably a remnant from an old sanctuary

The peak of the mountain

The dwarf almond bushes were in full bloom

We continued out hike a bit along the ridge to the next high point. There is a trail, that goes further along the ridge and down to the next village, but then how does one get back to the car?

The Dragoman marsh from above. We had our picnic on a bench with a view to the marsh and the fields around

The wild lilacs were also in bloom

A view to the west and the border with Serbia

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

I: lingerie, Burda blouse,Knipmode flared pants

Husband: men's boxers, Knipmode cargo pants

After we went down the eco-trail, we drove to the Dragoman marsh and walked a bit around. The wetland is the home of many birds and other animals, we could hear some of them in the reeds, but none were visible.

Alinsky Monastery

The unusual summer temperatures for our latitudes continued during the first fortnight of April - no complaints, keep up the Mediterranean weather! So this year spring is almost a month ahead compared to previous years and on Plana early in April the trees were already in bloom. Our hike there on the first Saturday of April was a leisurely walk up and down mountain trails with breathtaking views to the snow-covered peaks of Rila, framed by the blossoming plum trees on Plana.

The photo-reportage from our hike might seem a bit monotonous - snowy peaks and blossoming trees, but I just couldn't stop myself taking pictures of these beauties :)

Hike info:

Date:  06 April 2024

Destination: Alinsky Monastery

Mountain: Plana

Total length: 13 km

Elevation gain: 200 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 4 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

Vitosha on the other side of Plana

The trail to Alinsky monastery is a bit unusual, as it starts somewhere mid-altitude at 1220m , goes up and down until it reaches some 1280 m and then down to 1060 m at Alinsky monastery - the lowest altitude point of our hike.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

I: lingerie, Sabrina Slims II, orange Burda fleece jacket

Husband: men's boxers, Knipmode cargo pants, green blouse

We had our picnic and first beer outdoors for this year :) on a hill above the chapel. As usual along these trails in the lower mountains around Sofia, we were the only hikers there.

Across the fields - the hills of Manastirishte, the summit of Plana (1336 m)

Summer in March. Bachun

We are enjoying absolutely amazing summer temperatures at the end of March. Even up in the mountain it was so hot, that in the afternoon I took off my blouse and put on a tank top! Two years ago this same mountain at this exact time of the year was covered in snow! March is such an unpredictable month :)

Yesterday we hiked from Kokalyane to peak Bachun and back along a round trail. The trail starts at the far end of the Pancharevo dam, next to the hydroelectric power station.

The Pancharevo lake, the village of Pancharevo and the snow covered cap of Vitosha

Despite the summer temperatures yesterday, spring in the Lozen mountain is still in the beginning. The plum trees and blackthorn bushes are just coming to bloom at the foot of the mountain, up near the top they were probably a week or two away from blooming.

Hike info:

Destination: peak Bachun

Mountain: Lozen

Total length: 13 km

Elevation gain: 550 m

Total duration (plus long rest): 4 h 15 min

Average difficulty: 4 / 10

The trail is very pleasant, but the elevation gain is constant and at places significant, it's not exactly a walk in the park :)

There was an abundance of all kinds of spring flowers

My favourites - hepatica

On the peak

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, Knip Mode cargo pants, Green Burda blouse

I: lingerie, Plantain blouse, Sabrina Slims III, Houndstooth hoodie in the backpack

We had our delicious picnic on a meadow, facing Vitosha and the entire skirts of the mountain with the various villages and Sofia residential quarters.

It was Friday, a work day, and so it was very peaceful and quiet, just us and a couple of small birds in the nearing trees, singing their little hearts out. We lay on the ground and basked in the sun until we risked sunburn :)

On the way back we chose a shorter and steeper alternative route, which took us back to Pancharevo dam and the car.

Dupevitza in the Spring

I love hiking all year round, but spring hikes have a very special vibe - there's always something new pocking from the ground, growing, blossoming, chirping or crawling around. We are still in the early days of spring and the forests are still bare, leafless and grey, but the first spring flowers are braving even in the mid-altitude mountains and the dogwood trees are in bloom.

Today was very sunny, fairly warm and really pleasant for a hike in the nearby Lulin mountain. Although we were here not long ago, on Christmas with Gaby, we decided to climb Dupevitza again, as it is at an easy distance from home and perfect for a half-day hike, with the added bonus of natural mineral water springs, from which we were able to fill a few 10 l containers - I love the taste of Gorna Banya mineral water.

We climbed the peak in less than an hour and had our lunch on the new benches there, with a great view to Sofia on one side and Vitosha and Rila on the other side.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, socks, color block longsleeve, cargo pants

I: lingerie, socks, hoodie, brown hat on and off

Hike info:

Destination: round trail to peak Dupevitza

Mountain: Lulin

Total length: 10 km

Elevation gain: 320 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 3 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

We debated trying some new tracks, but the best views are along the route we've already hiked many times and in the end we decided to stick to it.

The All Saints chapel

St. Cyril and Methodius Monastery. One day we might try the track to the peak, which starts from the monastery and climbs up through the forest.