Last Saturday we had our most brutal hike for the year so far - we climbed peak Mechit in the Rila mountains. Technically the hike is not very difficult, as there are no dangerous places or tricky climbing, but the elevation gain is quite harsh - 1252 m and the length is a killer. Additionally, there are no water sources after the Mechit lodge, so one has to bring sufficient water in the backpack.
The trail starts at the end of the village of Govedartzi and the first third is a very steep climb though a forest to Mechit lodge.
We were lucky with the weather of Saturday, as it was fairly sunny and warm, but not scorching and at the same time the forecasts stated zero chance for rain or thunderstorms.
After Mechit lodge the trail turns into the so called Ferdinand's road. According to some information on the web, there was probably an old roman road, which was restored by king Ferdinand as the most direct pass from Borovetz on the nordern side of Rila to Rilski monastery on the southern side of the mountain.
On peak Maluk Mechit - the views get wider and farther
Hike info:
Date: 19 July 2025
Destination: peak Mechit
Mountain: Rila
Total length: 24 km
Elevation gain: 1252 m
Total duration (plus picnic): 9 hours
Average difficulty: 8 / 10
A glimpse from Maluk Mechit to Govedartzi and the other villages nearby, Samokov, Iskar dam and farther on to the Balkan mountains
Me-made items, worn on this hike:
Husband: men's boxers, cargo pants, Burda red T-shirt and blue T-shirt, Burda hoodie
I: lingerie, Burda blue reglan blouse, Love Notion Sabrina Slims II, Sinclair Lotte blouse
As we near peak Mechit, further the chains of peaks become visible and the view is breathtaking - Musala, the summit of Rila, is in the center of the picture.
The final access to the peak is through broken stones, but the path up is short and not that tricky.
Peaks Bezimenen and Lopushki to the south
We were lucky to be the only ones on the peak at that hour, so we had our picnic directly on the peak, with the million dollar view :)
After our late lunch, we continued along the Ferdinand's road to peak Bezimenen, to see the memorial plate
Peak Mechit from the south and the clearly visible Ferdinand's road
We returned to the car along the same path, passing by Mechit lodge. The whole hike took us 9 hours - with some significant blueberry picking along the way :)
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