Friday 25 July

Perhaps this is just the place to start today's story...

beside a little stream surrounded by grass and flowers, having just descended the steep part of the track from Musala, at 2925.4m the highest mountain in the Balkans, let alone Bulgaria. As the day was forecast as the best of the week, Trish decided to grab the opportunity and scarper off. A lift, 4827m long, goes from Borovets village at 1323m up to Yastrabets 2369m, so one only has to climb the remaining 556.4m to get to the top. Cost 12 lev for up and back down again, which is a bit less than $10. Horizontal distance from top of gondola about 6 km, starting with a flat walk along sort of 4WD track for about 3 km.

Nearly at the top station

Heading for the rounded but pointy one on the right!

 Along the 4WD track

past a lake

and a hut before the last pull uphill

View back downhill

Admiring the ridge!

On the top, Musala Cross

The hut 

Weather predictions even bettered,so it didn't rain at 3pm even!  Chilly on top, which was lost to view by 4pm. A very good track through the granite rock, and well worn, especially today, as every man and his DOG were there!

Technical information ... A weather station on top of the hut at the top, readings being taken at midday

 And something well locked down belonging to the Bulgarian Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy

But more beautifully many many wild flowers!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Robyn went off to the JWOC Middle qualifications which were held in a new area of lovely beech forest with micro detail - still at over 1000m asl. Very challenging as 6 courses (like in a relay) laid out on a small map. Nick and Alice had fantastic runs to be in top 20 of their groups and in A finals tomorrow. Ed an early starter had to wait for the last few to come home to find he was pushed out of the A selection by only 8 seconds. Everybody else gets to run again tomorrow on a very similar map.