The Last Hike

Hopefully it will not be the last hike of the year, but last weekend Lisa and I took the opportunity to go with some friends to the Rila Mountains for an all day hike.

“Rila is the highest mountain (range) in Bulgaria and on the whole Balkan Peninsula. It is a part of the Rila-Rhodope Massif and occupies its north-east end. Rila seems to be a piece of the Alps thrown into the heart of the Balkans with its 130 Alpine peaks above 2000m, glacial valleys and lakes… the most famous and scenic of all - the 7 Rila lakes.” (bgtravel.com)

We left Drew with a baby sitter and we headed out with our friends, Paul and Erin Smith. Paul and Erin are avid hikers and were kind enough to take us along. We hiked above the tree line and the views were spectacular. Of course pictures never do it justice, but you can check them out at the link below. We hiked up to the 7 lakes and ate lunch at a “Hizha.” A Hizha is a shelter/hotel/restaurant up in the high elevations for the mountains. Bulgarians will hike for days from hizha to hizha. The only down side is that our little walk ended up going 8hrs. Our legs were dead - it literally felt as if my hamstring was pulling away from my leg bone by the end of the trip. All in all, it was a great trip and we hope to do it again soon.

Pictures: http://sheppardbulgaria.shutterfly.com/action/