It wasn’t until I visited Bulgaria that I realized how impressive the country’s mountains were. They may not reach 10,000 feet, but the Rila Mountains have everything from thick forests and alpine lakes to snow-covered ridges and surprisingly rugged terrain.
While I was in Bulgaria, I decided to climb Musala Peak. At 9,596 feet (2,925 meters), Musala is the highest mountain in Bulgaria and the highest point in the entire Balkan Peninsula.
I climbed it in late May, right between the winter ski season and the summer hiking season. That turned what can be a relatively straightforward summer hike into a much longer day involving mud, deep snow, frozen lakes, an ice axe, and eventually a summit covered in fog and rime ice.
Starting Through the Rila Forest
My hike began at roughly 4,500 feet (1,350 meters) in thick pine forest.
Late May meant that winter was disappearing quickly at the lower elevations. Melting snow higher in the mountains was swelling the creeks and streams running through the forest.
Fifteen Miles Without the Gondola
During winter, these mountains attract skiers. During summer, hikers and campers take over. In both seasons, gondolas normally carry visitors partway up the mountain.
I managed to arrive in the awkward period between the two.
The gondola was closed.
Instead of getting a ride halfway up the mountain, I had roughly a 15-mile (25-kilometer) round-trip hike ahead of me.
As I climbed through the pine forest, I gained altitude quickly. The trees became progressively smaller and different plants began replacing the forest around me.
Finding the First Snow
Above about 6,000 feet (1,850 meters), the melting snow created another problem.
Mud.
Some sections were ankle deep, and avoiding it wasn’t always possible. Soon after crossing the worst of the muddy areas, I began reaching much more substantial snow.
Spring Fighting Its Way Up the Mountain
Despite being surrounded by snow, I could see spring slowly fighting its way higher into the mountains.
Small flowers were appearing anywhere the ground had finally been exposed.
The contrast was strange. At the bottom of the mountain, winter was basically over. Higher up, I was about to spend most of the day traveling through snow.
Musala Hut
A little more than halfway through the hike, I reached several large mountain huts.
Musala Hut is the best known and normally isn’t far from where the gondola drops off hikers. During my late-May visit, however, the area felt almost deserted.
At least one new structure appeared to be under construction near a large mountain lake, but none of the huts I passed seemed to be open.
I walked through what felt like a little mountain ghost town and continued toward Musala.
Apparently I Took the Wrong Way Up
After passing Musala Hut, I ended up on considerably steeper terrain.
I had been told that I wouldn’t need an ice axe for the climb, but looking at the snow-covered slope in front of me, it seemed silly to carry one all this way and then not use it.
So I used it.
It wasn’t until I descended later that I realized why everyone had said an ice axe wasn’t necessary.
I had gone up the wrong approach.
At least I finally got some use out of the equipment I had hauled all the way up the mountain.
Halfway up, I stopped and looked back toward the lake and Musala Hut below.
Frozen Lakes and Deep Snow
Another lake or two later, the scenery became even better.
By this point, the snow was considerably deeper. Most of it was manageable on foot, although there were a few short sections where snowshoes would have been useful.
The lakes surrounded by snow made this part of the Rila Mountains feel much more alpine than I had expected before coming to Bulgaria.
The Other Peaks of the Rila Mountains
The mountain scenery continued to impress me as I gained altitude.
Musala might be the highest peak in the Rila Mountains, but it certainly isn’t the only interesting one. Some of the surrounding mountains looked like they would offer much more technical climbing.
This particular peak appeared to have an almost vertical chimney running through the middle of it.
The Upper Route to Musala
At the end of the valley, I was surprised to find yet another large mountain hut beside another frozen lake.
From here, the normal route finally became steep.
The upper section had large poles connected by cables to help hikers climb toward the summit ridge. I was actually a little disappointed to see them.
Of course, I immediately tried to avoid using them and climb on my own.
A few parts of the ridge were fairly narrow, and the position of the cables sometimes made it impossible to simply walk straight through the center.
Fortunately, the steep section didn’t last very long.
Into the Fog
Once above the steeper terrain, I reached a much wider and gentler summit ridge.
The weather, however, had deteriorated.
Deep fog covered the mountain, and I couldn’t see much ahead of me. Eventually a large structure began appearing through the mist.
I hadn’t even known there was a weather station on top of Musala.
When I got closer, I could see that the building was coated in rime ice, reminding me of the weather station on Mount Washington back in New Hampshire.
A Surprise at the Weather Station
By this point, my main camera had died.
Then I discovered that my GoPro was out of memory.
I sat in the snow outside the weather station trying to figure out what old videos I could delete so I could take more photographs.
At some point, the door beside me suddenly swung open and a bearded man stepped outside to smoke a cigarette.
He seemed surprisingly startled to find me sitting there.
I wasn’t sure why. I assumed people reached the summit fairly regularly.
Then again, maybe not many of them were sitting outside his door in the snow trying to fix a GoPro.
The Highest Cat in the Balkans
I never managed to clear enough memory from the GoPro, so my final photographs were taken with my phone.
Then I encountered someone else living at the weather station.
A cat.
It clearly belonged to the people working there, but finding a cat casually wandering around the summit at nearly 9,600 feet was not something I had expected.
Standing on Top of the Balkans
Eventually I reached the top of Musala Peak at 9,596 feet (2,925 meters), the highest point anywhere in the Balkans.
The fog meant I didn’t get the enormous summit views I might have had on a clear day, but the climb itself had been far more interesting than I expected.
I had started down in springtime forest, crossed swollen streams and ankle-deep mud, climbed into snow, passed frozen lakes and deserted mountain huts, accidentally taken a steeper route than necessary, and finished beside an ice-covered weather station.
And somehow there was a cat waiting for me at the top.
Before visiting Bulgaria, I hadn’t given its mountains much thought.
After climbing Musala, I definitely did.
Explore More of Bulgaria
Musala Peak • Sofia • the Rila Monastery
