Lazarow World-Hike-About

Part of Koncheto Ridge, at 9,600 feet altitude. On the way down from Kutelo Peak, including a walk along Koncheto Ridge, Jenni remarked, “Can you believe what we’ve just done?” I didn’t have to give it much consideration as I, too walk around each day in awe of the tiny, tiny bits of the world we are privileged to explore. It would be unfair to single out any particular country or land. However, as we are currently in Bulgaria, having spent three weeks in Rila and Pirin National Parks, it is not difficult to offer an opinion in which at least one of us considers, particularly the latter forests and mountains, to be one of the most beautiful, moving, exciting, rugged, varied, tortuous, foot-killing, difficult and back-breaking places we’ve visited. We stand in awe each day as we struggle and sweat up-and-down the mountains, along the ridges, above the lakes and everywhere the rocky paths take us, making us climb most of the time. And when we rest our weary bodies and aching feet ...

Reaching 9,006 feet in altitude and climbing 3,300 feet on a rugged trail, mostly rock scrambling in an incredible environment with some of the great views nature has to offer will create a feeling that one has completed the best hiking day or close, of all time. Don't take our word for it, take a trip to Bulgaria...it's worth it. An intimidating sight...we suppose you had to be there. After nearly two hours of hiking and climbing, Jen faces a steep climb to the ridge. Me? I turned around, no steep ridge in front of me. Wow! We were handed a beautiful world, natural rather than developed. Who would have thought that Bulgaria had so much beauty? Of course, closed-minded people would not expect much from countries outside their ambit of periodical thoughts. We too only thought of the country as having been part of the former Soviet Union and its satellite states. In our defence, the one thing we can say is that over the years we have always differentiated between ...