LAZAROW WORLD HIKE-ABOUT

Eastern Cape, South Africa: Storms River region.

'LAZAROW WORLD HIKE-ABOUT: WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HIKE-ABOUT?'

Hike-about is an adventure that commenced June 2010. After storing our household movables, ridding ourselves of a house but retaining our 'home' together, we set off with the purpose of hiking in different parts of the world, not forgetting the home country, the USA.

Our primary focus is hiking to mountain peaks but any challenging hike will do just fine. Extended stays enable us to enjoy and experience living in various places amongst differing cultures. Hike-about has evolved into a way of life. It's also a process of discovery, both the world and ourselves.

We work and live 'on the road' but return to the city in which our grandchildren reside, every couple of months. This provides us the wonderful opportunity to be with them as well as a child or two, even three and of course, friends.

By the end of 2023, the blog contained over 1,560 hikes (less than that actually undertaken), each a set of pictures with stories and anecdotes from the trails. An index to the right allows the viewer to identify earlier experiences.

Finally, we are often asked about the journey's end.
O
ur reply, as accurate as we can state, is: "When we are either forced to cease through health issues or the enjoyment level no longer reaches our aspirations, we will hang up the boots."

"A Life Experience As No Other: Dare to Seize the Day Together", published by Fulton Books, depicts our life on the road and mountains until the beginning of 2017. It has developed 'exponentially' since then.

Jenni and Jeffrey Lazarow

Whereas we continue to update the blog regularly, we circulate email notifications infrequently.

Thursday, September 14, 2023

60.19 Bulgaria: Polezhan: Setting out the features/sections of an experience to reach 'number 5' of the Balkan Mountain Range.

Position 1: We arrive at the commencement point. Ten days earlier, we walked up to this point, Bezbog Hut, in less than two hours. For this hike, we rode the chairlift to the hut as the hike to the peak would be more than enough for our capability.

Position 2: We walk to the other side of and above the lake and ascend the surrounding mountain while looking back at Bezbog.

If hiking, climbing or walking is placing one foot in front of the other and moving forward then how can this function/pastime be interesting. On the face of it, it’s a good question. Okay, have you any other questions? We would love to provide a comprehensive answer to the query because it’s deserving of explanation if only to share the enormous benefits we have and continue to derive from moving our feet about, taking into account hops, skips, jumps, climbs, trips, jogs and moves we never thought possible. It appears that we are stalling—not providing an answer to the issue raised. We have answered the question many times but not always directly. In addition, one does not wish to be repetitive or to appear to be justifying or rationalizing an activity. Suffice to say, without providing a magic solution to satisfy a reader’s interest, we would offer the following hedge. In fact, I will provide my own answer (Jeffrey) rather than coerce Jenni into agreeing. After all, while we may have (and do have) so much in common, it does not mean we agree on everything. (continues below) 

Position 3: Time for a stiff climb as we negotiate the second major ascent. 
Position 4: After 50 minutes, the mountain with 3 distinct sections confronts us. Most mountains are 'trained' to be deceptive...and this one is an expert in the field, including being covered in loose rocks.
Position 5: Typical of this mountain's surface.
Position 5a: The final ascent has 3 components: tough, tougher and toughest.
Position 5b: A view of Popova Lake.
Position 5c. Somewhere well below the peak.
The struggle on loose rocks of mostly granite.
Position 6: Jen peaks after an incredible outward hike, with lakes below. Got tougher on way down.

Position 7: Jen on the peak with views of Vihren and Kutelo behind, peaks we visited previously.
Position 7b: A close-up of this magnificent specimen...of course, Mount Vihren. The only thing lower than me is the 'hoodoo'.
Position 8: Close-ups of the stunning Vihren and Kutelo Peaks, number 2 and 3 of Bulgaria and the Balkans.
Two days prior, we witness the two peaks from the ski-slopes of Banderitsa.
Feel at home in Bulgaria although a pillow to sit on the peak would be nice.
A 'room with a view' as witnessed from the peak...Dobrinishte.
  I offer the following comment because I feel so blessed to have discovered a way of life different from anything else I have experienced during a life which I believe has been most fortunate—at least until today. (Thank you, Mom and Dad, for loving and protecting me during the early years). However, during the period prior to Hike-About (before 2010), as wonderful as it was, I did not learn, grow, experience, face challenges, discover, enjoy each day, including many more aspects of life, to the degree as during this latter period. Whether it will continue in the same vein that’s unknown to me. However, I do believe it’s been the most wonderful part of my life. It’s truly provided a more universal education, a better understanding of cultures, human behavior, personal tests and challenges, and of course, a deep and everlasting insight into the wilderness. Perhaps the best part of all has been to provide a self-understanding and to realize that as an individual in the context of the world, I am truly insignificant, even less. To counter that, it has also explained and allowed me to really understand and explore the concept of ‘Carpe Diem’ (Seize the Day). 

  I should add one more aspect; there are indeed many. While I have reached an age where I find humanity a disappointment in general, we do come across individuals whose goodness and decency make the world worthy of its existence. Thanks to those individuals and of course, all the other righteous people we've never met. We are further humbled by you. 

  Yes, perhaps there is something more than boring about an activity of placing one foot in front of the other. 

Position 9: On our return to the hill above the starting point, the wind had disappeared, allowing a stillness that's an infrequent sight, quite surreal.  
Sometimes he sits and thinks, sometimes he just sits. We eat brunch in so many different places, invariably with incredible views and atmospheres. This was yet another example of such opportunity.

Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey

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