Seven Lakes

This last weekend, many in my small community of volunteers chose to hike together to the seven lakes in the Rila Mountains. We hired an old guide who was supposed to know the area well. Our hike took us from a base altitude of perhaps 4,300 feet up to a hija (lodge or mountain hut) at 6,000 feet. From there, we hiked to the lakes which sit near surrounding peaks up to perhaps 7,500 feet.

Snow began to fall while the group rested in a hija half-way up the climb. As the light blizzard thickened, our guide announced that he was lost. Visibility was perhaps 50 feet and some of those in our party began to worry. They didn't think that my snow-angels were very funny as the guide searched ahead for a trail. I, myself, was just annoyed that the guide didn't bring a topo map and was drinking the whole way up. Shortly thereafter we began to hike through the white-out, mostly because people were getting pretty cold. Thermometers on the hand-held GPSs registered a bit below freezing. Suddenly, the outline of the hija broke throught the wind. No problem.

This is Andy and April having a fabulous time hiking in the snow before it really started coming down. --->

Inside the hija, the group played games (chess, cards, etc) and drank tea. A couple of us went outside again for a short-lived snowball fight. It was actually pretty darn hot in the hija. The next morning, the guide took us up to the lakes. We couldn't really see them at first (it was foggy again) but it soon cleared a bit and we had a nice view of the lower lakes. The guide got lost again for about 10 minutes, and some of us were pretty annoyed because he was obviously a bit drunk or hung-over. After a while, we were underway again and made it back to the hija without further incident. The seven lakes area was beautiful, and I look forward to visiting again when the weather is better.

Last night I went to dinner at my host-aunt's house in Vetren, a city close to Septemvri. I'll soon move into my own place in Stara Zagora and begin work there. I'll miss the family here. They have been supportive, patient, understanding, and most importantly, my closest friends here. They gave me a hand-knit, 100% wool sweater (the wool is from the family sheep) last night. I'll treasure the many types of warmth it will give me. I can look around my room and get that warmth when I see an art piece from a 2-yr old, a plastic pint-glass with friendly wishes written all over, a paper with terrific and inspiring quotes, an antler, pictures, my diary, and other gifts from friends and family. Thank you everyone for such generous support.