Cold Odyssee at Peak Polezhan

Hi there Hive Family,

It was about time I experience some real winter conditions in the mountain.

So todays plan was to go to Lodge Gotse Delchev, take the Lift to its last station Lodge Bezbog, and then hike to peak Polezhan. It was already -7 degrees at Lodge Gotse Delchev so we are expecting temperatures of -15 at Lodge Bezbog and under -20 at the peak itself. Basically a Cold Odyssee.

We refilled our water bottles with some frozen water 😀 and headed to the lift.

We were all alone during our ascend. There weren´t even ski or snowboard enthusiasts in such harsh weather conditions. Luckily, the wind was smooth and we were able to go all the way to the end station without too many shaking stops. But we were feeling the cold. Our extremities and behinds froze from the still sitting. At some point I was wondering why am I even here in such conditions. I shouldn´t be doing it for my own sake. Oh well.. we move on.

Images from Lodge Bezbog. I was looking through the mirror and seeing a very strong wind, temperatures of -15 or less, and sky that was not clear at all. The clouds were constantly moving with extreme speed. We sat down and contemplated our next move. Should we even start the hike... But then a miracle happened. Just as we were preparing our snowshoes, 2 ladies came in and we immediately started talking. They were very experienced with 10+ years of hiking. And were going the same way as us. What an excellent lucky encounter. We felt more confident now, knowing that they are with us and actually know much better how to survive at such low temperatures.

Little by little the sky was clearing. We left Lodge Bezbog and headed together to our destination. The terrain was soft in the beginning so our snowshoes were very much appreciated as we were constantly fighting not to fall down.

The views do not dissapoint at all. Marvelous mountains in Pirin.

We are now half-way through our hike. The weather conditions are actually getting better and better. It is already mid-day and we feel invigorated.

I captured some really amazing snow formations like the big hole and a couple of snow walls. It is just stunning how nature works.

We took a small break before our final ascend. The big peak above me is peak Polezhan. We also had some wind storms along the way but nothing very serious.

And we made it! This is Peak Polezhan and the 360 degree Panorama of Pirin. Just breathtaking views. We did not stay for long as it got cold really fast and our extremities began to freeze. But we felt the energy and power of a real winter hike to 2850 meters altitude.

Thank you for checking out my blog :)

Stay happy, be peaceful!

Namaste

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