Aug-Oct 2022, Bulgaria (hiking)

Wed, 29 Jun 2022

BankOfAmerica emailed that they were sending out contactless credit card soon. Existing card will be cancelled when this happens. [Edit 30 Oct 2022: existing card number, stored in KeePass password manager, continued working for booking.com and airline purchases through end of October. So evidently existing card cancelled only upon activation of new card.] Decided to buy airline ticket immediately, while existing card still valid. $776 on Lufthansa: Sofia to San Francisco on 3 Nov, return flight San Francisco to Madrid on 27 Feb of 2023. Also bought Flixbus ticket for $18 for 3 Nov from San Francisco to Reno.

Used $55 in dollar account at Piraeus bank in Ukraine to add to Vodafone Ukraine mobile balance, to keep number active until next July. Payment using Piraeus debit card went through without problems. Initially tried paying with USA cards, but BofA sent 2FA SMS to ATT number (which doesn't support roaming) and I didn't notice 2FA SMS that USBank sent to Google Voice.

Paid about $161 for Kyiv storage locker through July 2023 by transfer from Piraeus. Received 2FA SMS (required to initiate transfers) at Ukraine Vodafone mobile number using spare phone, connected to local (Moldova) Vodafone network with data off. Vodafone doesn't charge for incoming SMS texts, not even when roaming.

Tue, 02 Aug 2022

Landlady recommended against Chisinau to Bucharest bus: long border delays due to heavy traffic related to war in Ukraine. Some misgivings of my own due to small size of bus. So bought ticket with Air Moldova for Thu, Aug 18, Chisinau to Bucharest, leaving 10:50, arriving 11:40, €98. Bank of America sent 2FA SMS to ATT mobile number, so had to call fraud support voice line to verify transaction. After that, no problems. Also bought FlixBus ticket for Bucharest to Sofia bus on Fri, Aug 19, leaving 8:40, arriving 15:00, €13. Also made booking.com reservations in Bucharest for Thu ($44) and Sofia for Fri ($28). So should be hiking up Vitosha as of Sat morning.

Thu, 18 Aug 2022

Arrival in Bucharest by air. No problems with either Moldova or Romanian border control.

Fri, 19 Aug 2022

Bus to Sofia. No problems with border control, but didn't receive Bulgaria stamp for some reason. Changed Romanian currency and coins at bus station, changed euros at Mall of Sofia, which gave excellent rate, just tiny spread. Also at mall, bought A1 mobile service for 12 lev for 30 days. Neither SIM packaging nor A1 website explains service, but salesman assured me that, if I add 10 lev every 20 days (after initial 30 days), I get 6GB data and 200 minutes. Checked into Easy Hotel. Pullups in park, bought 3 days groceries at Billa, ate 1 day in park. Had to change rooms at hotel because air conditioning not working.

Sat, 20 Aug 2022

Left hotel about 6:30. Pullups in park, ate breakfast, metro to Vitosha stop, bus 66 to Hotel Moreni (1800m altitude), then started hiking. Body very strong. Warm day, though not too bad at altitude. Carried 4L from piped spring on trail south of Vitosha, after drinking 2L there with early lunch. Camped in beeches off side road about 3km south of Zaslon Smila. Lightning, thunder and heavy rain starting at 16:00. Feels very good to be back at home in the forest, after 3 months of hotel and apartment living.

vitosha

Sun, 21 Aug 2022

Best sleep since I left Spain 3 months ago. Clear sky and much cooler temperature in morning, with low enough humidity that tarp almost dry. Talked briefly with 21yo Frenchman hiking E4. Light rain starting around 15:00. Camped about 4km from Klisura, about 300m down side road that forks right (south) off E4, under beeches.

Mon, 22 Aug 2022

Slept well again, but need rest days to recover from soreness in buttock and hamstring muscles. 10:20 bus from Klisura to Samokov almost completely full, with several passengers standing in aisle. What a hassle if no room for me onboard. Two nights single room at Grand Hotel for 60 lev. Room lacks electrical socket near bed, otherwise nice.

Tue, 23 Aug 2022

Feeling very lazy, but more at home than in Chisinau. Constant travel is apparently only way for me to feel at home nowadays. Probably need to figure out way to travel in summer in Ukraine. Pullup bars near river, 500m south of hotel.

Wed, 24 Aug 2022

Legs feel recovered, but mind reluctant to move on. In looking back, what I should do henceforth is continue on E4 after Klisura, then descend to Samokov via Vada and Ovnarsko huts and village of Govedartsi. 2 extra nights camping plus avoids possible problems with bus from Klisura. So 4 nights total from Sofia, then 2 nights in hotel, week 1. Then 6 nights to Razlog, ascending via Govedartsi, 2 nights in hotel, week 2. Then 5 night tour of Pirin, ascending via Yavorov hut, loop west, descend to Bansko, 2 nights in hotel, week 3. Then another 5 night tour of Pirin, 2 nights in Razlog, week 4. Week 5 is return to Samokov, arriving late September. Then 5 week loop on E8 and Sultan's Trail, finishing near end of October.

Tiresome road walking to Govedartsi. Possible to catch bus from Samokov. Then again, road walk means very nice campsite in forest, next to top of old ski lift, just before Mechit hut.

tarp in forest

Thu, 25 Aug 2022

Lighting, thunder and heavy rain around 21:00 last night then again about 6:00 this morning. Very long and tiring walk to Ribni Ezera hut. Body feels weak or maybe not enough food. Slipped because overhanging branch caught on pack, abraded inside left arm on another branch. Maybe cut this stretch in two. Can also take 2 days to Makedonia hut, passing by Cemkovo hut and Belitsa vacation village, so 7 days to Razlog. Big dinner at hut, then camped nearby.

mountain view

Fri, 26 Aug 2022

From Ribni Ezera, took trail to Kanarata, then western descent to Semkovo hut. Steep and difficult 3km from crest to road. Would hate to ascend this trail. Try the eastern descent next year. Big meal at Semkovo hut (lentil soup, shopska salad, 3 meat patties, 6 slices bread), refilled water bottles. Camped about 3km east of Makedonia hut.

tarp

Sat, 27 Aug 2022

Should have proceeded another 1.5km, to avoid morning visit by cowherd and his huge dogs. Big meal at Makedonia hut, then loaded up with 4.5L and camped about 3km south of hut, pasture at 2400m altitude.

south of makedonia hut

Sun, 28 Aug 2022

Horrible sound of animals nearby during night. Sounded like wild boar, but probably just horses snorting. Beautiful weather. E4 from Kapatnik down to forest road much cleaner and better marked than several years ago. Trail from forest road to Predel also appears to have been cleaned and marked recently, however I continued on forest road to Razlog. Camped in beech forest, about 1.5km past where E4 leaves road, at junction of road from Mrasenitsa. Light rain in evening.

Mon, 29 Aug 2022

Checked into Aparthotel Nadezhda in Razlog (80 lev for 2 nights).

Wed, 31 Aug 2022

Left town with 800g peanuts, 6x85g dark chocolate, 500g bread as trail food. Hiked up to Yavorov hut. Private double room for 35 lev single occupancy. Thunderstorm in evening: powerful lightning strikes and thunder nearby.

Thu, 01 Sep 2022

Clear sky in morning, cloudy and cool later. Very few hikers compared to late August 2018. Saw 4 wild boar on descent from Albutin. They moved away when they detected me, but didn't seem particularly frightened: not good. Zagaza hut closed. Proceeded towards Sinanitsa hut. Camped on trail itself, in forest at 1300m, at first acceptable spot after trail leaves road, because trail rugged and not sure as to camping possibilities further on. Should have eaten more food at Yavorov hut.

south of albutin

Fri, 02 Sep 2022

Rain starting just before dawn, without thunder. So rain every day all past week, and forecast for more rain. Maybe weather is why so few hikers. About 9am, while still drizzling, hiker descending from Sinanitsa said hut was open. Broke camp about 30 minutes later, by which time rain had almost completely stopped. Camping possibilities higher up, though no better than spot I chose yesterday. Big meal at Sinanitsa hut. Communicated with manager in mix of broken Russian and Bulgarian. Better able to express myself than previous visits, though Bulgarian study over past year hasn't made me even A2 fluent. He said Sinanitsa hut open until end of September and Yane Sandanski hut until November. Soup and bread at Spano Pole Shelter, which had at least 12 people on site, maybe because accessible by forest road and because "shelter" is actually complex of small huts suitable for couples. Though I didn't ask about staying, manager mentioned no spaces available, so evidently all huts reserved for weekend. Camped in beautiful clearing, about 2km further along trail towards Begovitsa hut.

east of sinanitsa hut

camp in clearing

Sat, 03 Sep 2022

Clearing was not easily visible from trail, but too close for true stealth. Hikers passed in morning, as I was breaking camp, but didn't notice me. Meal at Begovitsa hut, which manager said is open until end September, as are Pirin and Tevno Ezero huts. Talked to group of hikers, who said huts sometimes closed Monday and Tuesday even in summer, to allow managers to rest. This may be what happened on 01 Oct 2018, which was a Monday. Camped 1.5km away, direction Tevno Ezero hut, at least 100m from trail and behind shrubs, so fully stealthy. Short day,

Sun, 04 Sep 2022

Meal at Tevno Ezero hut. Camped on way to Bezbog hut, before Golemo Valyavishko Ezero, hidden behind shrubs.

camp behind shrubs

Mon, 05 Sep 2022

Thunderstorm during night, with heavy rain. Ground became water soaked, including under tarp, so that sides of quilt became wet. Temperature not too cold, so not uncomfortable. Sun out in morning, dried everything out. Resumed trail towards Bezbog hut, then turned at intersection towards Popovo Ezero and looped back to Tevno Ezero. Big meal there, then returned to campsite of yesterday, which had dried out during day.

tevno ezero hut

Tue, 06 Sep 2022

Walked down to Bansko, stopping at Demyanitsa hut on way for omelet. Made booking.com reservation for 2 nights at Red House Family Hotel. Price shown was 73 lev initially, but changed to 121.50 lev at final checkout. Didn't notice until after paying (non-refundable). Sent complaint to booking.com customer service. Will surely be annoying waste of time to resolve issue, assuming it does get resolved. Hotel nice enough, though had to use Skype to return call to owner in Czechia to arrange entry. Bought food at supermarket and ate in town park, which has good pullup bars. Washed clothes at hotel.

Wed, 07 Sep 2022

Rest day. Wasted time with booking.com, who appear willing to refund overcharge based on screenshots. (Able to reproduce problem by making second reservation at hotel, but stopping before final payment step.)

Thu, 08 Sep 2022

Hiked up to campsite I used twice before. Felt rushed leaving Bansko. Maybe 3 days per town stop instead of 2.

Fri, 09 Sep 2022

Hiked back to Demyanitsa hut to get internet access. (Needed to schedule transfer from investment account to bank account for Sep 15 tax payment. Should have done this yesterday in Bansko.) Ate lunch there then returned to campsite.

Sat, 10 Sep 2022

Cloudy and cool. Big meal at Tevno Ezero hut. Camped in forest near Pirin hut.

overlooking campsite, somewhere to left in photo

Sun, 11 Sep 2022

Meal at Pirin hut. Took route north, passing near Kyklite peak. Camped about 1.5km from Begovitsa hut, similar general location as Saturday of last week, but campsite not as good as before. Should have recorded previous location as GPS waypoint. Rain at night.

Mon, 12 Sep 2022

Sun out in morning, so able to dry everything out. Meal at Tevno Ezero hut. Camped at usual site on way to Demyanitsa hut.

Tue, 13 Sep 2022

Frost on tarp. Everything warmed up and dried out soon after sun rose over mountains. Walked down to Bansko, bus at 15:00 to Razlog for 2 lev, booking.com reservation at Aparthotel Nadezhda (65 lev for 2 nights). Washed up, bought food at grocery. Much more relaxed than at Bansko, perhaps because no booking.com problems to deal with (as of today, booking refunded that 41.50 lev overcharge), perhaps because Razlog not so touristy as Bansko, perhaps because everything easier now that I am retracing route.

Thu, 15 Sep 2022

Hiked up to Dobursko hut and camped there.

Fri, 16 Sep 2022

Breakfast at Dobursko hut, lunch at Makedonia hut. Camped in valley on way to Semkovo hut. Had to wait to set up tarp until cowherd guided cows away. Rain in evening. Cut tips of fingers while breaking dry branch to make room for tarp: blood leaking everywhere until I tightly bound fingers with tape.

Sat, 17 Sep 2022

Slept badly because of noise from nearby stream and aching finger due to excessively tight bandaging. Rain in morning. Meal at Semkovo hut. Camped 1.5km away, after trail leaves road, follow trail some then follow right fork 200m to open area, with flat spot under tree. Raining as I set up tarp, so everything got wet. Lightning, thunder and heavier rain later.

Sun, 18 Sep 2022

Drizzling again in morning, then sun finally came out. Left camp late, after drying gear. Possible campsites on trail itself in forest at about 2000m elevation, or higher elevations amid scrub pines. Trail to ridge passing by Vapsko Ezero much easier than trail to west that I followed in opposite direction 3 weeks ago (26 Aug): would really hate to ascend that other trail. Big meal at Ribni Ezero hut. Caretaker woman said hut open until first snow, usually in October. Camped about 2km north of hut, 2200m elevation. I had assumed no one would be hiking late Sunday, so camped just off trail. German guy came by shortly afterwards. Then a couple passed later. Definitely should have chosen stealth site, of which plenty nearby.

vapsko ezero

campsite several km north of ribni ezero

Mon, 19 Sep 2022

Ice on tarp and ground outside tarp frozen, so temps well below freezing. Bottles stored under pack, so liquid water available. Talked in Russian to Bulgarian man aged 67 clearing brush from trails: thanked him sincerely for his efforts, because overgrown scrub pines can easily make trails impassable. Camped after Mechit hut, same site as 4 weeks ago (24 Aug). About 1.5 south of Mechit hut, at 1880m elevation, is trail to жълто езеро. Possible to camp along this little used trail, sheltered by pines. This would be better campsite in August, whereas campsite north of Mechit hut, at 1680m, better in late September. Took rest stop at жълто езеро trailhead and got pine sap all over pants.

view north from near mechit

Tue, 20 Sep 2022

Not nearly as cold as last night, because lower elevation and shaded by trees (less radiant heat loss). Walked to Samokov. 2 nights at Hotel Grand for 70lev through booking.com. Beautiful day but chilly, and clouds visible in mountains. Forecast for continued cold, cloudy and drizzly, especially in mountains, until Saturday, so 2 nights here then 2 nights in Borovets, then resume hiking.

According to schedule posted on bus shelter, bus leaves Samokov at 9:15 for Malovitsa, stops at Govedartsi. So next August, try that. If no bus or bus full, walk. Otherwise, avoid road walk in heat.

Wed, 21 Sep 2022

Headache in morning, maybe from cleaning chemicals in bed or elsewhere in room. Leave balcony door open tonight for fresh air.

Thu, 22 Sep 2022

No headache this morning. Possibly lack of food or dehydration caused headache yesterday. 2 nights at Villa Park Studio Enjoy in Borovets for 96lev through booking.com, very nice place, but paper thin walls. Today is Bulgarian Independence Day, so holiday rates.

Fri, 23 Sep 2022

Borovets incredibly depressing place, like all ski resorts off-season. Not sure what they are like in-season, other than snow everywhere. Walk through forest from Samokov was nice, as is wooden church next to hotel (only wooden church in Bulgaria), but in future years, just take shuttle bus, which runs every half-hour, so as to minimize time in Borovets. Bought two loaves bread at convenience store and ate one (second will be trail food), together with peanuts and chocolate carried from Samokov. Plenty of restaurants open, but depressing to look at, much less eat at. Should be food at huts tomorrow.

Sat, 24 Sep 2022

Beautiful sunny day, much warmer than previous few days. Omelet at Chakur Voyvoda hut. Maritsa hut not operating. Sausage and cabbage salad at Zavrachitsa hut, then loaded 4L water. Running water everywhere in these mountains, but possibly cow tainted. Camped about 1km from hut, about 2400m elevation.

campsite near zavrachitsa hut

Sun, 25 Sep 2022

Temperatures below freezing last night. Forgot to put bottles under pack, then remembered during night, at which time already half frozen, but ice in bottles mostly melted by morning. Campsite not stealthy, so noticed by early hikers leaving Zavrachitsa hut. Beautiful day. Ate bread, peanuts, chocolate. Stealth camp in forest just after Belmeken dam, 1900m elevation.

view west, while hiking towards belmeken

chavcha valley

Mon, 26 Sep 2022

Another beautiful day. Omelet at Xristo Cmirnenski hut. Bought food at store in Yundola. Camped at 1600m, on way to Velingrad.

view west, while descending from belmeken reservoir

camped in forest

Tue, 27 Sep 2022

Light rainfall last night, overcast and cool this morning. Campsite was stealthy, but old man collecting mushrooms noticed me as I was eating breakfast (later than usual because of rain). He only spoke Bulgarian, but we communicated okay. 2 nights at Къща за гости Шошови in Velingrad for 86 lev through booking.com. Very nice room. Did pullups in Rich/Borov park.

Lufthansa cancelled 3 Nov flight. Called customer service and arranged alternate flight, but later arrival means I will miss afternoon Flixbus, and so will have to wait until Friday morning for Greyhound. Should have arranged new flight with much later departure and arrival times, so less time waiting in San Francisco plus no need to get to Sofia airport in early morning. Unfortunately, thought of this too late and didn't want to risk problems with another schedule change.

Wed, 28 Sep 2022

Paid $35 to reschedule Lufthansa flight: leave Sofia on Thursday at 14:40, arrive San Francisco at 21:10, with 1:15 connection in Frankfurt. Connection shorter than I prefer, but better times than previously. Also bought Greyhound ticket: leave San Francisco on Friday at 7:30, arrive Reno at 14:20. Probably should plan on overnight wait for bus in future, versus trying to catch late afternoon bus.

Thu, 29 Sep 2022

Loaded up with 6 days dark chocolate and peanuts, since hard to find quality versions of these in small towns, plus some bread and cheese, which is easier to find. Rakitovo is dreadful looking and endless. Camped at 1200m, about 7.5km west of Batak. Light rain in evening.

camped in forest

Fri, 30 Sep 2022

Following Sultan's Trail route, without attempt at shortcut like in 2018. Picked up water at faucet outside chapel along road 376. Bought loaf of bread and fruit at store in Batak. Water faucet in park southwest of town, on route. Water from spring about 50m south of Teheran Hut, along abandoned road which runs about 20m west and downhill from marked route. Camped in forest at 1500m elevation, just off road and near small lake.

bear footprint, 1650m elevation, several km south of teheran hut

Sat, 01 Oct 2022

Passed several piped springs today. Occasional lght drizzle. Huge number of recent blowdowns blocking trail starting from where G8 and Sultan's Trail leave gravel road. Passed some men cutting away at group of one group of blowdowns blocking forest road. Camped at 1350m elevation. Furious thunder and lightning storm during night, but only moderate rain and little wind. Lack of wind important, because dead trees nearby, and given enormous number of blowdowns, evidently even live trees not well rooted in this area.

Sun, 02 Oct 2022

Blue sky in morning, much less humid than yesterday. 75lev through booking.com for 2 nights at Къща за гости Мелиса in Borino. Stayed here previously in 2019.

Mon, 03 Oct 2022

Stores here have poor selection, but bread and yellow cheese (кашкавал) should always be available. Cheese I bought today in large sized package (450g), but carrying half eaten package not a problem in cool temperatures. Peanuts I bought yesterday tasted rancid. Amazingly, store had Roshen 80% chocolate in stock, but wouldn't count on that in the future. So stock up on dark chocolate and peanuts in cities, then only need to buy bread, cheese and fruit in small towns. Pullup bar on grounds of local stadium.

Tue, 04 Oct 2022

Beautiful weather: cool, low humidity. Bought 3 loaves bread today, 3 x 200g cheese yesterday. Plus 3 x 200g peanuts, 3 x 90g dark chocolate carried from Velingrad. So 3 days food to get to Smolyan. Road walk from Borino to bypass Devil's Gorge, which I've hiked twice already. Camped in forest, saddle at 1420m elevation, 2km as crow flies from Chairski hut.

near trigrad

Plan to consolidate into just two equity ETFs (USA, non-USA), with minimal capital gains taxes because stock market currently depressed. My mind is starting to get lazy where financial matters are concerned, so need to simplify. Original idea was multiple funds, then put excess dividends into whichever fund was undervalued relative to others, but this assumes both market inefficiency at ETF level and my own ability to effectively take advantage of such inefficiency: unlikely for either of these assumptions to be true, much less both.

Also need to clean up mess with banks and their damned 2FA (two factor authorization) SMS requirements and associated mobile phone issues.

Then decide about Ukraine. Storage locker in Kyiv already making me nervous because of the war. So how can I possibly consider residency and all the paperwork that involves? Or owning property? Girlfriend could own property for me, but what if she disappears? People do just up and die unexpectedly, among other things that could go wrong. On the other hand, if I had to pick where to settle, it would be Kyiv, not Reno. Maybe just need to hire legal/accounting assistants in Kyiv. I own in my name, I do online filing, I keep paperwork in my hands so not tied to any assistant, but assistant steps me through everything. Big nuisance compared to being tourist.

Wed, 05 Oct 2022

Another beautiful cool day. Follow E8 out of Mugla, then fork right at 1750 meters onto grassy track, shown on maps, which is clean and easy walking and rejoins E8 near Orpheus Peak: much better than Sultan's trail route, which is overgrown, or E8, which goes to Ledinitsata hut and so is much longer. Camped after Perelik hut, 1770m elevation, flat spot south of road, just before E8 separates from Sultan's trail.

view north, from near orpheus peak

Thu, 06 Oct 2022

Walked down to Smolyan using trail marked on map, from near where E8 and Sultan's Trail diverge. This trail is overgrown path through grassy field for first 200m, then becomes clear trail through forest, then clear forest road. Longer Sultan's Trail route visits scenic waterfalls, but I did that in 2018 and don't need to repeat. 80lev through booking.com for 2 nights at Hotel Katerina at far east end of Smolyan. Would be 60lev if I didn't use booking.com. Might try Guesthouse Sportna 17 when I return, which was 30lev/night in 2019, and has more convenient location (bus station at far west end of town). Though view from room at Hotel Katerina is fantastic.

Pullup bars near hotel on Ulitsa Natalia, plus minipark in center of town, Blvd Bulgaria about 200m west of Billa, below street level, accessible by stairs.

Sat, 08 Oct 2022

After eating big breakfast, left Smolyan with 3*650g bread, 3*200g cheese, 7*90g dark chocolate, 5*200g peanuts. From cemetery at top of town, follow trail to road, then sidewalk alongside road to Pamporovo, then rejoin E8. Camped in forest at 1600m.

camp in forest

Sun, 09 Oct 2022

Late start, late finish. Camped in open field about 2km past Svoboda hut, without tarp. Picked up 4.5L water from one of several running fountains near Svoboda hut, enough for all tomorrow.

Mon, 10 Oct 2022

Dew on gear on morning, dried as sun rose. Passed several fountains, so didn't need all water from yesterday. Drank 2L for breakfast and 1.5L for lunch, so not heavy burden. Walk along or near steep ridge, so not many campsites. Possible to camp on trail, but then trail turned into dirt road. Finally, about 500m before paved road which leads north then west to Karatepe peak (2.3km northwest from campsite as crow flies), noticed flat looking spot on ridge. Followed old foot trail (maybe hunter trail) to ridge and found okay campsite: fully stealthy, flat, not too bumpy, some wind shelter from shrubs, able to insert stakes into rocky ground. Wild boar snorting nearby during night.

view east

Tue, 11 Oct 2022

After leaving paved road, onto ruggesd road marked Sini Vrah, watches carefully for footpath forking to left, since road itself ascends to peak. Faucet outside Sini Vrah hut dry, but workers repairing hut let me to get water from faucet inside. Camped 1.5km from hut as crow flies, on ridge next to road, amid young beeches and oaks. No more bread or cheese, but plenty chocolate and peanuts. Short day. Light drizzle during night.

trail through beech forest

Wed, 12 Oct 2022

Overcast and cool most of day. Picked up 4.5L water at fountain after Zhalt Kamak hamlet. Bought 2 loaves bread, canned fish, cheese, fruit at store in Panichkovo. Stupidly decided to follow valley south of Yonchovo, because I remembered old dirt road there from 2019. Yes, but that road is only at east end of valley. At west end, just old foot trail, overgrown with thorns in places, and swarming with small flies which attack eyes and ears so that I had to put on headnet, which interfered with vision needed to get through brush. Finally made it to E8, at least as shown on OpenAndroMap, but no waymarking. Then followed E8 as shown on map into brush. What I should have done is follow red trail on bgmountains.org map, which apparently coincides with white colored road on Google maps satellite view. Camped in forest at 500m elevation. Made booking.com reservation for tomorrow.

Thu, 13 Oct 2022

Followed paved road to Bryastovo, since trails shown on map are overgrown. 2 nights at Hotel Victoria Gold in Mineralni Bani for 130lev via booking.com. Only hotel with vacancies for 2 nights. Arrange to arrive weekdays in future.

Fri, 14 Oct 2022

Bought week supply of peanuts and Roshen 80% dark chocolate. First bag of peanuts rancid-tasting, like those peanuts in Borino. Later found some quality dry-roasted peanuts. Used gate frame of basketball court next to police station for pullups.

Sat, 15 Oct 2022

Mild temps, windless, cloudy. After eating big breakfast in town, left with peanuts and chocolate from yesterday plus one day bread and cheese in case stores closed. Bought another day bread cheese and fruit in Trakiets, loaded up with water at fountain next to store, camped in forest after Teketo.

Sun, 16 Oct 2022

Hunters and woodcutters up early, but campsite stealthy, so not bothered while eating breakfast. Beautiful day: mild temps, low humidity, clear sky. Loaded up with 2L in Orlovo and drank 1L there. Bought bread, cheese, fruit in Tsareva Polyana. Town drunk wanted to make conversation, different town drunk from 2019. I answered his questions with obvious annoyance and fled as soon as food stored in pack. Fountains in Tsareva Polyana dry. Should have bought food in Orlovo, in case store closed in Tsareva Polyana, and maybe picked up another liter of water, because heavy perspiration while walking in sun. Camped in forest 2.4km (as crow flies) west of Kladenets.

camped in forest

Mon, 17 Oct 2022

Sign for Cheshma Katlaka, about 100m off trail, on way to Kladenets, but no water from pipes, just water flowing on ground. Hasn't rained in weeks, so lack of water from pipes not surprising. Drank 1.5L and loaded up with 4L at fountain on highway 200m east of Lyaskovets. Fountain with water in trough below road east of Dolno Sadievo, but I didn't check for flow from pipes. Villager said Tankovo hut closed and no water there. Camped on abandoned road 1km past turnoff for Tankovo hut. Whole body itches, probably because of chiggers from walking in high grass.

E8 between Teketo and Lyaskovets well marked, unlike in 2019, and mostly clear trail or dirt road. Note that waymarkings sometimes deviate from GPX and maps.

After leaving highway 593 east of Lyaskovets, fork right twice, walk south along west side of field, look east for gap in trees where dirt road descends from field into valley bottom, ascends on other side, eventually merges with well traveled dirt road to Dolno Sadievo. Route just described from highway to Dolno Sadievo runs about 800m south of E8 GPX, visible on Google maps, shown on bgmountains.org map, not shown on OpenAndroMaps map.

East of Dolno Sadievo, E8 is well traveled dirt road until paved road between Tankovo and Zlatoustovo.

Tue, 18 Oct 2022

Spotted adult tick on gear while eating breakfast: crushed between rocks. Warm while walking in sun, cool in shade. Picked up 1.5L from fountain just after road intersection in Zlatoustovo. Store closed in Dolno Pole. Bought bread, cheese, 1.5L water in Dolno Cherkovishte (water faucet outside store, though I didn't notice until later). Next time, go straight from Topolovo to Dolno Cherkovishte via dirt roads shown on map, since GPX detour to Dolno Pole follows overgrown trail, with thorns and possibly chiggers in high grass.

85 lev for room with breakfast at Complex Perpera (www.complexperpera.com) through booking.com. Fancy resort place.

south of topolovo

Wed, 19 Oct 2022

Woke up with bad headache. Breakfast was omelet, cheese, fruit. Another beautiful day once early morning fog burned off by sun. Headache gone by midday. Camped on ridge east of Svetoslav. Very short day, to recover from bad sleep and headache this morning.

Made reservation at Reno Livestock Center Motel6 for Nov 4-11, $385/week ($55/night). Would be $585/week ($84/night) at nicer Sparks Airport Motel6.

Thu, 20 Oct 2022

Bought bread, cheese, grapes in Svetoslav. Passed another store in Byala Polyana. Picked up water at fountain in Konevo. Other running fountains along way. 2 stores in Perperek, both near railway, another store in Chiflik, just over bridge. Bought 2 loaves bread, 350g cheese, carrots at first store in Perperek, more than needed to get to Kardzhali: somehow I got confused about distances. Camped in forest at saddle west of Chiflik, accessible by trail from near picnic area on highway 5071. Seemed very stealthy, but then shepherd and his flock passed nearby at 18:30. Dog and her puppy came up to me, both acted very friendly and didn't bark, shepherd evidently didn't notice me.

breaking camp in morning

making camp in evening

Fri, 21 Oct 2022

No shepherd in morning. Instead of GPX or paved road, followed dirt roads on map to get to Kardzhali. Passed through open but old and rusty gate and ended up on grounds of psychiatric hospital. Directors wanted to know why I was on hospital grounds, where I was from, where I slept last night, etc, then didn't seem to want to let me leave. Mention of hotel reservation eventually persuaded them: probably didn't want to be blamed for costing someone business. Inmates also acted as if they expected me to remain at hospital. Loaded up with peanuts and dark chocolate at Billa. 1 night at Стая за гости Пентагона for 50 lev through booking.com.

Sat, 22 Oct 2022

Woke up with headache again. Beautiful weather continues, or rather beautiful for hikers, since farmers probably would prefer some rain. Pullups using soccer goalposts east of Penovo. Camped in brush about midway between Kardzhali and Ardino. Area not too rich in suitable campsites, so don't be picky.

Bank of America informed me that SWIFT instructions for Piraeus Bank in Ukraine need to be redone using IBAN number, which I don't have. Everything connected with Ukraine unstable and flaky, especially banking.

friendly kitten

camped in brush

Sun, 23 Oct 2022

Forgot to buy bread and cheese yesterday, so just peanuts and chocolate to eat. Trail descending from Latinka to Devil's Bridge overgrown, but no alternative. Considered camping on this trail, versus continuing long and tiresome hiking day (aggravated by lack of food), but just then hunter walked by, so proceeded. Maybe possible to camp at saddle off shortcut trail from Devil's Bridge to paved road to Ardino. Would definitely be nice to have 3 days instead of 2 between Kardzhali and Ardino. 80 lev for 2 nights at Guesthouse Panorama, first hotel on way into town. Very few listings in booking.com, but several in Google Maps.

Mon, 24 Oct 2022

Pullup bars at football field just south of central park. Paid for another night at Guesthouse. Need break from hiking and room is very nice. Big meat meal at cafe: body needed protein because of muscle burned up yesterday.

Wed, 26 Oct 2022

Camped in forest about 2km before Shadeetsa hut, at 1100m elevation, first time over 1000m since Oct 11. But warm temperatures. Made booking.com reservation for tomorrow.

autumn colors

Thu, 27 Oct 2022

46 lev through booking.com for room at Nays Hotel in Madan. Pullup bar in central plaza.

Fri, 28 Oct 2022

Camped in forest on way to Polkovnik Serafimovo.

Sat, 29 Oct 2022

Camped in forest in mountains just south of Smolyan, 1300m elevation.

final campsite

Sun, 30 Oct 2022

Stopped in at Smolyan Avtogara and bought ticket to Sofia for Wednesday. 3 nights at Hotel Katerina for 90 lev. No balcony like on 6 Oct, but same great view. Made booking.com reservation for Sofia for Wednesday. Weather continues to be beautiful: mild temps, clear sky, no wind. No rain in weeks: maybe normal, maybe drought.

smolyan, as seen from hotel in evening

Wed, 02 Nov 2022

Bus to Sofia, 29 lev. 53 lev through booking.com for room at EasyHotel.

Thu, 03 Nov 2022

Flight to San Francisco via Frankfurt. Arrival in evening. Spent night in airport.

Cancelled Motel6 reservation for $385/week ($55/night) in favor of better location for $519 ($74/night), down from $585 ($84/night) when I last looked. Only be there 2 weeks, not worth risking problems.

After swapping SIMs, smartphone no longer recognized microSD. Put microSD in backup smartphone and it worked. Swapped back to primary, but still unreadable. So inserted again in backup and copied everything from microSD to 128GB internal memory of backup smartphone (primary smartphone only has 32GB). Hopefully, everything will hold together until I get to Reno and can backup to computer. Amazing I don't have more problems with electronics. [Later: When I put microSD that was causing problems into computer and tried to format, system said card write-protected, so evidently card defective.]

Decided to buy new primary/backup smartphones with 128GB internal memory, to reduce problems if microSD fails in future, and to allow easier backups to microSD cards. Existing primary smartphone 3 years old and so needs updating, and I don't like design of existing backup smartphone. New smartphones will be Android 12, which causes problems with some apps versus Android 10 on existing phone, but this issue will have to be addressed eventually, so might as well get it over with. Happy with current primary smartphone, but mistake to get attached to electronics: buy cheap, replace frequently, treat as temporary and disposable.

Need to order more wide-brim hats (fabric abrades faster than I expected) and bulk fabrics for ponchos, but delivery times for both might extend past 2 weeks, plus might need to return hats. Should have placed orders while in Europe.

Bluehost gave me free month because web hosting service expiring soon and they noticed I'm not renewing and evidently don't want to lose me as customer. My static website with few visitors and is minimal cost to run and thus almost pure profit to them. But they got greedy and almost tripled monthly price, despite competitors offering same $4 monthly price I paid Bluehost in 2019, after Godaddy drove me off with similar price hike antics. I'll call and try to negotiate, otherwise off I go to Dreamhost.

Bought Flixbus ticket for Reno to San Francisco in February, $19. One less thing to worry about. Then again, maybe fly instead of taking bus.

Fri, 04 Nov 2022

BART to downtown San Francisco in morning. Greyhound bus to Reno delayed because no driver. After waiting over 2 hours and still no news about when driver would arrive, another passenger decided to rent car from nearby rent-a-car agency and split cost if he could find 2 riders, so I volunteered. Greyhound refunded ticket price when we asked to cancel, because 2+ hour delay valid reason for cancellation. Shorter trip than with bus, so final arrival time about as originally planned. Actual rental cost was over $200, but driver quoted $40 per rider. I gave $50 bill and didn't ask for change. Next year, fly to Reno in morning after waiting overnight in airport. This allow for late arrival from Europe, passport control or luggage delays, delays on flight to Reno, time to visit mailbox and storage locker before checking into motel, time to find alternate motel in case problems with reservation.

Reserved another week at motel, this time price of $500 ($71/night), so scheduled to be here until Fri, 18 Nov. Then off on another Mojave bicycle tour.

Sat, 05 Nov 2022

Ordered various gear items. Backed up files from smartphone to computer, then from computer to multiple microSD cards. Removed micro USB adapters from packing list, since USB-C cables and accessories now widely available.

Tue, 08 Nov 2022

Setup id.me and ssa.gov accounts. Required upload photo of drivers license, video call using non-VOIP mobile number.

Renewed Bluehost hosting for 3 years at $6/month. Too lazy to bother switching to Dreamhost. Do that 3 years from now.

New smartphones (Motorola G Power 2022) working nicely. So maybe set for next 3 years with that as well. Android 12 problems: website files cannot be viewed locally with full functionality; Swype keyboard had to be replaced by Microsoft Swiftkey and DroidEdit by QuickEdit+, both of which are clumsier in some respects.

Switched from ATT prepaid to MintMobile prepaid, to allow receiving SMS 2FA texts while out of the USA.

Comments and Statistics

Overall, as perfect a trip as can be imagined. Maybe weather unusually warm and dry for October, maybe I got lucky. Two things to change in future: extend initial hike from Sofia to Samokov, assuming body not sore; keep pants rolled down on eastern E8, regardless of heat, as protection from chiggers.

76 nights in Bulgaria, 32 nights in hotels/huts, 44 nights camping. Hotel/hut cost 1345 lev total (about $685), or 42 lev/night (about $21). In other words, in 10 days in the USA, I spend more on accommodation than in 10 weeks in Bulgaria.