E3: Botev Shelter to Dobrila Hut: Day 16

A fantastic if slightly scary day walking along high ridge tops, looking down on the clouds.

I had difficulty getting to sleep last night and kept wanting to pee, which necessitated walking 30 metres to the outside toilet. I am sure I never drank the amount that I peed out. Until midnight, I had to pass a Bulgarian group who talked late into the night, occasionally gathering in the outer lobby (where the Alsatian dog and furry cat were trying to sleep) to smoke cigarettes.

However breakfast was good, three slices of French Toast with a berry conserve. Then I started climbing. As I climbed the ridge the views were amazing. Fluffy clouds spread out below me to the south, their tops being lit by the rising sun, pink then brilliant white. To the north, still in the shadow of Botev Peak, cloud filled valleys looked like white lakes. The first few peaks of the ridge were covered with closely cropped grass in which tiny yellow flowers were occasionally scattered (Alpine Cinquefoil according to PlantNet). On the horizon a chamois was crossing the hill, one of two I saw today. A cold, inconsistent wind was blowing.

Looking down on clouds to the south as I climbed out of the saddle where Botev Shelter lay.

I passed two waypoints on my GPS suggesting I could leave the ridge at these points if the weather was bad. However the breeze was loosing its strength, the weather was sunny with visibility only obscured occasionally by clouds crossing the ridge. So it was safe to continue and admire the views north and south. Mostly clouds to the south with a mountain range a long, long way away poking above them. To the north there were hills and valleys, many covered with rust coloured trees.

Clouds being blown across the ridge I was following.

Then the difficult bits started. There was an awkward scramble down a short rock face, then a struggle to find the right path. The route led onto a side ridge that I was confusing with the ridge I should actually be following. I eventually realised that the path turned back on itself over a minor summit. There was then more scrambling up and down rocks. Nothing too difficult, the rocks were solid and dry, but when you are on your own, you know there is no-one to help you if you get into trouble. 

The most difficult part was the climb up Koupena Peak. Wire rope was attached to the rock so you could pull yourself up. After several scrambling sections, using hands and feet, cautiously reaching from one hand or foot hold to the next, I reached the top. There I joined three others, walking the Kom-Emine from the other direction. We sat there admiring the sea of clouds before us from our high perch. There were more wires to help me down the other side, before a long slog up the grass of the next peak. On the final peak there was a colourful painted emergency shelter. Behind a sheet of glass there a gas canister, a bottle of water and a bottle of Gibsons Gin (?) for emergencies. 

Kom-Emine trekkers on the summit of Koupena.

Looking back at the ridge I followed.

Dobrila Hut differs from the other huts I visited in that it is new, could be booked online, and bits clearly needed finishing. I arrived in time for a late lunch and then indulged in a shower in my bedroom's "ensuite" facilities. A good diner followed, unfortunately the plug sockets did not work so I will need to charge my stuff at the next hut. (As I discovered a few days later it was my phone charger that had failed and not the plugs).

14.2 kilometres walked with a total ascent of just over 1000 metres.