I had travelled about four hours by bus from home, followed by another two hours in a car, to reach the area near Aleko Hut. Then I found myself heading into a winter climb on Cherni Vrah without my gloves.
It was a mistake I felt. Temperatures were around minus seven to minus ten degrees, with strong winds across the open ground. Even on a route that is usually straightforward, the exposed sections had my full attention.
From near the hut, we climbed through the snow toward the 2,290-metre summit. The winter views were beautiful: wide, open ground with snow everywhere I looked. The whole outing came to roughly eight kilometres and five hundred metres of elevation gain and loss.
Eva and Kaloyan made the day possible without me even having to ask. That kind of support means a great deal to me. I nearly kept the video to myself, but I wanted to save the memory of the hike and the people who helped me get there.
The forgotten gloves belong in the story too. It was a beautiful day, and one with a very clear thing for me to remember before the next winter outing.
