Читать книгу Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks. Pirin, Rila and Central Balkans National Parks онлайн

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On the main ridge of the Stara Planina at the edge of the Tsarichina Reserve

From hizha Benkovski (1535m) set off into the trees. The trail crosses a shallow gully and then runs on southeast through the top edge of the beech forest. After 10mins you emerge at a junction of tracks. The right-hand track, marked in green, curves round the head of a deep valley, passing the now defunct Dom na Ovchari (‘house of shepherds’), once the centre of a substantial high-mountain livestock-rearing complex. This trail climbs up and over the ridge saddle Antonski Preval, ultimately bound for the village of Anton, but you go left, following a stony track with red and green blazes that climbs to the saddle Vetroviti Preslap (1610m) after 10mins.

The green-blazed trail now continues on along the track, descending east into the valley of the Suvatski Dol en route for hizha Vezhen. However, you fork off right, following the winter pole-markers south up the grassy spur of Bratanashki Rid. After about 20mins the slope levels off slightly, and some 10mins later you bend away left on the red-blazed summer trail, contouring across an avalanche slope on the northeastern flank of Bratanitsa (1992m). After about 15mins the path becomes quite faint, and overgrown with dwarf juniper. Your best option now is simply to climb straight on up to the main ridgeback after about 5mins. There you can pick up the winter pole-markers at the start of a narrow rocky crest known as the Staroplaninsko Konche.