Hi there Hive Family,
The autumn season is already knocking on our door in Bulgaria and so are the first chilly days. The last 2 weeks were also very dynamic and the sky was rarely clear and not misty or cloudy. We also had a great deal of thunder storms and pouring rains. Floods and other disasters unfortunately overtook some villages near big rivers which flow directly from the mountains. Amidst al these events, we were able to go to the higher vicinities but with caution and carefully calulating the risks and threats.
The weather was very good in the lower altitudes and so we were happy to enjoy the colorful nature and we also stumpled upon some surprises.
One of the tastiest and with no evil twin mushrooms were just poping out of nowhere. I guess the big humidity accompanied with chilly weather has created the right circumstances for a lot of mushrooms to grow and florish. This particular mushroom is called Parasol Mushroom and it is very common in Bulgaria but mostly in other mountains, not in Pirin. I was very pleasantly surpised when I saw it and decided that I will take it to the nearest Lodge and give it to the Keeper who can inturn make delicious soup out of it and just maybe I might be lucky and try it on my way back.
The Parasol mushroom is also commonly called the Umbrella and the ring near this umbrella is directly eatable source of protein. No need for cooking. It is still young and it can stretch out even more. Nevertheless I plucked it before. I was certain that on my way back, I won´t see it again.
We reached the nearby Lodge relatively quickly and I left the mushroom with the Keeper who was very happy to see my gift. He told me that he had already picked up some of the same kind and now he could make a large portion of soup in a Pot. We ate some sweets and chicken soup to gather more strength and were off to ascend the The Tooth.
Some shots from the back of the building. Most of the people and animals were happy to just relax at the Lodge. It was big and full of comfort rooms.
I took some pictures and close macro shots of a red toxic mushroom and we were off to the higher vicinities.
We crossed the forest and went on to traverse the plain open areas. Soon we will begin the big denivelations.
The clouds were having pretty dark coloring close to black. We gazed upon the peaks. Somewhere behind this mountain was The Tooth. We really hoped that the thunder storm will wait for our ascend and descend until getting unleashing its power.
The last source of drinking water. I refilled my bottles and drank my thurst. The denivelation was maybe over 2400 meters high. I was feeling dizzy and nauseous. In the last month I was training mainly on lower grounds below 1200 meters. I guess the sudden quick ascend coupled with this grim and low pressure weather had made its toll on me.
Tired and a out of strength we continued our ascend. We had still to overcome some 100 or more meters of denivelation.
The higher areas were quite interesting and although the views were impeded by the clouds, we were still amazed by the beauty of the mist and the colorful nature. By the way, the last picture and its highest point is The Tooth. Our final destination for the day.
Panoramic views from the area just below The Tooth. We will soon be on the top.
Cloudy skies and vast plain valleys. I love it.
We are finally on the top. Peak The Tooth. Let's see the surroundings.
Peak The Tooth at 2688 meters high. We had 2 different signboards. One made of wood and one made of marble. Both were quite heavy to lift :D
We didn't stay for long as the weather was showing signs that it is going to start raining soon. It was very quiet as if waiting for us to come down before starting its course. We also had a snake encounter on our way down. Hopefully, we saw the Vipera Berus just in time. This is a deadly poisonous snake that we if step on it, may be fatal. It is not a big snake and can easily be missed. We were very lucky to avoid it.
Thank you for checking out my blog :)
Stay happy, be peaceful!
Namaste
Follow me on Twitter