Running Hike to Black Peak in a Brown Bear Reserve

Hi there Hive Family,

Last week's running hike experience gave me so much energy and motivation that I decided that I definitely want do it again. Same peak but during daytime and with a slightly different route. The only small detail was that this region was inhabited with brown bears. It was the southern-west part of Vitosha. Excellent geogprahic region for them to migrate to the nearby big mountains like Rila or Pirin. Open space and rarely disturbed by humans, brown bear could live happily there. We spoke with the locals of the nearby village and they told us that the bears are very quiet and polite. As long as we make loud noises from afar, we won't be bothered or have encounters. The key is not to surprise them from a closer distance. They are the same as us. We both do not want to meet each other.

This time we started off from the village of Yarlovo. We left the car there and went for a run to the nearby starting point of our adventure - Chuypetlovo.

A beautiful wooden bridge and a river passing by. Excellent place for Wim Hof cold shower. But we were not tired yet so decided to carry on.

My friend Tony running.

We entered the forest. Over here there is a higher probability of stumbling upon wildlife. I brought a Speaker in my backpack so that the music could alarm our presense.

We reached the crossroads for villages Yarlovo and Chuypetlovo. If you look closer to the sign it says:

Warning! You are entering an area in Natural Park Vitosha inhabited by brown bears.

And then there are also a couple of recommendations for all travellers.

Always go on the marked trails and pathways.
Always make noises. In this way the bears will know your presense.
Do not polute the area. Always take your food waste and plastic bottles with you. Garbage can attract bears!
Always respect the bear´s home!

Here is a closer look of the sign. I loved it!

Time to continue. We still have a long way.

The scenery is so calming and beautiful. No bears at all.

Hills, vivid colors. Amazing! And we are still in summer.

Plains and mountains. The vast panorama.

Black Peak is located between the top highest rock formations in the middle.

View from above!

The white ball the meteorologic station on Vitosha mountain. So cool to see.

If you look closer in the middle, you will see a paraglider in the air. We have a lot of them over here. The sky is clear enough for this kind of adrenaline activities.