Koncheto. Though translated into English as “the horsey”, anyone familiar with the mountains of Bulgaria recognizes Koncheto as the name of one the most famous, beautiful, and perhaps feared hiking trails in the country, located in the Pirin Mountain.

I generally consider myself an experienced hiker. My resume of peak summits and hizha (hiking lodge) visits in the mountains of Bulgaria was admirable, but with the glaring lack of the Konche. Thus, I promised myself long ago that I would cross the Konche at some point. Unfortunately, my contract was running short, and I was faced with the prospect of leaving Bulgaria before accomplishing this. Just a few days before departing, I finally locked in two willing, if slightly skeptical, colleagues to accompany me, and went about making the travel arrangements.

As usual, my cohorts and I were at the mercy of public transportation. However, I’ve found that no matter where I need to go, an early start and constant questioning of passers-by can avail me to almost any remote corner of Bulgaria. In this case, it was an early bus from Sofia to Razlog. Advice from friends, internet research and maps all indicated that the path we needed to take began somewhere off the highway a few kilometres before reaching Razlog.

Exit here
There was no apparent name for this place, but a quick consultation with the driver made our destination clear. Secure in his expertise, we settled in for the ride. Sure enough, hours later, upon the signal of the bus driver, we got off the bus and grabbed our packs. In front of us was the road sign directing us to the Yavorov lodge, 14km away.

Unfortunately, we discovered that the peace and tranquility of the forest and mountain we sought would have to wait. Instead, for the first hour of our walk, we were repeatedly forced off the road by cars, buses and cement lorries. Ahead of us, at the base of the mountain, loomed construction cranes and countless apartment buildings and hotels under construction.

Welcome to Betelovoto.
You probably have never heard of it, but you will soon. What was undoubtedly a virtually unknown vacation complex of just a few buildings a year or two ago was now a site of massive construction we had to navigate. Interestingly, we did not see one complete building, almost as if the decision to build this small city was made as hastily as the effort to finish and sell it. Though hungry, we declared we would not stop until far past the construction fury that surrounded us. We walked on in disgust, glaring at the steel structures rising from the pristine meadows around us that will be yet another “luxury” apartment complex. At one point, the construction machines completely blocked the way, and we had to cut across the complex’s golf course. Despite our best efforts to “get away from it all”, we were right in the middle of it.

A few kilometres on, out of earshot of the machines below us, lunch, the discovery of a large field of wild strawberries and the natural beauty of Pirin helped dissipate our rage. Three hours of relatively easy hiking later, we arrived at the Yavorov lodge.


The real beginning
The next morning, we awoke to a beautiful clear day and the prospect of the estimated nine-hour trek we came for. Our path would take us from Yavorov hut at 1740 metres to the Konche, on to Vihren Peak at 2914 metres, and then down to Vihren lodge at 1950 metres. After a quick breakfast and a stretch, we set out. Spirits were high. We had sun, food, water and a whole day to complete the task ahead.

The first two hours out of Yavorov were quite steep. The value of our few hour warm-up hike the day before became obvious. We wound our way through the forest, steadily gaining altitude and fighting our way above the timberline.

The only damper on our mood was the swarms of flies following us, and me in particular. The night before, a mysterious popping sound was actually the lid on my container of shopska salad. Pressure differences caused it to burst, soaking part of my pack with shopska juice, which flies apparently love.

However, as the trees cleared, we had a gorgeous view of the valley below us leading back towards Razlog, and Rila Mountain dominating the northern horizon. Minutes later, we crested the ridge and looked out over the whole of  Pirin Mountain. Many enthusiasts prefer crude beauty of the steep and craggy peaks of Pirin to the other mountains in Bulgaria, and the reason became immediately clear. In an instant, all the energy and time we invested to stand where we were and take in the amazing view of Pirin became more than worth it. Pirin’s beauty is best describe in poetry, and I will spare you my attemps.

The path continues
At this point, our path became relatively level as we moved laterally across the ridge following the route markers. Five hours after setting out from Yavorov, we gazed upon the Konche itself. Before us lay a section of ridge, about a metre wide and 100 metres long, with dangerous precipices on both sides, and an iron cable installed to aid in the crossing. Framed by deep valleys and offering commanding views, the Konche was more beautiful than frightening. Of course, in clear weather, the crossing is fairly simple, provided one is not deathly afraid of heights. In wind, rain or storms, however, it is clearly a bad idea.

As if on cue, as we took our first step onto the Konche, clouds started rolling in. At our most exposed moment, in the exact middle of our hike, the weather seemed to turn against us.

I exaggerate; the clouds obscured visibility to the south, but were not dark and menacing. But to have come so far, and have the weather go bad at our moment of victory struck me as cruel irony. Snapping a few quick shots, we decided to hurry down and continue on our way. We worked our way past the Konche and to the base of peak Vihren.

As the clouds continued to swirl overhead, we stopped for lunch and looked at Vihren Peak towering above us. Tired and six hours into our hike, with questionable weather and little water left, we debated  a path that would take us around the peak. However, since we had come so close, we decided to push through the clouds and exhaustion and make the summit of Vihren.

Better than assumed
We quickly found that what we dreaded as quite possibly the hardest part of the hike was actually the best part. From the Konche side, the near vertical path up to the peak of Vihren is deceptively easy. It more resembles a half-climb, or rock-scramble. The steep incline required an entirely different type of motion. We used our hands as much as our legs as we creatively negotiated the few hundred metres separating us from the summit.  With our entire bodies involved, our legs actually got some respite as we climbed. Just half an hour after beginning our final ascent, we arrived at Peak Vihren. The clouds that almost deterred us just minutes before had cleared, and we took in the full beauty of Pirin.

Our primary goals accomplished, what remained was the steep, vertical kilometre descent between the peak and hiking lodge Vihren, our destination for the day. We quickly discovered the degree to which we prefer hiking up instead of down. Laden with our packs, every step was a fight against momentum that strained our knees. Worn out from the day’s adventure and anticipating the rest ahead, every ounce of concentration was required to not roll our ankles on the way down.

Luckily, the two-hour descent passed without incident, and we arrived at Vihren hut thirsty, dirty, tired and smiling.

We all agreed that it was among the most beautiful hikes we had done, and not only in Bulgaria. Though a demanding full day of hiking, there is relatively little of repetitive ups and downs. It is simply the distance and the need to carry packs with food and water that create the real challenge. In terms of technical difficulty, the whole experience would be moderate at best.

My impression is that the Konche is famous not so much for the actual danger of crossing, but simply a question of accessibility.

Located right in the middle of the nine- to 10-hour hike between the Yavorov and Vihren lodges, there is no way to make a quick trip of it. The Konche is the jewel of Pirin, and one that any self-styled hiker in Bulgaria should not pass up.