'The Hike' - Chapter Eighteen - Going Early for a Change

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Chapter 18:

Day 11:

I woke up from the sound of a fart, scaring me out of my uncomfortable sleep. So I rolled myself a cigarette and went smoking. It was 4 in the morning, and I was the only one in the kitchen. After the cigarette disappeared, I thought that it was too early to do anything—at least too early for me, very laid back. So went back inside and I lay on the bench in the kitchen, and as my soul tried to fall back asleep, as I was getting into a comfortable position and state of mind to do so, the kitchen door opened, hitting the wall. I opened my eyes, explaining directly the harsh situation of how I was left here to sleep to some stranger who wanted sugar for his tea. He just made a face, took what he nedeed, and left the kitchen to me.

From this point, there was no sleeping. Ten by ten, the groups started their day on top of mine, and I decided to collect myself and leave early this time and see what that was about for a change. The next hut was super close—Kozia Stena. I opened the book and researched my next move. The original path said that Hut Dobrila should be the next stop from here, but because of the uncertainty of the path, I couldn't call in advance. I never learn. This lack of discipline could get you killed (this is more like a note to me). I gathered my stuff and went toward Kozia Stena.

The path was behind Echo Hut, and just thinking of that bench I had slept on and all those people under the same roof made me hit the turbo. After a slight descent, I found myself between long grass, just like in Jurassic Park—the similarities were so striking that I was expecting to see a velociraptor at any moment. My imagination was working. I stopped, rolled a cigarette, made myself a Nescafé, and slowed down my tempo for a second. This path was also pretty enjoyable, I thought, and I wanted to experience the walk—not run from people and places like I usually do. So I did just that, and soon I came upon a couple of peaks that I climbed in order to get where I was going.

Bulgaria spread across my point of view when I was at the highest points. Here, you can find one of the most beautiful mountain flowers—Edelweiss. I didn’t, although I was looking. 

The question lingers: Would I tear it and take one with me, or would I leave it there to die of natural causes? I’ve seen some people keeping the corpse of this rare beauty in their houses, but I like to believe that I wouldn’t do it. You never know for sure until you’re in that situation, but taking this magnificent flower as a trophy seems wrong. 

The rocky, unreliable path covered with small bushes scared me a couple of times, and as I got lower and lower, the path became more and more dangerous. The concern of falling from my right grew as I came closer to Kozia Stena (Goat Wall). I realized why the hut was named like that. I was literally one step away from my death. Just like those fucking mountain goat videos, where some of them defy gravity while others just fall 50 meters into their doom. No Nescafé or amphetamine can wake you up like the possibility of your permanent death staring at you. So my eyes got wide open, my prayers louder, and step by step, I walked forward. Apparently I pray around the possibility of death. These Christians, they got me from a young age.

I saw a forest, which always feels like comfort—literally, you had a chance to grab onto something. I took another slow step after step after step. It took forever to get to the forest, and for some reason, a year from now, I'll come exactly here to experience the same thing. No, to be honest, I know the reason—I wanted to relive everything, to feel that level of vitality flowing through me, just like I want it right now. I got to the forest. I felt a little bit safer in it, although the ongoing threat of falling to my death didn’t disappear in the trees. I realized how strongly the danger had affected me after I got almost to the hut, where the path became more normal. Every fiber of my body was intensely awake and extremely focused. So when I got to the safety of the hut, a wave of calmness washed over me, releasing the stored stress that had been necessary for overcoming this challenge. Just like when suddenly loud noises disappear and you are left with the quietness, my stress almost dissapear, leaving appreciation for my life. I congratulated myself and went to have a traditional Bulgarian biscuit cake with beer to diffuse the nerves that were still hanging. It worked. 

It was almost lunchtime when I left the hut. I had just eaten one delicious cake, and I was ready for the path ahead, which looked way safer and more enjoyable.

Iliya Badev

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