Climbing Peak Kom was supposed to be an easy autumn mountain hike with beautiful views of the Berkovitsa valley and the neighboring peaks… Instead, it turned into one of my most extreme mountain experiences, etching itself permanently into my memory! Earlier that summer, I had already climbed Musala, Koncheto, and Vihren (via the north face), so this significantly shorter and easier route didn’t worry me at all. But a November snowstorm changed everythin
Where is located and how to get there
Peak Kom (2 016 m) is the highest peak of the Berkovitsa Mountain, part of the Western Stara Planina, rising south of the town of Berkovitsa and serving as a local symbol. It is also the westernmost Bulgarian peak over two thousand meters in Stara Planina – located very close to the Serbian border. It is precisely from here that the most famous Bulgarian mountain trail starts Kom – Emine, stretching for about 650 km along the main ridge of Stara Planina all the way to the Black Sea.
The most convenient starting point for the climb is the new Kom Hut – HERE. It is located 15 km from Berkovitsa, connected by a narrow asphalt road that is not in perfect condition… Especially under bad weather conditions, you need to drive along it with extra caution! You can park freely on the meadow in front of the building and take the wide stony path toward the old hut.
First stage of the climb – in the forest
The hike to the peak can be conditionally divided into two stages. The first one is steeper and all sources describe it as the more difficult one (it wasn’t for us, but more on that a bit lower down in the article…). It takes about 45 minutes and passes by the old Kom Hut, after which it plunges deeper into the coniferous forests. The section is truly steep – within just one kilometer, an elevation gain of about 250 m is overcome! At times, the trees parted and revealed views of the valley, over which low clouds were hanging… And the forest, silent and lightly snow-covered, was terribly mystical… The trunks of the tall fir trees were overgrown with moss, and the ground beneath them resembled a green carpet, dusted with snow in places. Nothing hinted at what awaited us just a few minutes later…
Second stage of the climb – along the ridge
The harder part, which I mentioned the first stage is described as, felt like a walk in the park compared to what lay ahead… Just to mention that when we parked by the hut, the weather was sunny and very pleasant for early November! That is why we had no suspicion of what awaited us in the final stage along the ridge of Stara Planina. We managed to reach it only on our third attempt, because the wind was so strong that it fiercely pushed us back…
And the surprises kept coming… Instead of views of the valley and the neighboring peaks, we were greeted by a true snowstorm – wind, snow, and fog that swallowed everything around us! Still, we headed right, toward the path leading to the peak. We walked, holding tightly onto each other and couldn’t even hear ourselves speak over the howling wind. Snow had drifted around us and a single slip could have sent us tumbling down the slope… Ahead, we couldn’t see anything further than a meter. We just walked…
Several times we were on the verge of giving up and turning back, but I kept track of the time spent walking, knowing that reaching the peak should take us about 45 minutes. And finally, we made it! Emerging from the fog was the metal tower with the “Kom” sign, and right next to it, the stone slab with the relief image of the Bulgarian poet Ivan Vazov and verses carved into it from his poem “Na Kom” (At Kom):
From here the eye finds no barriers.
The universe stretches humbly before me.
The soul breathes with pride. From these mountains
the mind reaches toward something bright!
Yeah, what an irony… In them, the poet describes the infinite expanse that unfolds before his gaze from the peak, while at that moment we couldn’t see anything further than a meter!
For a final
The descent, fortunately, went without any issues, and the lower we got, the further behind the storm stayed… We safely made it back to the car, but with a valuable lesson – you shouldn’t joke with the mountain! Even the shortest and seemingly easy routes should not be underestimated, because conditions up top can change in no time at all. Thus, an easy autumn hike turned into a lesson I will never forget…
