Wake up at around 04:30 (when it is darkest and coldest), prepare your backpack with your equipment, put on your crampons and put your snowshoes on the back if you are about to walk on ice in the beginning… walking for about 20-30 minutes to a pre-selected position, looking for a solid surface, as the tripod legs sink into the snow, mounting the camera and waiting for the sunrise and when the light appears… the agony begins!
The camera battery literally “dies” every 3-4 shots due to the cold – you take it out, breathe on it to warm it up… put it back in – manage to take another 3-4 shots – it dies again, you take it out again… you breathe on it again… and hurry so you don’t miss the beautiful light… that’s basically what capturing the winter sunrise at an altitude of over 2500 meters above sea level looks like. In the frame – the Tevno Ezero/Lake (ezero = lake) shelter.
The shelter was built in 1972 in the Northern Pirin mountain range, at an elevation of 8,239 feet (2,512 meters) above sea level. The refuge is situated on the eastern bank of Tevno Lake, within the Belemeto cirque and represents a large two-story building with a capacity for 30 guests. It features a dining area on the ground floor and a dormitory on the second floor, designed to accommodate hikers exploring the beautiful Pirin Mountain. The shelter is surrounded by several peaks, including Kamenitsa, Little Kamenitsa (2,675 meters), Kralev Dvor (2,684 meters), and Valyavisky Chukar (2,642 meters). The highest peak, Kamenitsa (the rightmost peak in the shot), reaches 2,824 meters and lies southeast of the shelter. The area surrounding Tevno Lake Refuge is at high risk for avalanches during the winter season.
