A Bulgarian adventure - Balkan High Peaks and Monasteries
Carl Rosenthal/Bill Wheeler
SUMMARY OF TRIP INFORMATION
A Bulgarian adventure - Balkan High Peaks and Monasteries
Leader Carl Rosenthal
Co-leader Bill Wheeler
Bulgaria
September 8 - September 19, 2010
Total # of days 12
Hiking
Downhill skiing
Kayaking
Title of trip
Leadership
Location(s)
Dates
Type of trip
check all that apply
Backpacking
Cultural
Road biking
Nordic ski
Mountain biking
Snorkeling
Other – please describe
Number of participants
(excluding leaders)
Advertised cost
Airfare range if not included
Do you wish to have your trip
listed online before it is
published in The Outdoors?
Smaller trips and leader
subsidization
Max 14
Min 10
$ 1400.00
Does it include airfare? Yes
No
$ 900 - 1000
Yes
No If yes, please list the approximate month (max is one year in
advance of trip)
November 2009
Is this proposal for a small group trip – i.e., less than 14 participants and 2
leaders or 7 participants and 1 leader? Yes
No
If yes, why is a small group proposed?
If a participant fee increase of more than 15% is proposed, please explain
why?
LEADER AND CO-LEADER INFORMATION
Leader name
Leader address
Leader email
Leader phone
Wilderness first aid training
CPR training
Prior leading experience
Trip one
Trip two
Trip three
Other related trip experience
Co-leader name
Carl Rosenthal
58 Overlook Drive, Center Conway, NH 03813
crosenthal789@msn.com
Home 603-447-1858
Work N/A
WFA
AWFA
WFR
Expiration: November 2009 (will retake in
November 2009)
CPR
BLS
Expiration: will take before trip
Please list the last three longer (5+ day) trips you have led for the AMC including
destination, type of trip, dates and number of participants. Feel free to list additional
trips you have led, particularly if they demonstrate experience related to the trip you
are proposing.
Alaska 7/09 15 participants + 2 leaders
Peru 7/08 14 participants + 2 leaders
Dolomites 6/08 16 participants + 2 leaders
Bill Wheeler

To lead a major excursion you must have current CPR and WFA at the time of your trip (or AWFA for all backcountry
trips). If you do not have the required level of certification at the time you submit your proposal or it will expire before
the date of your trip, you will need to make arrangements to recertify in a timely manner.
Revised 7/15/2016
Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 1 of 5
A Bulgarian adventure - Balkan High Peaks and Monasteries
Carl Rosenthal/Bill Wheeler
Co-leader address
Co-leader email
Co-leader phone
Wilderness first aid training*
CPR training*
Prior leading experience
572 Hilliard St., Apt. B Manchester, CT 06042
bwheelsjr@cox.net
Home 860-324-7374
Work n/a
WFA
AWFA
WFR
Expiration: After 9/09
CPR
BLS
Expiration: will take before trip
If you are a new co-leader you must submit an application to be a major excursions
leader or co-leader prior to submitting this application.
Scouting
Have either of you led this trip
before or traveled to this
area?
Languages
Does either the co-leader or
leader speak the local
language?
Couples
Do the leader and co-leader
have a significant personal
relationship?
Private trips
Do either of you lead trips that
are private - not sponsored by
the AMC?
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below:
Executive summary
Please provide a brief
description of the trip and the
activities planned.
The trip will include 10 days of hiking and cultural exploration of Bulgaria. The country
is a safe, but little known hiking destination, and we will explore its highest summits
with the help of a local guide. We will visit the two highest mountains in Bulgaria,
including Mt. Moussala, the highest summit on the Balkan peninsula, and Pirin Mountain
National Park, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Three of the days will be
dedicated to exploring cultural sites. We will visit the Rila Monastery (also on the
UNESCO World Heritage list), Rozhen monastery near the renaissance town of Melnik,
the old town of Blagoevgrad and several ancient churches. The itinerary is set up so that
we can balance different activites and make the most of our time in the region. The cost
includes the meals, all local transportation, all lodging, and guide service.
We will stay mostly in small family hotels. There will also be two nights in mountain
huts, and one in the famous Rila Monastery. The local guide will make the needed
reservations based on our route. The local guide's company will choose hotels based on
our request to find quiet hotels with non-smoking rooms. All accomodations are included
in the price.
All meals are included in the trip, including a farewell dinner at a restaurant in Sofia on
the last night. Breakfasts and dinners will be provided at the hotels/hostels. The local
tour guide will purchase and transport the food for the lunches. Vegetarian participants
will be provided for, with several weeks advance notice regarding food preferences.
Yes
No
Co-leader: Yes
No
Leader: Yes
No
Not applicable:
Yes
No
If yes, please list who has agreed to be your back-up in case one or
both of you need to drop out. This is required for approval!
Yes
No
If yes, please note that you cannot advertise AMC and private trips
together unless there is a clear distinction between the two in any marketing
materials you send out.
LOGISTICAL DETAILS OF TRIP
Accommodations
Please describe your plan for
accommodation(s)
Meals
Please describe your plan for
providing meals
Permits or permissions
Does the trip require special
permits or permissions?
(required on many U.S.
federal lands and national
parks)
Special equipment
Does the trip require special
equipment?
Revised 7/15/2016
If yes, please describe below what you will need to do to obtain them:
If no, please describe the process you went through to find out that they were not
required:
Verified with the local guide company.
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below what type of equipment and how you
will ensure that people know how to use it:
Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 2 of 5
A Bulgarian adventure - Balkan High Peaks and Monasteries
Carl Rosenthal/Bill Wheeler
Special experience
Does the trip require special
skills on the part of the
participant?
Pre-trip activities
Do you plan to get your group
together before the trip for an
activity or social event?
Conservation, education and
recreation
How will this major excursion
meet the mission of the AMC?
www.outdoors.org/about/
mission.cfm
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below what type of experience? Also describe
how you will ensure that the participant has this experience?
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below what you will do:
This trip will take us to superb natural reserves and world famous monasteries, including
some on the UNESCO world heritage list. Participants will also have the chance to learn
about Bulgarian history from the local guides. This is a 1300 year old country with rich
history, and visiting it will culturally enrich the participants, while providing outstanding
hiking opportunities in diverse mounatain terrain.
TOUR OPERATOR AND GUIDE SERVICE INFORMATION
Will this trip require a tour
operator or guide service
during part, or the entire
trip?
Yes
No
Please describe their services. If you are using a tour operator for the entire trip,
please describe why you will be using them rather than doing this trip on your own:
The guide provides reservations to mountain huts and small hotels that are very hard or
impossible to contact from the USA. He will arrange for our private bus transportation,
which is far preferable to the potentially difficult driving conditions in Bulgaria. Last but
not least, the local guide will help us navigate the trails, which are not always mapped or
described in a book, and thus are hard for non-locals to find.
Name of tour operator/guide
service
Tour operator website
Mountain Adventures in Bulgaria
Safety record
Please provide information
about their safety record.
Insurance
Do they have liability
insurance?
Emergency response
Please describe the outfitters’
response plan in the case of an
emergency.
http://www.bghike.com/
This is the information provided to us by the company: "All of us have licences to work
as mountain guides, issued by the agency, that is authorized by the government to make
courses and issue diplomas. We operate since the Spring of 2004, and we have had
guests from all English speaking countries, most of them Western European countries
and Israel. So far we have had no accidents with our guests."
Liability? Yes
No
Maximum amt: $ 3000 lv.(Approx $1900)
for each one of these: rescue and
transportation, medical expenses, and
death or serious injury.
Are they willing to list AMC as an
Yes
No
additional insured?
All of the guides are First Aid certified. In an event of an emergency they are able to
provide immediate help on the spot and contact the Mountain Rescue
services.
RISK ASSESSMENT
Please assess the risks and hazards of your trip. Carefully consider each area of risk and how it may affect your trip.
Devise a plan to prevent each hazard and to respond to it if it becomes necessary. Please be very specific for each section
if applicable.
Trail conditions, river crossings, weather, wildlife (bears, snakes, etc.)
Climate/terrain
Potential hazards
Adverse weather conditions in the mountains; the exposed summit of Mt. Vihren.
Response
Bulgaira is situated in the same geographical latitude as Boston and the White
Mountains. Thus the climate is very similar, and will pose challenges familiar to the
leaders. Participants will be asked to bring gear and warm clothes suitable for late fall early winter conditions. In addition, the guide will provide alternative destinations in
Revised 7/15/2016
Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 3 of 5
A Bulgarian adventure - Balkan High Peaks and Monasteries
Carl Rosenthal/Bill Wheeler
Foreign Country
Potential hazards
Response
Transportation
Potential hazards
Response
Participants
Potential hazards
Response
Other
Potential hazards
Response
case of thunderstorms on the days we are supposed to hike above tree-line. The guide is
prepared with alternative routes, and should some people find it difficult to summit Mt.
Vihren we will have sufficient number of guides/leaders to split the group in two for that
hike only.
Political concerns, crime, language translation, terrorism
The main concern is language. There are no political or terrorism concenrs, and crime
rates are generally very low.
The local guide and his wife speak English, and he has lead English - speaking groups in
the past.
Road conditions, drivers, insurance
Roads can be narrow and rough in the moutain villages.
The guide will provide an experienced local professional driver.
Level of fitness, screening concerns, experience with equipment or activity
Underprepared participants, forgotten gear, or gear lost during the air travel.
We will do thorough screening to make sure the participants understand that, it is a
moderately strenuous level trip, it involves serious mountain terrian which requires a
high degree of fitness, attained only by regular prior conditioning. Our goal is to have a
group of similar level participants. We will provide a required gear list, and recommend
that essential gear for the first day hike (i.e. hiking boots) be in their carry on luggage.
Conditions unique to this type of trip
None
EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
Please describe your plans for dealing with emergencies. Use as much detail as possible, and list any special
communications equipment you may need to ensure the safety of your participants. DO NOT LEAVE THIS SECTION
BLANK
We will make sure to have emergency contact for each participant, and the leaders will
Emergency communication
Phone contacts, language,
carry this information with them on the trip. As Bulgaria is a small country, we will
documentation, distance from
never be more than a day away from the nearest town. One of the guides speaks English.
emergency services
We will recommend individual first aid kits as part of the required gear for each
Emergency equipment
What sort of emergency first
participant; the leaders and guides will carry additional back up first aid gear. For
aid or communication
emergency gear we will carry the standard equipment to sustain an injured person should
equipment (satellite phone,
they have to spend the night outside -- foam pad, sleeping bag, backpacking stove, pot,
two-way radios) do you plan
body warmers, and warm clothes.
to use, if any?
The guide will provide phone numbers for the local service so that we can request a
Evacuation
Please describe your plan for
helicopter should anyone need to be evacuated. Because of the size of the country we
evacuation from the
will never be more than 100 miles away from the capital, wich has high level emergency
backcountry location if
medical facilities.
applicable?
Pirogov is the main emergency medical center in the country, located in Sofia at the
Medical care
Please describe the medical
intersection of Blvd Totleben and Pencho Slaveikov str. One can dial 150 from
care available in the area(s)
anywhere in the country (the special phone number for medical emergencies) to be
where you will be traveling
connected to Pirogov. By dialing the same number one can be connected to emergency
and list names and telephone
medial emergency teams that provide ambulance service in the towns of Blagoevgrad
numbers for these facilities.
and Rila, which are on our itinerary.
COST AND BUDGET DETAILS
Foreign currencies
For int’l trips list each foreign
currency, the current $US
dollar exchange rate and what
Revised 7/15/2016
Bulgarian Lev. The guide is to be paid in US Dollars. The tips, museum fees, and
souveniers are best paid in the local currency -- Bulgarian lev. If the exchange rate
changes drastically, the guide keeps the right to increase the price, because they will have
to convert our payments into leva to pay the restaurants and hotels we will be using.
Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 4 of 5
A Bulgarian adventure - Balkan High Peaks and Monasteries
Carl Rosenthal/Bill Wheeler
contingencies you have if that
rate changes. If a tour
operator or agent is being
used, what currency is the
agent to be paid in?
Deposits
What deposits will be required
by airlines, hotels, tour
operators, etc., and when?
Refunds
What is the latest date you can
cancel and still receive a full
refund?
Participant deposit
What are the initial deposit
and your schedule of
payments?
Cancellation policy
What will your cancellation
policy be for the participants?
Minimum numbers
Will you still run the trip if you
do not get the minimum
number?
Reference web links:
MEC Home Page:
Forms:
Deadlines:
E-Mail Addresses:
Club House:
MEC Chair:
Revised 7/15/2016
Exchange rate for the Lev as of Oct 25 2009: $1= 1.30 lev.
The tour guide requres a deposit of 30% of the amount 45 days before the trip begins and
full payment upon arrival.
3 months before the trip -- June 9, subject to conditions decribed below in the
cancellation policy.
$700 due with the trip application. Full amount due 90 days before the trip start -- June
9.
Refund will be given to the extent that it will not raise the costs to the other participants.
If the person's spot can be filled, that person may be entitled to up to a full refund of any
costs (less a handling fee of $100). Participants will purchase airline tickets directly
from the airline with their own funds. Thus, refund of any cost of airline ticket will be
determined by airline policy and worked out between the participant and the airline.
Participants will be fully informed of these policies and conditions in the prospectus,
before they commit money. If their spot cannot be filled, a participant who cancels will
receive a refund for any cancellable portion of the trip (minus the handling fee) that will
not increase the costs to the other participants or leaders
Yes
No
If yes, please describe conditions:
If we have 10 participants and 2 leaders, we can still run the trip, since the guide requires
a minimum of 10 people for the agreed upon price. Otherwise the price would be higher.
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/application/
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/listings
cyout@outdoors.org
mecchair@amcboston.org
Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 5 of 5