Zilo kalnu Stirnu buks

Zilie kalni? This Is No Joke!

It’s been a long, hot and, let’s admit it, slightly crazy summer! We’ve battled the Midsummer night winds on the shores of the Baltic Sea, run the trails of the ancient Gauja Valley, experienced the very first Gauja Trail by UTMB®, and hopefully our legs are finally starting to listen to our heads again. But Mūsmežs is already calling! On September 12, the Stirnu Buks tribe returns to a place where, just beyond the edge of Ogre, an entirely different world begins — the Ogre Zilie kalni!

The name itself is a little deceptive. Blue? Perhaps, when looking into the distance at the tops of the conifers. Mountains? By Latvian standards — absolutely! But anyone expecting a leisurely autumn stroll through a flat forest near Riga is in for a little surprise. Here, the trail climbs, drops, twists and turns, disappears behind the next ridge — and a moment later demands another climb. And then another. And another. And another…

The Ogre Zilie kalni are part of the Ogre–Lielie Kangari esker ridge. Eskers are long, ridge-shaped formations of sand and gravel created by glacial meltwater, often with steep slopes — in other words, nature had already been preparing this terrain for Stirnu Buks long before anyone even thought of putting on a pair of trail running shoes! Most of the nature park is covered by coniferous forests growing on these ridges, and beneath the treetops there is no shortage of narrow trails, sharp turns and climbs that will test both your legs and your character.

You can run fast here. You just have to know how! The Zilie kalni trails never allow you to settle into an easy rhythm — one moment you’re flying downhill, the next you’re already searching for a lower gear for the climb, and around the next corner Mūsmežs has another challenge waiting for you. Your head will be working just as hard as your legs!