AMONG MORE THAN 500 HIKERS ON MANJAČA, A 91-YEAR-OLD PARTICIPANT AS WELL

MRKONJIĆ GRAD, MAY 24 /SRNA/ - More than 500 hikers from 21 mountaineering clubs from Republika Srpska, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, and other regions took part today in the “Kočić’s Trails” hiking event on Manjača.

The youngest participant was a six-month-old baby, while the oldest was 91-year-old Milomir Vitomir, originally from Sokolac and now living in Banja Luka, who advises that regular physical activity is essential for longevity and good health. Vitomir said he is not a member of any mountaineering club, but participates in hiking events recreationally whenever he has the opportunity. The organizer is the Sports and Mountaineering Association “Manjača” from Banja Luka, whose president Zlatko Sladojević told SRNA that this year participants followed a circular trail 15 kilometers long leading to the peak of Tisovac, which has an elevation of 1,220 meters. Sladojević added that they also prepared a 12-kilometer trail for recreational hikers and nature lovers. The president of the Mountaineering and Ecological Society “Vidik” from Mrkonjić Grad, Mihajlo Lazendić, said that their members have been regularly coming to Manjača over the past five years to support hiking activities, and that 20 of them took part in today’s event. “Manjača is a very gentle mountain for hiking; it is suitable for beginners and hikers of all ages,” Lazendić explained. A member of the Mountaineering and Sports Society “Patria” from Gradiška, Ranko Duvnjak, said that 35 of their members supported today’s hiking event.