The extreme sports club “Albatros” from Prijedor invited us to participate in the winter youth march as part of the “Winter Days on Kozara” event, which was held on February 3, 2024, for the seventeenth time on our beautiful Mt. Kozara. There was not a large turnout of our mountaineering section members, but that did not stop us from enjoying walking with about a hundred cheerful mountaineers.
The four of us, Ivan, Olga, Ljiljana and I, in a good mood for walking, were at the starting point in Rajkovići at 8 am. The route was known: Rajkovići - Kozarački kamen - Bešića poljana - Mrakovica, about nine kilometers long. The weather was ideal for hiking, not too cold, the trail was dry and without mud. Right at the beginning of the trail, we met a mountaineer Sanja from Doboj, with whom we hung out and who took pictures of us for our mountaineering section.
The first break was after the most demanding part of the trail on Kozarački kamen. Out of breath and a little tired we got on the sunlit Kozarački kamen, a view of the beautiful landscape opened up in front of us. That was the reward for our efforts. Of course, we immediately took a picture under the flag that was proudly fluttering in the wind above us. A short rest and we continued on. Because of the wind, we didn't have breakfast on Kozarački kamen, but instead looked for a leeward spot in a hunting lodge that readily offered us its sunny terrace. And then, as our friend Ljiljana says, the most beautiful part of hiking began - breakfast in nature. No matter what kind of breakfast, it's a real feast: dried meat, sausages, bacon, two types of cheese, pickles, red onions and, above all, a glass of brandy as an aperitif. We also hade a cake. Our mountaineer friend Milenko joined us at breakfast. We refreshed ourselves nicely and moved on singing. Milenko showed us a beautiful viewpoint where we briefly enjoyed the sun and took pictures of course. Through stories and jokes, one foot in front of the other and around half past one we reached Mrakovica, where our hosts welcomed us with mountain beans from a cauldron. A little tired, but satisfied, we ate the beans with delight and drank mulled wine. We walked to the monument and visited the memorial plaque for those killed on Kozara. There we saw a wreath of fresh flowers laid by representatives of the AVNOJ association from Slovenia, Serbia and Istria to the victims of fascist terror. So we were reminded of the history of this region, bowed to the shadows of all the victims and wished that such tragedies would never happen again.
We walked a little more, went to the ski slope, chatted with friends we met and enjoyed the beautiful nature. Around three o'clock we headed to the bus where our hosts presented us with a Certificate of Appreciation for participating in the march. It was time to take pictures again. We got out in Rajkovići where our car was parked. Our dear friend Mara made a big bowl of hot donuts, and Dragan served us drinks.
There could not have been a nicer ending to "Winter on Kozara", even though there was no snow at all.
Ljiljana Memon
