Bunkers and Bobsled Runs

This is the hike that the tourist books tell you not to take. I loved it.

From my apartment window in Sarajevo I look across an urban valley and up the mountain where the Olympic bobsled run was situated during the 1984 Olympics. It is now just overgrown forest because the whole area was mined by the Serbs and has never been cleared. Of course, in a perverse sort of way, that makes it the most desirable hike of all...right?

On Sunday, I joined an international group that generally hikes at least once a week, although there were just five of us plus the guide because the weather was foggy and rainy, although not really cold. There are a few pictures accompanying this story, and the second one was our carefully posed Study in Black, Gray, and Fog. We felt ourselves quite artistic in a black humor sort of way.

The first picture shows us in front of the remains of a popular hotel and high end restaurant.
http://www.mountbakerclub.org/Bosnia1.htm The Serbs took this over during the war and, when they were forced to leave, they destroyed it. Like most everything else on the mountain, nothing has been done to restore it. From the hotel, we hiked another 1,000 feet or so farther up and, when the fog lifted a bit, had an extensive view of Sarajevo...the same one the Serbs had as they continually attacked it. http://www.mountbakerclub.org/Bosnia2.htm With only a couple exceptions, there were no places where it was safe for us to get off the trail because of the mines. Most of the bunkers were on the uphill side of the trail, which followed a ridge for a long way. Trenches went for great distances on the downhill side.

After passing through this territory, we came to the mostly fallen-apart bobsled run. The third picture shows us in front of one section of it. http://www.mountbakerclub.org/Bosnia3.htm Have you ever seen one of these in person? On TV, they don't look nearly so long. I was amazed.

Continuing downhill, we passed by a big hill/small mountain that stood between the Serbs and the city. Here, the Bosnians held out for three years and thus kept the Serbs from totally running over Sarajevo. In the final picture, we're passing by the side of it. No bunkers are left, but a number of trenches are still there. http://www.mountbakerclub.org/Bosnia4.htm

On the more positive side, perhaps: A lot of spring flowers were out, most notably gentians. So the nature lovers had a good day too. Those who needed a view missed out. And we gave up on going to the top of the mountain because the fog was totally thick on that trail. I hope we'll try again before I leave the end of June.