On a sunny, warm Saturday morning on September 11, 2021, a group of eager hikers was ready to ascend Mount Mosor, a 1,339-meter mountain 20 kilometers from Split on the Adriatic coast in Croatia. I had the pleasure of being a part of this group organized by Sonja Grgat and Ivana Frapporti, the founders of Caspera (https://www.caspera-split.com/), a non-profit breast carcinoma support group. Sonja and Ivana planned the adventurous hike for their friends and families, and as their organization supports Cochrane Croatia, we were invited to join the hike as well. Our 870-meter climb to reach Mosor's mountain lodge was filled with culturally rich explanations of the Dalmatian flora and fauna by our expert guide, Alexandra.
The climb was well paced, and suitable for hikers of all experience levels and ages. In fact, child hikers from four to eleven years of age were there! Once we refueled ourselves with pork and beans, the lodge’s signature meal, we all participated in planting oak saplings to revitalize the surrounding forest that had burned in a 2018 forest fire. Working with our own hands to plant the saplings also helped lay roots for future engagement between Cochrane Croatia and Caspera. The time that we spent together on Mosor fostered teamwork through interaction with each other. Besides helping to rejuvenate a part of the forest, we engaged in interactive workshops organized by Mosor mountain rangers who had volunteered their time.
Building a lasting relationship with the local community is central to Cochrane Croatia's goals. All of the events from our first steps on Mosor to our departure helped to further build the relationship between Cochrane Croatia and Caspera. As we all drove away from Mosor close to sundown, we all knew that we would return to Mosor or interact with each other again on a new adventure. Certainly, the longevity of Cochrane Croatia depends on the relationships that we form and our cooperation with Caspera is just one example of these important community-based relationships.
Shelly Pranić
