By Laudia Sawer
Ayi-Mensah (GAR), May 3, GNA – Hundreds of Ghanaians, made up of the elderly, young, and children, spent their May Day morning hiking from Ayi-Mensah in the Greater Accra Region to Peduase near Aburi in the Eastern Region.
The over five-kilometre walk started from the Ayi-Mensah toll booth, where people park their vehicles and hike to the very top of the mountainous curved road, some metres from the Presidential Lodge at Peduase, and back.
To make it comfortable for them, the majority of the hikers were in sportswear, hiking boots, and canvas shoes.
Church groupings, keep fit clubs, schools, companies, individuals, and many others all joined in the walk with some singing and drumming to increase morale as they took over 5,000 steps to Peduase and came back to the starting point.
While others were walking to reduce some calories, others just walked to maintain good health, and some also saw it as a good time to make money.
They positioned their stands along the stretch, selling bottled water, soft drinks, fruits, fruit juice, coconuts, and palm wine.
Even though it takes endurance, and commitment to successfully make the journey, one can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Accra town lying below the mountain, the naturally well-arranged rocky mountain, as well as the few beautiful architectural buildings doted on the mountain.
Mr. Thomas Obeng-Nketia, a regular hiker, told the Ghana News Agency that he mostly joins a group from his church to hike every holiday since on a normal day he does not get the opportunity to exercise.
Mr. Obeng-Nketia said personally he has a goal to reduce some calories and therefore his resolve to go on that journey. Recalling his first-time experience, he described it as tiring, especially when doing a return journey, which meant hiking for over 10 kilometres.
He encouraged others to embark on such walks as they were very healthy, adding that they provided people with free space to exercise.
He, however, called for the provision of road safety officers on the road to guide hikers to use the pedestrian walk instead of the main dual carriageway to prevent accidents, adding that the parts of the barricades that have been destroyed must be fixed to serve as a shield from the vehicles plying the road.
Ms. Sidia Afiyo Manerh, a teenager who went on the hike with her family, said even though this was her first time embarking on such a long walk, she enjoyed it and did not feel tired as she saw it as an opportunity to stretch her legs and keep fit.
GNA