"Samanomis sąmoningi" (Eng. “Conscious in Moss”) – this is the slogan used for the second year in a row to celebrate 17 May – the Day of Partisan Honour and the Unity of Army and Society. This year, "Samaningi kilometrai" (Eng. “Kilometres of Moss”) hikes took place simultaneously in 7 regions of Lithuania: Radviliškis, Tauragė, Kėdainiai, Lazdijai-Alytus, Telšiai, Širvintos, and Utena-Švenčionys. On the initiative of Rima Kubiliūtė, the Head of the Public Relations Group at VU KnF, an international group of faculty representatives hiked in the Lazdijai-Alytus region. According to the organisers, this route attracted the largest number of people – about 700 hikers.
After the opening ceremony at the Simnas Cultural Centre and the honouring of the fallen partisans at the Simnas Cemetery, the participants went on a 12-kilometre hike to the site of the Kalniškės battle. The commander of the General Adolfas Ramanauskas Combat Training Centre Col. Rimantas Jarmalavičius led the hike and shared the stories with the hikers. At the finish line, there was a riflemen’s feast, an exhibition of children's drawings, a gallery of partisans' portraits, and a concert "Songs of the Freedom Struggles" by the pianist Darius Mažintas and the soloist Agnė Sabulytė.
"Many people like to spend their free time on nature hikes, resting their eyes away from books and screens, but this hike was special because the inspiring historical narrative about the strategic success of the Battle of Kalniškės and the fearless fighters was accompanied by an authentic landscape of the events," – says R. Kubiliūtė. "A long column of hikers – uniformed young riflemen, soldiers, schoolchildren, families and groups of friends – marched with the flags of the Republic of Lithuania and various organisations through the hilly and blooming landscape of the Lazdijai District. The organisers of the hike spoke to our foreign students and gave the opening greeting in English for those who do not understand Lithuanian, since the hike was attended not only by Lithuanian colleagues from VU Kaunas Faculty and Lithuanian students, but also by students from Bangladesh, Ghana and Ukraine. We all felt a special unity while sharing snacks, impressions, and stories. It was the first hike for some of the students in our group, but it was certainly a memorable one."
The organisers of the hike were the Officer Antanas Juozapavičius 1st Territorial Riflemen Unit (Alytus County), the Lazdijai Culture Centre, and the Combat Training Centre of General Adolfas Ramanauskas of the Lithuanian Army. The partners of the event: Lazdijai District Municipality and Alytus District Municipality.