NATCHEZ — Residents flocked to the Natchez bluff Thursday morning to enjoy a view and get a little healthier.

Natchez hosted a “Let’s Go Walkin’ Mississippi” community walk. The program, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield, is aimed at helping Mississippi residents take steps toward a healthier life.

Natchez resident Robert Ivory was one of those walking the route from the gazebo, down the hill and back again.

“I have got to get back in shape,” Ivory said. “I’m just getting back into it. I’ve gotten lazy. Lots of people get lazy. “

Ivory said he would stick with the program after Thursday’s walk.

“I’m going to keep on with it,” he said.

For Charlyne Oten, it was a chance to kick-start exercising regularly.

“I think it’s good to get out and walk,” Oten said. “I usually walk, but I’ve kind of stopped for a week. I need to keep it up, and I thought it was a good opportunity this morning.”

Audrey Gray and her husband, Clarence, considered Thursday’s walk a change of scenery.

“We usually walk (elsewhere) every day,” Gray said. “We thought this would be fun, to get out and see friends, and we have.”

Kevin Spera, community program manager for “Let’s Go Walkin’ Mississippi,” said he considered the walk a success.

“People have come and gone, but we’ve handed out about 300 pedometers,” Spera said.

The Natchez walk is the seventh community walk the program has organized this year, Spera said.

“The response has been tremendous,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for people in the community to come together and walk.”

Local government officials spoke before the walk began, and Blue Cross presented a giant check for $150,000 toward the Natchez Trails Project, a planned series of trails throughout town.

For more information on “Let’s Go Walkin’ Mississippi,” visit www.letsgowalkinms.com.