Santosh Shah
26th Chaitra 2079.On a beautiful Sunday morning. This was an ideal time to end this Year(2079) with a hike. Everyone was looking to get away from the city and this seemed like the perfect getaway into the woods. We were directed to reach Deerwalk Complex premises at 7:30am. The team assembled at HS canteen and had our energizing breakfast that included Anda-chana,Puri,Jerri and Tea. We were a total of 25 hikers(DSS members) with our gear ready. The weather was fine and sunny.
We departed on the bus at 8:20 am. The school bus took us to Chabahil-Duwakot to Changunarayan. We stepped off and initiated our hiking from 9:15am.Sadly one of our team couldn’t make it due to health issue. We had to leave him on the way home. Some of the members were having their first ever hike. They were enthusiastic to make a move.As passing by the motherly naturehood and tall Pine forest,we reached Changu Narayan temple. Changu Narayan is an ancient Hindu temple, (Bhaktapur) located on a high hilltop. The temple is dedicated to lord Vishnu and is held in special reverence by the Hindu people. Even though we were there for Hiking,our spiritual mind and devotee of God made us to praise their presence. We took a short refreshing break that include soft drinks at 9:45am and waited for team to rejoined. During the hike, we encountered various landscapes, including hills, valleys, forests. We had to really engage ourselves in the initial phase as we ascended through the elevated hills, enjoying the scenes and chirping of birds.
We went deeper and deeper, crossed hills, we would go up and then go down again, go around some turns, and then again through the Woods and thick trees. We met other hikers going to the same destination and some returning from there. The team later on was detached. Some of the team were low at pace and seemed tired, they had to rest and move. The other team member detached with their bonds. They seem joyful dancing, singing, making tik tok trends and snaps while passing by narrow forest,sandy and muddy roads stepping on satisfying crunchy fallen leaves and other fun activities.
The team rejoined after a while and took a group snap. By the time we had almost covered half of hike. The team no longer have that energy to move and decided to take a break to re-fuel our tummy .With that we took short snacks break (12:00 pm) that includes Puri,Chana,Noodles,Biscuit and some fruits. We laughed a little, exchanged a few words. By the time we witnessed the lifestyle of that area. We could see Villager struggling for fire hood ,collecting every logs and branches that has fallen and been cut off. That left us overwhelmed and gave us lesson to fight no matter what the situation arrives. The road was filled with leeches, they said. By the time ,some of the team member were the victims of Leech. I was fortunate enough that no leech could harmed me. But there were other members who were surprised by the leech attack. They removed the leech attached and cleaned the wound with paper. We packed our bags, emptied our water bottles and got ready to move. We were trying to get to Telkot which was our next stop. As it was the end of winter, all the Pine leaves were on the ground,we walked slowly to avoid slippery trails. Walking on uneven trails also helps to build leg muscles and improve balance. We were burning our carbs accordingly.
We could see Hazy and unclear hills and mountains far away. The weather was so hot, only few could see it without glasses on. The environment was serene and green.
We reached Telkot around 12:25pm. Only the time we could see residential areas and running buses. We bought some snacks and Water to cover the rest 20% of remaining hike. We used stair downhill to Shree Pancha mahalaxmi temple. The downhill was slippery. Here we got to observe the slope covered with potatoes farm,a pretty sight. Farmers seem busy in irrigation and their activity with Sickle and Rake. We walked around the small canal way across the farm. The wind was blowing around the farm during the heat, providing a much-needed relief from the scorching sun. We reached Shree Panchamalaxmi Temple at 1:15pm.The temple was aesthetically beautiful, and it featured a well-crafted statue at the center giving South Indian Temple vibes that we used to watched in movies.PanchaMahaLaxmi Temple that mean “Five Big Lord’s Laxmi” which is viral over social media for its breathtaking sight to behold, with its intricate carvings, ornate architecture, and serene atmosphere. The viral Tiger cave lies at the back end of Temple. We praised the lord, took some snaps and enjoyed the vibes.
We walked on road ways to Sankhu,as our school bus was in position for us to board. We covered around 12 km of hiking from Changunaryan,Telkot,Pachamalaxmi to Sankhu. It took us around 5hr to reach the bus waiting for our arrival. After reaching the end of our hiking trail, we boarded the bus and returned to the starting point of our journey. All DSS Hiker rejoined at Sankhu bus stand and took the bus at 2:30pm.The hiker inside the bus were fatigue. We reached Deerwalk complex premise at 3:15pm. We made it back to HS canteen to have late lunch.
Overall,we felt physically exhausted, but mentally refreshed and rejuvenated from being out in nature.We shared a lot of Joy,laughter and made lifelong memories.
Thank you.
