Pradeep Prajapati 

The morning started with dense fog, and a question popped: Is it a good time for a hike? Hell yeah! When the hiking route is through the forest, it's the perfect weather for hiking. The whole journey had a mesmerizing panoramic view of mountains and cities under the clouds. At about 7:30 am, our journey began from Deerwalk Complex. The sun rose as we reached Nagarkot View Point. We were lucky to be there as we saw the mesmerizing view; it felt awesome. At about 9:45 am, we reached Nagarkot Bus Stop, where we searched for a place to have breakfast. After breakfast, we started our hike to Nagarkot Panoramic Hiking Trail. Hiking started from a natural hiking path through the jungle. We walked downhill with the panoramic view and no noises like in the city. About one and a half hours later of our hiking, interacting with each other and kids and people we met in the way, we stopped for snacks. Then, our uphill hiking started. We all felt a little tired after a while, we continued our hiking with some rest on the way. After about 3 hours, we reached the endpoint of our hiking trail. During the three-hour-long hike, the view of mountains and villages and the ambiance of the environment were amazing. Then, we had lunch and returned to the Deerwalk complex. 

Astha Thapa 

I never preferred hiking. Two reasons: I am not a morning person and uphills are my weaknesses. So when I had to wake up at 6 to reach the office at 7, battling against the morning’s cold, I was questioning my decision to take part in this hike. It was expected to be sunny that day, but the weather forecast for that day had changed somehow. Now, it predicted a cloudy day. Obviously, we were worried. That early morning Kathmandu was gloomy and foggy. It was already cold, and if it had rained, it would have been a muddy hike. So, in the midst of the fog, it felt like taking a trip to a magic land (the one they show in Korean dramas). As we went higher and higher up the hills of Nagarkot, the sun was brighter and brighter. The fog disappeared, and while the rest of Kathmandu was still in the fog, Nagarkot was clear as a crystal. It took us around three hours to reach Nagarkot. The songs we played seemed out of sync with our moods, so we kept skipping most of them. In the meantime, we went to the View Tower to see the world’s famous sunrise. Everyone seemed very excited; so was I. However, it was too difficult to ignore the arrogant, cold wind. As soon as we had our breakfast, we began our hike. It was around 11. We took the Nature Trail (the name of the trail we took) which was actually an easy route. It was what a normal hiking route looked like. Tree, tree, grass, grass, bugs, and bees. Well not bees, but it rhymes! We tossed our coin to choose which way to go. After finishing Nature Trail, we went around the hill. One way was still under construction, but we made it past that somehow. We met some Gurungsenis on the way who were waiting for the janti. We even got invited but, unfortunately, we had to decline. The hike route did not seem difficult in the beginning. I thought to myself: well, this would be an easy peasy lemon squeezy hike, perfect for a non-hiker like me. I was wrong. BAM! The uphills roared at me like a tiger. While the rest of the team had less difficulty climbing the hill, I was crawling my way up (once again reflecting on my decision to go on hikes). Finally, we reached the place where we began our hike. We had our lunch in a nearby eatery which was very delicious. We set back to the office listening to the same songs, which now somehow felt soothing. This hike made me realize two things. First: Hike means you have no option to give up. No matter how hard it is to take the route you have to get through it. Go slow but go through it. Second: On a cold windy day like that, I should have taken more clothes.