Neha Roy On March 5, 2017, 20 hikers from Deerwalk Sifal School (DSS) and Deerwalk Institute of Technology (DWIT) arrived at Deerwalk Complex at 6:30 AM in the morning. It was a fresh Sunday morning; the air was crisp; the dawn was breaking; and it seemed to be a perfect day to hike. It was Rudra Dai’s (Executive Chairman) idea to go for a one-day hike. As DSS had completed one successful year, it was a time of celebration and merry-making. Leaving the complex at 7:30 AM, we were all excited for the day to unfold. On the way, we stopped once at a local restaurant for breakfast, where we had chapatis, curries and jeris with tea; we also bought some snacks for mid-day. As the clock stroke 10 AM, we reached Banepa after a tw0-hour long journey by bus. Banepa was the point from where we started our hiking. Though the morning was mildly warm, the day grew hotter and hotter. The temperature, however, didn’t bother much as we walked through the fields of villages talking, singing, joking, and laughing. The best part of the hike was that we grew candid with each other and got to know about our colleagues better. Laughter, as the cliche goes, is the best therapy. But some cliches are too good to be ignored. In the beginning, the 8 hours walk seemed impossible to most of us, but since we had an amazing team, they helped us make the journey fun and exciting. The hills and the fields ringed with our laughter. Rudra Dai’s jokes oftentimes acted as an elixir for our worn-out bodies. The trail snaked through the fields and jungles, and we followed the steepy, meandering path, once in a while, clutching the branches of trees. As soon as the bridle path ended, we had to climb many stairs. It was one of the most tiring experiences of my life. All the while, we were reminded by the fact that nature is the place where we should lose ourselves once in a blue moon. Escaping the monotonous, daily routine of our hectic lives, on that Sunday, we all got a chance to be carefree and enjoy life as it comes to us. ‘Here and Now’ was what we believed in. All in all, embracing the ebbs and flows of life, walking in exhausted limbs, at 5 PM in the evening, we reached the top of the Nagarkot Hill. Looking at the distant mountains, we were caught by the pristine beauty of nature. The grey mist-shrouded valley below looked far and intangible to us. As we began munching the dinner, the traditional rice, lentils and curry, we as if by magic forgot all our exhaustion. Ritu Dai shared his youthful experience over dinner. His words took us back to the memory lanes. The bus ride back to Sifal echoed with the songs of old Hindi movies; Hitesh Dai’s voice was shrill yet soothing. Nirmal Dai also joined him and matched his melody at par. Needless to say, we had one of the most exciting and remarkable hikes of our lives.