Ganesh Sharma After I saw my name in the list of hiking teams I was eagerly waiting for Sunday 28-12-2014. It was decided that we all will go for a hike from Sundarijal to Shivapuri. I was very excited because it was my first hike from Deerwalk. I woke up around 7:15 am, but it was already decided that everybody will gather in Deerwalk complex around 7:30 am. I felt like I was going to be late for the hike, so I was taking the longest steps I could possibly take to reach Deerwalk complex on time. But I was amazed to see that only one member (Pramil) was there in the office. After a few minutes Prakash dai came and tried to contact everyone so that we could go on time. Around 8:15 am everybody gathered (except Vivek dai) and we left the office. We picked up Vivek dai on the way. He cracked a joke and our laughter session started from there only. Around 9:00 am we reached Sundarijal. We were so hungry that time and we had our breakfast and had some rest there. After doing breakfast we bought some oranges, chip packets, water bottles and then we started our hike around 9:45 am. We all were walking together and then after sometime we (me, Pramil and Roshandai) tried to find out some shortcuts and we lost in the jungle for some time. We were shouting so that we can get signals from our team members, but we didn't got any. We were walking in a jungle without having any idea where we were going. And after sometime, somehow we managed to return on a right way and we met our team members. Coming back from the jungle to the right path was a real fun. Then we reached at the entry point and we decided to go to Budhanilkantha from there. We started our journey towards Budhanilkantha then. On the way a monkey (I must say a daring monkey) tried to snatch away our bag with chips and oranges but I somehow managed to save that bag. Credit goes to Swikrit dai as well because he was the one who shouted “MONKEY!!!” watch out!!! On the way we were having group photos, we were capturing the beauty of the nature and having fun. Then suddenly Arun dai started a joke cracking session and this was the best session and all hikers were enjoying it a lot. In this session some of us were making RekhaThapa famous, some were going to the fourth floor of the building, some were responsible for the death of buffaloes, some were requested to hold the legs of a goat, some were washing away their different-different sins in Bagmati river and, the best one, some were going to the doctor to show his swelled needle (Only the hikers will understand what I mean here). We all were walking from morning and we all were tired. We were searching for water because the water we bought was finished already. On the way we found water and all of us drank water and moved ahead. All of us were tired and hungry as well. After walking around half an hour we reached in a village named “Tarebhir” around 1:30 pm. There all decided to have some “Chhyang” (local alcohol) except me and Dilip dai. They finished one full bucket of Chhyang and asked for some more and finished that as well. Dilip dai and I were odd man out. We had a bottle of Sprite instead. After that we all move ahead from there around 2:30 pm.

a monkey (I must say a daring monkey) tried to snatch away our bag with chips and oranges but I somehow managed to save that bag

I must say that Chhyang worked as an energy drink for them because before having Chhyang they were walking very slowly but after drinking Chhyang they started to run. Till now we were on half way to our destination and everybody thought that it would be very difficult for us to reach to Budhanilkantha if we kept walking in that rhythm because the regular simple way was too long. Then we decided to take shortcuts. We took random ways, asked the people of that locality about our destination and walked towards the way they showed. We were running downwards through random ways. And finally we reached Budhanilkantha around 4:30 pm. We all walked inside the temple area and had group photos and came out and waited for Umesh dai to come and receive us. After that we went to a hotel in Baneshwor for dinner. All of them had chilled beer before dinner. Arun dai did mimicry of Padey of Bhadragol. Workers of the hotel started to believe that he is the real Padey of Bhadragol. We had our dinner. Arun dai promised the workers of the hotel that he will visit that hotel again with his bhatij Jayente (another character of Bhadragol). And our one day hike ended there. All said that it was the craziest hike ever. And around 7:00 pm everybody left for their sweet homes. It was my first hike experience which was awesome. Thanks to all hiking members for making my first hike unforgettable. 

Pramil Paudel Occasional swinging of soul that makes us to lose ourselves into an enigma of nature, yet we can feel we are ultimately superior by product of it. Feelings that not absolute, but rather relative to the environment are continuously changed-determined by the prospective of the beholder. What human now have created is the magic box of its own inventions and seems, themselves seeking a chance to get rid of it. Truly saying hiking is not only a part of refreshment, but it’s an integral rejuvenation that re-brings lost enthusiasm, power and confidence. Like a prior period of the most awaited festival, already a chill of our forthcoming hike was ascended in our blood. I already started to smell its aroma early in the afternoon of Friday-28-12-014, after I was there in the final list of hikers. The chosen route was Sundarijal to Shivapuri – specially to me because I heard about flora and fauna, the true stakeholders of the Nepali natural beauty of it. It’s not only a destiny for hikers, but being a conservation area, it has a lot to discover by a common visitor like me. Being honest with myself, it was the perfect route chosen. We planned to come on Deerwalk premises at 7:30 am and depart as early as possible.

It’s not only a destiny for hikers, but being a conservation area, it has a lot to discover by a common visitor like me

We were at the foot of Shivapuri hill at 9:15 am-found laughing at us under the rays of just raised sun over it-perhaps didn’t believe on our confident, appealing from our face. We started to drag our shoes over partially shaded uphill way, the sound of rubbed rubber soles, stirred the calm peace of jungle to compose music of dictation over nature. Long gigs over Arun Poudyaldai’s jokes were automatic natural trigger to step forward. Sometimes looking beyond the way we had traversed made us not to believe in ourselves, everyone was found for questioning -did we measure all that way by our own stepping foot? I found that it doesn’t matter how far we are, but how we got so far matters much. Small brown, worn out way in between of green and mute standing trees led us through the moist corner of indigenous peoples-provided a golden chance to feel their sorrow of daily life at least for a while. We rested in the house probably a supplier of homemade liquor in the small trench village-might people drink usually and drain out their acid of muscle. We enjoyed “Chhyang” with “Sekuwa” and started to move down the hill. Hiking can be tasted once we take rest after a long walk with hurdles and suffering. Panoramic view we snapped via our eye lenses get stick in our subconscious and will create a pull forever-to visit Shivapuri. Finally, we moved though knife edged downhill way to Budhanilkantha inhaling the air of hike satisfaction. We visited that holy land and waited Umeshdai/Deerwalk four-wheel. I was sitting in the bus with a collection of wonderful memory stack of my first Deerwalk hike.