Hiking with ‘Hike For Nepal’
(First Experiences)
Living in a country with more than hundreds of hills, I discovered the thrill of ascending one much later in life. Absorbed in the chaos of urban life, the thought of walking up a hill and enjoying the view never crossed my mind. The only hill I climbed, as a kid, was the one where the famous Swayambhu Stupa is situated, and even that always felt like an exhausting ordeal. But then came adulthood, and with it, adventures of trekking to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) and Tilicho Base Camp (TBC) which for forever changed the way I looked at hills. Hills then no longer remained the far away aesthetics surrounding my city. They became routes to sweaty adventures and breathtaking views.
Coming back from ABC, I would look longingly at the beautiful green hills surrounding my polluted city and I would wonder when I would get to climb on top of them and look down upon Kathmandu. Unlike commercial hikes (like ABC, EBC and the Annapurna Circuit), hikes around the valley’s hills lack places for rest, water and food. The trails are not clear and signals for hikers (for direction) are sparse. Then one day, scrolling through Facebook, I came upon a page named ‘Hike for Nepal’ (HFN) which sounded like a patriotic cry for us citizens to scale the hills. I found out that ‘HFN’ offers guided hikes for a group of people through various short one day hikes, mostly across the hills of Kathmandu. This page was exactly what an amateur hiker like me was looking for. As an urban dweller, too afraid to hike along non-commercial terrain on his own, I was desperately asking around for people to take me along on their hikes. But my friends were mostly busy and equally unaware of where to even start. But now with ‘Hike for Nepal’, I could take on the challenge I had been seeking for so long.
On March 16, 2019, me and a couple of my friends signed up for a day of adventure with ‘Hike for Nepal’. They required us to deposit a fee of Rs 1,000 (for first timers) a day before into their bank account for confirmation. It seemed like a reasonable fee because without proper guides I would certainly get lost and lose my life in those hills and I value myself more than a thousand rupees. We met up at Bhrikutimandap at 7:00 am and although the Facebook page insisted that if anybody didn’t arrive on time, the bus would leave without them, it was well after 8:00 am when the bus engines finally roared to life. With the slow start, I was already bored out of my boots, restless as to when the real adventure would finally begin. In about an hour we reached the Dakhshinkali Temple from where our hike officially began.
The first hour had me stomping madly along the road, with dust blowing all over my face, thanks to local buses and motorbikes that were hiking alongside us all. The initial trail started from dusty roads which was neither expectant nor enjoyable. But once the real trail started, the cool breeze of fresh air, the lack of vehicular noises and the joyous mood of my fellow hikers, lifted my spirits and I was bouncing up the trail with renewed energy. There were three guides who introduced themselves at the beginning of the hike. Two of them, who were younger than me, spoke politely and instructed us to walk at a deliberate pace, careful not to lose the pack. One guide would hike at the end of the group at all times to make sure nobody got left behind. A lost hiker would not only mean a lost customer but also possible closure of the business itself. The main guide, who led the group, carried a spray bottle which he would spray along routes to guide hikers following him.
I was thoroughly impressed with the professionalism of these guides. They seemed to know what they were doing. After three hours of a grueling hike, we finally reached the top of a hill where we were welcomed by a stunning view of a valley where several hills were layered behind each other. They created a mesmerizing show of colors which we soaked in through our eyes and minds. Lying on the grass, me and my friends ate some home packed lunch with fresh fruits. The kind mixture of cool air, clear skies and a warm sun made me sleepy and I sneaked in a quick nap. We rested for about an hour after which we left for rest of the hike. An hour of hiking later, we reached what felt like the center of a jungle. Surrounded by trees, bushes and rhododendrons, this place was barren in the center and gave the impression of a place where animals might assemble to discuss for forest meetings (cartoonish I know, but it did). We huddled together for a group picture, over playing our enthusiasm for the camera.
After that the real test began when we were guided down a really steep hill covered by dried winter leaves which only made it that much harder to not fall down and cause an avalanche of human hikers. Some of the hikers were whimpering fearful sounds while some were trying to encourage them to move along. The old guide was acting impatient at this point and pressed us to move faster down the steep slope. After half an hour of a tormenting climb down hill, some of the hikers behind us asked us to stop. We turned around to hear that we had actually lost our way. Or to be more precise, our guide had got all of us lost on our guided hike. Me and my friends were completely stumped and lost for words. We didn’t know whether to laugh at the cruel irony, cry at our misfortune or scream for a refund. Slowly and impossibly we climbed our way back, up the steep hill, back to the center of the forest, where we had taken the group picture.
Everybody looked pissed off and the guides were visibly embarrassed. But we didn’t want to engage them in questions just in case they ran and we would be truly lost. Everyone took restful breaths as the guides searched for the actual route back home. Eventually, they pointed us towards another route and asked us to follow them, which we reluctantly did for lack of better options. At this point, all of us were thoroughly spent and longing to go home. After an hour of more hiking, we finally reached our bus. Everyone was happy to have finished the hike and the bus was filled with laughter and conversation. Although, me and my friends would have preferred to not get lost along the hike, we do understand that those who seek adventure should not be scared of a few twists and turns.
