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Hike to Shivapuri Peak

On June 11, I planned a hike to Shivapuri Peak with four of my friends; Ashish, Aarjan, Mohit, and Suman. We all agreed to meet at the entrance gate of Shivapuri National Park at 7:00 AM, using a ride-sharing app to get there. It was drizzling slightly when we arrived, so before hitting the trail, we stopped by a nearby cafe for some warm tea. While there, we ran into a senior from DSS who was going on a solo hike. We invited him to join us, and just like that, our group grew from five to six. Around 8:00 AM, we finally set off up the trail.

Right at the start, we noticed two girls walking ahead of us. Just for fun, we dared our senior brother to ask one of them for her Instagram; and to our surprise, he actually went for it! After that lighthearted start, we continued upward, taking in the lush greenery and peaceful atmosphere. At one point, we took a few shortcuts and overtook the girls, but we could tell they were trying hard to catch up. Eventually, they caught up and asked if we had a power bank. As we got to talking, we invited them to walk with our group, and they happily agreed. Their names were Angel and Rista. Being in the same age group made the conversation easy and the hike much more lively.

Before long, though, their pace began to slow down significantly. They needed breaks every few steps, which added a lot of time to our ascent; especially on a trail packed with steep stone steps. Still, surrounded by such beautiful green woods, we didn't want them to lose hope and turn back. We kept encouraging them and even carried their bags so they could walk a bit more comfortably.

About halfway up, our senior brother had to split off because he was running late for another commitment. Meanwhile, because our pace had slowed down so much, two of our own friends grew restless and decided to push ahead on their own. That left five of us continuing together at a slow, steady rhythm.

This section of the trail also brought out the leeches! I somehow ended up on official leech-removal duty: first, I spotted one on a friend's clothes, then another turned up on a friend's stomach because she was wearing a crop top, and surprisingly, I even found one on my own stomach! Despite the unwanted hitchhikers, we kept our spirits high; snapping photos, joking around, and making our way up to Bagdwar.

At Bagdwar, we rested and washed up using the cold mountain water before tackling the final stretch to Shivapuri Peak. This part was even steeper, with endless flights of stairs, though we did pass a peaceful monastery along the way. We noticed several trail runners and foreign hikers; who had started around the same time as us; already heading back down, which showed just how relaxed our pace had been. By this point, Angel and Rista were completely exhausted and ready to turn back, but we kept motivating them and made sure they didn't give up.

After about four to five hours of continuous walking, we finally reached the summit and reunited with our two friends who had forged ahead earlier. Unfortunately, heavy fog obscured the view from the peak, leaving us with not much to see. We did find the statue of Shivapuri Baba, though it wasn't quite as grand as we had pictured.

After having lunch at the top, we began our descent. Heading down was much quicker and easier; it took us only about an hour to an hour and a half. Outside the entrance gate, I bumped into another friend who was heading back from a hike to Bishnudwar with his own group. Since Angel and Rista were still struggling to walk, we booked a small local vehicle to take us all down to a restaurant. There, we enjoyed a late meal together, relaxed, and swapped Instagram handles so we could stay in touch and plan future trips.

Looking back, the hike turned out to be a fantastic experience. Crossing paths with strangers and turning them into friends along the way made the journey far more memorable than a standard walk in the woods ever could have been.