Hiking Through Gratitude and the Eastern Hills

Last weekend, I went on a hike with one of the gym bhai. He’s someone I consider him as a doer, and this was his first time having such experience. Coincidentally, this was also my first hiking experience in eastern hills of Nepal. Back when I lived in Kathmandu for nearly six years, I’d done several hikes around the valley.

I had a completely different image in my mind about hiking in the Eastern hills. Now that I’ve done it, I’d highly recommend it to fellow hikers. Since monsoon season is here and paddy farming season (Asar 15) is approaching, we planned it just in time.

Originally, we had planned the hike with three gym bhai. But in the end, only one actually showed up. The real doer. We set off from Khorsane around 10 AM. I was impressed with the driver’s punctuality, I bought the ticket at 9:50 AM and the bus left exactly at 10 AM. Such level of work ethic should be encouraged and we need more of it as its rare in Nepal.

We reached Kerabari around 10:30-45 AM. It had just raining, and I was prepared with an umbrella. Thought what’s the point of hike ? At least it was safe here so we went full on mode with rains. Exact location was unplanned. So we moved on to the mountains and around noon, we arrived at Kali Pokhari. There, we met an old man and asked how far Jefaley was. It’s a viewpoint at the top of Morang, known for its snowy winters and views of Everest, Kanchanjunga and other majestic peaks. He smiled and said, Just a 30 minutes bro. Well, it turned out to be a joke 😂.

As we moved on, we learned there’s also a new Pathibhara Temple nearly. I am sure once more people hear about it, the area will thrive with tourism.

During our hike, we met a few teen boys headed home. I chatted with them and learned something humbling. One Boy, Yakub Yonzan (Grade 7), walks 3-3.5 hours each day to get school in the downtown area [Kerabari] from Saidada. Another boy, Sandeep Syanbo, lives in town during the week and goes home on weekends. Both were tamang and turned out to be distant relatives and brothers.

What amazed me most was their energy. While we were visibily tired, they looked fresh and cheerful. When we asked how long it would take to reach jefaley, they said 7-8 hours non stop. We were shocked. They suggested to us some local highlights instead. It was Bhoktiney, the Magar sangarala which is also a viewpoint tower. We asked both brothers to join us. Yakub agreed, and with his mother’s permission, he came along. Another bhai stayed back to rest at his home.

By 2:15 PM, we reached to the top, and the view was breathtaking. We were starving but the area, being remote , had a very few places to eat. It was around total three. We finally picked the one Yakub was familiar with. I treated him to foods, snacks and cold drinks while he shared more about his life.

During the conversation, I asked if his friends also went to the same school. He pointed to two separate mountain peaks and explained that his other friends study there, far from his. That hit me hard. That hit me hard. I remembered my dad stories that how he used to wake up at 4 AM to walk through mountains just to attend high school. They walk for hours, rain or shine, without complaints. And still, they smile. Still, they dream.

I didn’t have much to offer just some food, conversation, and career guidance. But they offered me something bigger, a new perspective. A reminder that while I chase goals and sometimes complain about small things, there are kids who would give anything for the life I’ve had. There are countless others like Yakub quietly striving. If you’re reading this, I am sure you had the privilge of education, access, time and many more. Don’t take it granted, utilize and leverage it. There are so many out there who don’t have what you do, but would give everything for the chance.

Before we parted ways, I shared my information and said to him, “If you ever need help, guide in the future, don’t hesitate to reach out.” I even shared my website with him, hoping that maybe one day, through his brother’s phone, he’d find his way to this story. Maybe he’ll read these words, and know that someone believed in him. Guess what, I made that kid’s day special too.

We started heading down at around 3:30 PM, knowing the last bust to Khorsane leaves at 5. We made it to the Kerabari viewpoint by 4:45 PM. We figured out that we could reach the bus in about 15 more minutes. And then out of nowhere, someone shouted, “Aju sir, K xa !” My mind be like “wait a minute, I recognized this voice”. I just turned and saw one of my old school friends. It turned into a mini renuion with three of them. One had just returned from abroad, one’s a lawyer, two are fulltime traders. The vibe was still the same. Time was running out, but thankfullly, my school friends had bikes.

We rode safely back from the Kerabari view point through the dense terai forest. It was fun. It wasn’t hike and just a nature one. It became the day of people, gratitude, forgotten connections. There’s so much to explore.