Bikesh Deshar

IN an unfathomed forest of Phulchoki, which is believed to be evolved in mesozoic era, I remained for more than 5 hrs, walking quietly up and down, photographing and climbing among the surrounding mountains covered with snow. Phulchoki furnishes an equally interesting example of wilderness wholly, or in part, by wide range of flora and fauna and in every direction, the landscape stretched out sublimely away in fresh wildness--- a manuscript written by the hand of Nature alone. It all started with an obsession of walking. On a chilly morning of February 5, 2022, I woke up late and after my morning stuffs, I looked around from our terrace. I saw all the hills and mountains of the Kathmandu valley covered with snow. And I decided to hike Phulchoki, one of the care killing trails of the valley which stretches out 13 km from the base of the mountain.  However, I already hiked this trail with my friend on last December, 2021 when first snowfall of the season hit the valley. With an urge...

THERE is always something deeply exciting, not only in the wilderness of the forest in the mountains, which exert more or less influence over every mind, but in their varied wilderness as manifested by the change in season especially those of mountains in winter. The evergreen forest of the Phulchoki Mountain is indescribably impressive and sublime, but the native Himalayan high altitude oak trees seem to me the best interpreters of the mountain. They are mighty, ever in tune, singing and writing tree-music all their long century lives. Little, however, of these noble trees and their music will you see or hear in the strictly higher elevation of the mountain (above 2650 m). © Nirpesh Sharma I had long been looking from the city that never sleeps and at last, all draw-backs overcome, a friend of mine and I set forth on the second last day of December, 2021, on a 10 mile walk (Chapagaun-Phulchoki Summit) to the top of the valley, 2700 m above from the sea level. As it rained so heavily...

The sustained grandeur of the Kathmandu valley is strikingly illustrated by the surrounding lush hills and mountains. However, one big question mark comes in our mind whenever we hike these mountainsides that can we keep these lushness of the valley for our children, for another century? Great thoughts are conceived when we walk in the wilderness. With countless thoughts on my mind, I did a solo hike around the southern mountains of the valley dated October 30, 2021. Radar station hike could be acclimatization hike for those who wants to hike upper elevation i.e. above 2300 m above the sea level. If you hike this place more than once, you could acclimatize above elevation for a month or two. With good walking pace, I started my hike at 11 O'clock, from my house, Chapagaun and took the same native trails that lead to the Charghare where suspension bridge joins two villages. After crossing the bridge, I took the narrow forest way that goes to the Tikabhairav. I always admire this for...