Hiking | Summary | millennium | B.ed | BICTE |

                                       Hiking

Hiking is a great source of pleasure for us besides being beneficial for health. Once we leave the crowded streets of a city and go out for a walking tour away from the mad world, we really feel free.

The open air has a bracing effect on the mind. The congestion of the city, the uproar and tumult, the intolerable noise of traffic, the depressing daily routine all are forgotten and the mind is at liberty. We then feel like running, leaping, singing and laughing.

How merrily we travel mile after mile in the company of friends. Hiking takes us near the beauties of nature. The sight of wild flowers, streams, trees and bushes is pleasing. A contact is established between us and nature.

The sounds of nature like the murmur of a brook or the song of a bird, acquire a new meaning and significance for us. Our power of observation is sharpened, nothing escapes our eyes. A snake casting its slough, a mouse peeping out of its hole, a squirrel leaping about on the branches of a tree, a bird flying past us, all these arouse our interest.

We have no worries, no fear of the examination and no anxiety about the home task. We have got leisure to stand, to walk and talk. It is all the more a pleasure to do hiking in a mountainous region and thrilling than in the plains.

The excitement of climbing up to the top of a hill, the adventure of climbing down a slope, a grandeur of sunset behind a mountain, above us these impart a rare charm and interest to our journey. We walk among a zig-zag motor road or cut across a mountain path in search of adventure.

We may have bright sunny weather or be caught by a sharp shower of rain. We may look below us into the yawning chasm or up at the peak of mountain. The feeling of unlimited freedom makes our hearts leap with joy. Hiking is one of the healthiest sports.

It ensures complete escape from the urgent and busy activities of life and therefore gives to brain the rest it needs. Because of this rest, the brain regains its lost energy and is enabled to do twice as much work as before. Not only the brain, but the body is also greatly benefited by a long walk.

All our limbs get exercise, as we walk along, our digestion comes to order and our appetite is whetted. By the time we come to the end of our journey, we are as hungry as a hawk and how we relish the meal that we get at a dak bungalow or the food that we have brought with us.

And when we have pitched a tent for the night, what a sound slumber we enjoy till we are awakened at dawn by the sounds created by nature’s creatures. Add to all these pleasures of hiking, the opportunity of intimate conversation with the strangers we meet on the way or at our halting place.

When we are engaged in talk with a stranger, we forget our own identity, we forget ourselves and our professions. We meet a lot of people in the course of a long hike. We feel interested in chatting with them just as they welcome exchanging ideas with us.

a)Where did the author travel to ?

Ans. The author travelled to the town Portomarin along the sacred ancient way, the Camino de Santiago. There was Spanish St. James’s Church.

 

b) Why did she stop on the hillside?

Ans. She stopped on the hillside and sat for a while on a lichen-painted wall of gray stone because she felt good and happy and she wanted to prolong the feeling in the Spanish sun and its beauty. It was one of the best movement of the trip.

 

c) What was the cause of the rupture in the bike?

Ans. The cause of the rupture in the bike was maximum speed. When the writer sat on the wall, the Italian bikers zipped past her setting their gears for maximum speed while going the down ward coast at the bottom of the hill. They hit a rock of the bottom, where the road turned suddenly.

d) What made the author conclude ” It was better to be on foot”?

Ans. The author saw two bikers going to have to spend time in prying the tire off, gluing a patch on the punctured inner tube, reassembling the thing, pumping air back in, and hoping the patch would hold. This suffering and time consuming of the boys made her conclude that it was better to be on foot.

 

e) Describe the boy whom the author saw at the church. What did he need?

Ans. The boy was along. He was young. He was wearing a red wind breaker. He had no friends. He had pleasant face, wide mouth and sandy hair. He was staring upward at the window above the altar. He needed friendship as he was alone.

 

f) Write an essay on ‘ Hiking Places in Nepal’.

Ans. Nepal is rich in hiking places. It has many hills for hiking. Hiking gives us a chance to be familiar with many custom, lifestyle, art, culture, etc.

Sagarmatha region, Annapurna region, Nagarkot hiking, Phulchok hiking, Nagarjuna hiking, Dhulikhel hiking, Daman hiking, etc. are the main hiking places of Nepal.

Many people go to hike in Sagarmatha zone. The highest peak of the world, Sararmatha attracts many people for hiking. There are some hiking places near Kathmandu- such as Champadevi, Kakani, Dhulikhel and Nagarkot in which also people are found hiking throughout the year. Nagarkot hiking is situated in the east of the/ Kathmandu valley at an elevation of about 1800 meters. It is popular for mountain views at sunrise and sunset. Nagarjun hiking is 10 km from Kathmandu city which is very holy for both Buddhist and Hindus. Dhulikhel hiking is in the central part of Nepal, 32 km from Kathmandu valley. There are many temples and mountains.

These hiking places are not only visited by Nepali people but a large numbers of tourists from different countries also come to visit. So Nepal is a heaven for hiking. Hiking gives economic strength to the nation. We should promote this business. Hiking improves our health too. We get fresh air, see beautiful scene and take new experience from hiking.