Up and down adventures

by Eena Shrestha, narrated to Pallav

15 November 2017

Photographs are by Utu, Anita, Eena, and Spiny Babbler Evolution instructors. You see, in order, me climbing up and me sliding back down again to the place I started climbing from. Then you see 4 year old Vidheha climbing up with Anita's help and getting down with Utu's help. Teena pops out of a hole in the ground in a separate adventure and climbs up with the help of a young tree in this one. Bishes and Amulya contemplate their own adventures while Pallav sir give me a helping hand.

Every time we go on an outdoors trip, we try to have an adventure. Not that the trips themselves are not adventurous, we try to have something short and extra that remains with us and comes back sometimes into our dreams.

Yesterday we went to Taudaha. But then everyone does that and where is the adventure in doing everything that everyone does? So what did we do that was an adventure you ask? We looked at a cliff and then came a voice. “Cliiiiiiiimb uuuuuup thaaaaat cliiiiiiiff!”

The voice came from the skies? Yes it sorta did, however, that was Pallav sir who was already up. He had taken the path this time. Usually, he tests the climbs or downhills first. So it was probably an easy climb or it was very hard so he left us to it. I looked at the cliff again. It was a real cliff. It was steep, there was nowhere to climb, I thought, but there were some trees and bushes that we could use to climb up.

I was glad Utu was going first and NOT me. Right after Utu started climbing, Pallav sir’s voice came down again, “Get Vidheha and Bishesh away from there in case Utu falls on them and squishes them.” And also there was the whole thing about taking photographs of him climbing. While I was getting the kids out of the way and setting up the camera, Utu was already up and I did not get to see how he did it.

Next went Vidheha, she is just four and she actually wanted to do this. Anita and Shila gave her a hand and told her where to put her feet. The first time around, she slid down and was annoyed. The second time around, she put her foot in the right places with guidance and made it to the top. The problem with Vidheha going up the cliff was that now we would ALL have to do it. If a four year old can do it, we are older, you see, and it would be embarrassing if we could not make it to the top!

It was my turn. My heart was in my mouth. I felt scared but Vidheha had done it so I had to put on a brave big girl face. There were thoooorns so I had to make sure I would not touch those. I put the bag down and my camera and then started to climb. I felt really nervous when I approached the cliff but I just went and ventured up. I had two attempts at climbing up, the first time I had to climb I was pretty much half way up when I slipped and fell I almost made it up the first try so I tried again and made it to the top with guidance. Once clear, Pallav sir reached out and pulled me up.

After me came Shila. Shila did not slip or fall and came up quite carefully. I think Utu, Vidheha and I had made a good path and all the places to step on were ready. There were two young trees at the bottom of which we could place our feet as we climbed and a young tree we could hug and hold as we came up. And once she was through everyone else made it including Amulya who is also four years old.

This was my second such adventure. You can read about what happened the first time around on a separate blog called “Hanging by the Tree”. This story contains photographs from out of the hole in which you see Teena popping out like the bunny in Alice in Wonderland. That was a separate adventure and you can also see on the right, Bishesh and Amulya all ready to take on another special adventure by climbing up a very tricky slope. According to our instructors, please do not attempt these without supervision.