Seeing Muscat in a different perspective

Meeting my buddies from Adventure Oman every Saturday has become a routine that I truly enjoy. Waking up very early in the morning and seeing Muscat from a different perspective — often, on top of the capital’s highest peaks offer a certain kind of solitude. Last Saturday was no different. [gallery link='file' ids='395086,395087,395085'] We decided to meet at 5:30 in the morning and by the time I got there, there were already 30 eager hiking enthusiasts talking with each other. It didn’t take long before the other participants arrived and very soon, our very large group — 41 in total, started moving towards the trail. Our hike on this day was focused on getting to the top of the hill with panoramic view overlooking the Muscat Bay Development. As Adventure Oman follows Basic Safety Management principles to ensure all participants’ safety and make the activity enjoyable, we got on with the Pre-Trek Briefing led by Arun D’Souza, one of the founders of Adventure Oman. Arun Lobo was the designated leader and the Trail Sweep was Laxman Singh Bhadouria. The path was along a steep-graded trail. After climbing for about five minutes, we left the graded trail to climb up along a shaded gully which offered little relief from the heat that is starting to build. After another twenty minutes, we reached our first flat level patch. Behind us, I could see the valley glowing in the early morning golden rays. After a quick break, we resumed our climb. We passed through another flat patch and after what seemed like 30-minute climb, we reached the summit. The view was mind blowing and for some reason, I felt a sense of achievement. Not only can we see the whole of Muscat Bay Development we can see as far as the fishing village in Yiti. Taking in the view, there was a sense of peace and oneness with nature. We spent about 30 minutes at the summer before we decided to begin our descent. By 8 in the morning, we were back to base where our cars were parked. I look forward to spending my Saturday mornings with such like-minded, outgoing buddies. Manjunath Pai