Published on Dec 26 2009 by Waqas Ahmad

I rang Qaib Sahib late on a Saturday evening to remind him that we are going hiking the next day. With a little persuasion - pretending we wouldn’t go if he didn’t join us, and promising to provide breakfast and lunch, and reassurance that only basic equipment is necessary for such a short hike - Qaid Sahib agreed to join us. Intially, our plan was to make a weekend out of the hike. However, at the eleventh hour we decided upon making the journey early morning - four hours later - we discovered it was an excellent call!

It’s important to start any journey with a silent prayer – obviously we were honoured that Qaid  Sahib would be leading us in the routine prayer before departing. Just before Qaid Sahib initiated the silent prayer, I asked him to pause, while I get out of the car to put something in the boot. I got back in the car and signalled that we can now start the silent prayer. So now Qaid Sahib thinks I’ve started the prayer, while I’m thinking he’s leading us. Ten minutes later, I eventually broke the deadlock and said 'Ameen'. I didn’t want to break rank and say 'Ameen'!  Qaid Sahib thought it was the emotional preparation of my hiking trips. After our fits of laughter, Qaid Sahib was adamant that he would have waited for Waqas  - who he believed was leading the silent prayer - to duly end, and did not have it in his mind to say 'Ameen'; whilst Tamoor said he was about to say it himself. Lesson learnt, the person leading the silent prayer, need not to forget!

The next step, pick up breakfast en route  and fill up tank. We pulled into the Esso service station opposite 'Crispy Cream', picked out all the snacks and breakfast, and decided to put everything back on the shelves - Tescos is cheaper, but Tesco was closed! We returned to Esso, and quickly ran through the motions of picking up what we left behind a few minutes back. Great start!

Finally we were on our way. The journey proved to be uneventful and after a half -time break and driver-change, we reached the village and woke up Qaid Sahib. We were running low of petrol, but I decided we'll fill-up on the return journey. However, we arrived at the meeting point in distress with a flashing petrol light. Dr Aziz Hafiz Sahib, Naib Sadr Majlis, rang to say that it’s the first time since the five-year life of the MKA Hiking Club, that he himself will be late, and the first time that somebody has arrived on time and before him. Our saviour soon arrived with a petrol can in hand. All this activity and we hadn’t even started hiking.

The rest of the group didn’t arrive for a long while. They decided to stay in Birmingham the night before and travel up in the morning. Bad choice.

To our Qaid’s surprise, the hike wasn’t as easy it seems – a bit more difficult than walking to Green Lane for iftari sessions. A believer of getting from A to B by foot, he suspected that he was qualified for a three-hour hike - not only were his newly-bought tennis trainers muddied, but also his non-waterproof track pants drenched in water - his attire of a true amateur. However, his spirits remained high, and energy revitalised with a well deserved lunch after reaching  the top. NM boys had a round of tuna sandwiches (low carb, high protein), prepared by Tamoor Ahmad: captain of Team NM - thanks!

We eventually returned safely to the car park, at first we observed our Zuhr/Asr prayers in congregation, sitting on a perch, dividing the walkers path and car park, followed by a delightful conclusion - with a refreshing cup of tea and two scones a piece - in the village cafe adjacent to the car park.

All in all, it was a very rewarding experience, offering plenty of banter, with enjoyment of the natural outdoors – something that local or regional pro evo competitions will never match! This report does injustice to our experience, which was thoroughly enjoyed. Qaid Sahib and Tamoor convincingly converted to the value of a hike. It proved a great opportunity to bond with brothers, and I’m sure Qaid Sahib will agree, it’s both therapeutic and addictive.

Participants from New Malden would like to thank Dr Aziz Hafiz Sahib for organising the hike, and look forward to joining him for future hikes, Insha'Allah.