In about 6 days, I leave on a trip to Nepal. Once again, I will be trekking with Trekking for Kids to improve the lives of children around the world. This is a special trip for several reasons, one of which is the devastation from the April 2015 earthquake calls for the world’s support for this developing nation. It has been long enough where our presence will not be a hindrance to the important efforts that happen immediately post-earthquake. Our aim is to fundraise the monies needed to re-build the school in the remote village of Kumari, pretty much destroyed during the earthquake and still not recovered. The school serves about 400 children and we got news this week that the building permit and plans were approved by the local authorities. If you would like to contribute, please visit my fundraising page and donate, nothing too small (or too big!). After we visit Kumari and spend a few days with the kids and doing some projects, we will depart to do a 5-day hike that, weather permitting, will allow me to see Mt. Everest in person. I will not be going to Everest Base Camp as it takes an extra week that I cannot afford with work but that’s OK. I will get to spend time with some folks I have trekked before and I am looking forward to that!
So the point of the post was to share with you how it looks to pack for this type of trek with multiple elements to it. This is my spare bedroom, all loaded with my stuff. Now, to figure out how to fit it in the orange bag on the left and the hiking backpack that will serve as my carry-on piece. Wish us luck!
Have an amazing trip, Raul! You are doing wonderful things and really making a difference in so many lives! Thinking of you!
Cheers for doing something good! Nepal is still a long way from “recovered” and lots of remote villages are still severely affected, with people still living in temporary housing and schools in ruins. As you may or may not be aware, I was in Nepal when the quake struck and proceeded to spend the next four months doing quake relief work in remote villages. It’s so positive and so uplifting to meet and help the wonderful people there (especially the kids) whose spirits remain stronger than ever. However there is so much corruption, not just among the Nepal government but also the NGOs there to “help” — it was like a rollercoaster ride of extreme highs and lows. Anyway, sorry for rambling on…looking forward to hearing about your experiences this trek 🙂
Derek Freal recently posted..50 Revealing Photos From Nepal’s Indra Jatra Festival 2015
Thanks, Derek, for your words and for the work you did. I remember reading you were there. We are going to the village of Kumaru, 3 hrs from Kathmandu, in the long shot case you were there.
The village is called Kumaru? Yeah, I was wondering, as you referred to it as Kumari in the article, which had me confused.
Most of my relief work east of Kathmandu was to villages in Sindhupalchowk, although a few times I did make it farther east, like out to Jiri. Never saw any Everest views though, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you. Definitely tweet me if you get a photo of her on a clear day 😉
Derek Freal recently posted..Life in the Mountain Villages of Nepal Post-Quake