I’ve now been back in the US for a little more than 10 days, had time to rest and reflect on my 9 weeks spent in Nepal.
First, I want to thank you all who have supported me during my preparation and who have also supported my campaign to raise money for the Splash program in Kathmandu and their effort to bring clean water to all public schools in Kathmandu (It's still open for donations at: https://impact.splash.org/campaign/everest-trek-for-clean-water/c223325).
Dave and I were blessed to visit one of these Kathmandu schools during our first day there. I know pictures of drinking kids below might not look like a big deal for us who live in modern cities and countries and where we take clean water for granted but it is a big big deal for them.
Getting clean water is not obvious when your river and city street look like this:
And in case you are wondering what’s wrong with this picture, the rocks in the middle of the river are not rocks. They are trash bags. While things are changing with the younger generations, the older ones are still used to throwing their trash on the street or in the rivers. And there is no trash collections service. That means that any underground water reserve is contaminated and undrinkable.
And that is why Splash’s program and your support is so essential to the health and as a result sustained education and growth of Nepals’ school population.
Thanks to your donations, Nepalese kids can drink safe water, avoid diseases, not miss school, have a better chance at getting educated, finding better jobs and getting themselves, and as a result their country, slowly out of poverty.
And I can guarantee you, that water is truly clean and as safe as any water you drink in any American restaurant (since it uses the same type of commercial grade filters)
Again Huge thank you to all of you for your donations, every $5 you gave guaranteed access to clean water for a full year for a school kid. So, what would cost you a Starbucks coffee here, is having a lasting effect for a student over there.
I also want to thank the Splash.org staff in Seattle and Kathmandu for their support and assistance getting me there.
About the Everest expedition.
Yes, I ended up summitting it, but honestly the summit itself was anti-climactic. Overcrowded and with clouds and snow moving in, I only spent a few minutes on the summit itself before starting to come down.
As Melissa Arnot (American female climber and guide, 7 times Everest summitter), "the journey is for the soul, the summit for the ego".
What I cherish the most from this experience, are memories of weeks spent hiking through the valleys of juniper forests between Lukla and base camp, the endless amazing views revealed at every turn of the trails…
... the spiritual journey we went through with myriad of prayer stones, prayer wheels, stupas, monasteries encountered along the way…
… the early morning hours, anxiously going over ladders and crevasses through the Khumbu ice fall,
…the 3 day long summit push, followed by 2 lengthy grueling days of descents…
... or the new friendships built over difficult and stressful climbing situations and endless hours of card playing while resting and acclimatizing at base camp.
These moments, are those that keep playing in my head as I recall the last two months of this once in a lifetime experience. Nepal is a beautiful place. While it is a poor country, the people of Nepal are generally very happy and welcoming. I highly recommend visiting it (and in doing so supporting the local communities) while respecting their traditions, their way of living and their belief.
Thank you to all of you who have supporting me in planning, preparing and during this journey and in particular to my wife, kids and parents whose level of stress and anxiety has only gone growing with each days that was passing while I was on this expeditions. Your support and love was providing me plenty of reasons and a growing desire to come home safe and whole.