I have been feeling a bit trepidatious about journeying back into the earthquake zone of Nepal. I can remember the first moments of the early tremors and the split second decision to have everyone evacuate the dining room. We were having a relaxed afternoon, playing cards, snacking on cheese and Salami we had carried from the states. Gentle laughter and jovial conversation drifted from the different trekking teams and tea house staff. The first indication that something ominous was about to happen was a gentle vibration that gave pause for a few seconds and then began again. At the pause I remember hearing several nervous laughs. It was as if some silent invisible hand was playing a joke, we were responding with a nervous laugh not really knowing what we were responding to. As the next vibration began I yelled “outside.” First there was pause and curiousness on the face of my trekking team but as the vibrations turned to violent movement we all were on the move. Our world was changing rapidly.
As we moved to the door, 20 feet away, the tremors turned into mass earth convulsions, the ground shaking violently accompanied by the feeling of ocean waves or sloshing of great expanses of earth. Violence so fierce that I remember thinking this is it, the earth is going to split in half. It surely felt as the end of the place we call earth. Along with the movement was a deep wild audible that vibrated through ear drum and every bone.
Within 10 seconds every building around us began to crumble, corners sloughing, rooflines plunging, a concrete wall easily powdered. If we were 6 or 10 seconds later some of us would have been crushed. The wall we were sitting next to had collapsed.
My head Sherpa who usually naps at this time of day had chose to join us for cards. If he had chosen to nap on this day he would be dead as his room was reduced to a pile of granite rubble.
I and 5 clients huddled out side holding each other tight as the quake continued on. Locals soon joined our huddle, shrieks, tears, and panic. As a guide I tried to keep everyone huddled and calm but inside I realized any control we had was gone in the early tremors.
Machermo sits below the East Face of a peak called Kanjo Ri. I could hear huge avalanches ripping down the face and emptying into the valley. The mountain is a good 2 miles up valley, at the time I thought no way could those avalanches reach the village. How wrong I was. Huge avalanches in the Lang Tang region and at Everest Base Camp had buried over three hundred people. Lang Tang and Base Camp were situated very similar to Machermo with snowy faces of mountains miles away. The avalanches easily covering the distances in seconds. I shudder thinking back to those loud slides coming off of Kyajo Ri and how very possible it was that we could have been buried.
The relief effort was born out of need. I and my trekking team had created this idea to help a group of porters, their village, and a school called “Home away from Home” in the village of Namche. We created a website while in the mountains with the help of Paul Roy and Michael Petralia and the rest of the team pitching in ideas.
Now as I head back on an aid and relief project thinking back to these moments forces caution. The earthquake is still very real in my bones and the audible very loud to memory.
I am happy my wife chose to come along to assist. She has a love for these mountain people as her early travels had brought her through the area.
We checked in to Emirate Airlines on July 6th, I still with feelings of trepidation. We asked at the counter if there could be any discount for the seven 100 liter expedition duffles were carrying explaining they were aid relief for Nepal. RAB the climbing equipment company had donated 100 water proof jackets and we added a duffle bag worth of plastic tarps. The woman at the counter explained that it was very difficult to give discounts at the counter. She then whispered something in the ear of the gentleman who was checking us in. We moved on to the gate.
We went through the usual check in process, stood in line to board, passports checked and boarding pass checked. As we neared the final check point the woman who could not grant us a discount on the overweight baggage was standing next to the person gathering boarding passes. We approached and she gathered our boarding passes and took them to a desk as we waited at the front of the line, not fully understanding what was going on. She returned quickly with 2 new boarding passes and non chalantly said she had moved us to a better seat. We thanked her and began to move down the ramp to the door of the plane. As I glanced at the new boarding pass my breath was taken. The woman had upgraded us to business class. Both my wife and I ran back up the ramp and thanked the woman profusely.
Now as I sit it the Dubai airport I still have some trepidation. We are going back into the earthquake zone, back to unstable ground being pelted with monsoon rains. However thinking back through the kindness that has brought me here is magnified and helps pale the trepidation.
Thank You to all who have donated we have raised $27,200 with donations still flowing. Thank You to the YOBE community (my wife,s yoga studio) who had donated roughly $1300. There are countless individuals who have donated of all ages. A 5 year old girl had donated her birthday money given to her by her grandmother. An amazing couple that had trekked with me a few years back and were slated for a Tibet trip that was canceled donated $5000 of their trip money. People who had very little money would come into the store and donate $5, a huge amount when you have little.
As I head into the arena of providing help these acts of kindness carry me. Also the comfiness, full horizontal seat capabilities, with down comforters on Emirate air was icing on the cake.
Thank You for your donations and all you have done. Stay tuned for updates.
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