3 Summits for Nepal in collaboration with the Mira Rai Initiative has completed the first guide training program for 5 Nepali Female Trail Runners. The 5 girls chosen for this program had already received their trekking guide license after completing the training course provided by Nepal’s tourism department which was conducted in a class-room setting. On the other hand, our training program was more hands on. The 15-day program followed the Everest Three Passes Trek route. While trekking, a NOLS certified trainer conducted classes ranging from client safety to Wilderness First Aid. This program also gave the girls an opportunity to experience high altitude as it involved crossing three passes Kongmala (5,535m /18,159ft), Chola (5,420m/17,782ft) and Renjola (5,465m /17,930ft). We understand that not all the girls will go on to become world-class athletes so they may opt to become trekking and/or running guide if they choose to leading trips such as our Ultimate Everest Trail Run.
We will continue this program and plan to take 6 participants next year. We will also add new aspects to the training program. Our fabulous partner Global Pearls, a 501(c)3 based in the U.S., will process your donations. Use the link below to donate to our FEMALE GUIDE TRAINING PROGRAM.
In other news, one of the participants of our first Guide Training Program, Nikki Nembang, returned from the trek and won the Rasuwa Ultra race just a couple days after our return.
While returning from the trek, we completed our final food distribution near Lukla. We distributed a 30 Kilogram sack of rice to 317 households between Monju and Phakding. Earlier we had distributed a 30 Kilogram sack of rice to 450 households between Phakding and Lukla.
A good sign was that, on the main Everest trail, we crossed around 50 trekkers coming in the opposite direction every day. We are hopeful that tourism will return in earnest by Fall 2022. Our company, Crystal Mountain Treks, organized two treks this season: One for a Nepali family trekking on the Annapurna Circuit and another for a British couple to the Everest Base Camp. A learning experience after this trek: We will add a stop at Pangboche with an optional day hike to Amadablam Base Camp. Following the “Climb high, sleep low” doctrine, this will allow our trekkers a better opportunity to acclimatize while also allowing to get close to Mt. Amadablam.
In February, Lisa Spader, Director of Global Pearls, and I are planning a trip to Taplejung. We will be handing over the second hostel we built at Maiwa Khola to the school and also inspecting some of the schools we built in the district. We will then drive to a village called Tama-khola in Solukhumbu district where we plan to build a clinic. Details on this later. To donate for our school and clinic projects, use this link:
