Winter Newsletter – December 2024
NAMASTE!!!
Here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope the new year brings prosperity and good health to you and yours.
Below are some updates on what’s being going on in Nepal:
School building handover at Sonem village
We handed over the new 3-room building for the Sonem Primary School to the local community in the village of Sonem, Taplejung. This is the 12th school 3 Summits for Nepal has built or helped build.
Sonem is a small Sherpa village in Taplejung district (Kanchenjunga region) with around 46 households. Around 25 students attend the school which has classes from nursery to Grade 4. Ananth Duggarilla, a fellow UW MBA graduate, sponsored the school to honor his mother – Usha Shastri. Global Pearls, our US charity partner, graciously matched his donation. Check out the short video of the handover.
All 3 Summits for Nepal programs are possible because of donations. To donate to our school and training projects in the future, please click on this DONATION LINK.
Trekking from Kanchenjunga to Makalu Base Camp.
Purists, including myself, regard camping treks as the true form of trekking in Nepal. But as lodges become more ubiquitous in previously remote regions (e.g., the Manaslu Circuit Trek and slowly but surely the Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek), we at Crystal Mountain Treks are constantly looking for new camping treks in remote regions of Nepal. We are happy to announce our new offering: Lumba Sumba Trek: Kanchejunga to Makalu Base Camp. The trek from Olangchung Gola in the Kanchenjunga region to the Makalu region is as wild as it gets. Do check out this new offering.
Alfred and Alexandra from Germany successfully completed this trek in October. Both are seasoned trekkers who have trekked with us multiple times and have completed some of the hardest treks in Nepal including the Upper Dolpo Trek, the Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek and the Ultimate Manaslu + Tsum Valley Trek. Do note that this is one of the most difficult treks in Nepal: it involves walking through landslide and rock fall, on some very muddy trail, and on sections with significant exposure.
This is what Alfred had to say about this trek:
“The trek is among the most challenging in Nepal concerning the roughness of the track and the remoteness of the area in particular the 7 days on the “high route” between Hongon and Yangle Kharka. As compensation it is full of rewards in terms of authentic villages, dense forests, wild rivers, peaceful alpine grassland and unspoiled Himalayan mountain giants.”
Fourth edition of the women’s high altitude trekking guide training
We are excited to announce the dates for our upcoming women’s high altitude trekking guide training (WHATT): January 05 – 18, 2025. We will choose 10 prospective female guides. The selected trainees will embark on a rigorous training: 2 days in Kathmandu and another 14 days while on a trek in Langtang.
This training has helped participants augment their guiding skills. It has also been a plus in their resume when seeking employment with trekking companies. Most of our previous trainees now either work for trekking companies or freelance as guides to individual trekkers. We have included both a lodge trek and a camping trek component to allow the trainee to gain a clear understanding of what the two formats entail.
The flooding in Kathmandu
This year, in end-September, Kathmandu received 700mm of rain within 30 hours. This is more than half the average annual rainfall that is typical for Kathmandu. While landslides and flash floods during the monsoons are not uncommon, this year’s flooding was quite extra ordinary leaving more than 100 dead and millions in damage to property. Check out photos of the flooding in Kathmandu: 112 dead, 65 missing in Nepal floods.
Experts had been bemoaning the haphazard construction in Kathmandu – the concrete has hindered the “sponging” ability of the valley’s soil. And the encroachment and building on floodplains puts this area at higher risk. Read the aptly named article: “Kathmandu’s ‘flash floods’ are 4 decades in the making”.
Spots available on our Ultimate Everest run:
In our effort to promote trail running treks with female running guides, we are currently offering the Ultimate Everest Run. This trip is very similar to our Ultimate Everest Trek visiting both Everest Base Camp and Gokyo – it is only slightly faster paced. As this involves running at high altitude, this running trek does NOT require running very long distances – only the last two days involve running around 12 miles. A majority of the days are similar to our standard treks but with the option to run extra if you so desire. We have spots available in our departures in 2025. Do sign up if you can or do spread the word with friends and family:
23 March – 11 April
17 November – 06 December
Trip Advisor and Google:
If you haven’t already, do provide a review of your experience on Google and Trip Advisor.
All 3 Summits for Nepal programs are possible because of donations. To donate to our school and training projects in the future, please click on this DONATION LINK. Global Pearls manages all our donations which are tax deductible in the USA.
