48 TREKKERS WILL LEAVE IN APRIL 2012 FOR ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME WHILE RAISING FUNDS FOR SHERPA HIGH SCHOOL.
TWO TREKKING GROUPS
Members of Rotary Everest Trek 2012 are nine months away from the adventure of a lifetime. Twenty-eight trekkers have already registered for the journey to the renowned Mt. Everest region in Nepal.
The project is organized by the Calgary West Rotary Club and supported by Rotary District 5360 but trekkers from throughout the world are invited to participate including non-Rotarians. Organizers are emphasizing that anyone interested in fitness, adventure and making a difference in the lives of poverty stricken Sherpa children are welcome to register.
The goal is to take 48 participants organized into two groups. Interested trekkers can register on the event website at www.rotaryeveresttrek.com. Detailed travel itineraries for the two groups are also provided along with costs. The two groups will accommodate as many trekkers as possible. The first, the Everest Base Camp Trek, leaves April 12, 2012. This journey to the base camp is designed for more advanced climbers seeking a deeper challenge. The second, the Everest View Trek, leaves April 22, 2012 and is for novice or time restricted climbers.
FUND RAISING FOR SHERPA CHILDREN
But, there is more to this journey than just travel adventure. Each trekker will also raise funds for the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation to help build a school in the Solu-Khumbu region of Nepal (See SEHF). The Zeke O’Connor School (ZOS) will offer the only Grades 8 -12 curriculum in the region that includes science studies (See ZOS). Initiatives will also include those of 14-year-old fund-raising phenom Samantha Terry. The Taber, Alberta, youth raised $30,000 for the Room To Read Foundation that organizes literacy programs in developing nations. In 2009 her efforts were acknowledged as the recipient of a ‘Great Kids of Alberta’ award from Premier Ed Stelmach at an awards ceremony in Edmonton, Alberta.
Samantha expects to raise funds for the ZOS through various projects involving her classmates, Southern Alberta businesses and her community. She will join another group to visit the Nepal school in the summer of 2012 (See Samantha Terry).
SAFE, ORGANIZED PROGRAM
The Rotary Everest Trek team will be hosted by Asian Trekking. The Nepal based firm maintains high standards of professionalism and provides quality services that cater to the needs of discerning travelers to the region. Asian Trekking provides logistic support and government liaison for mountaineering expeditions, treks, and tours in Nepal and Tibet. The professional and highly trained specialists customize services for mountaineering teams, advanced climbers, or beginners in search of new challenges. The company was established in 1982 by Ang Tshering Sherpa.
Trekkers will experience towering Himalayan peaks, picturesque Sherpa villages, and sacred Buddhist monasteries. They will be inspired by the majestic landscape of the Khumbu region in eastern Nepal that is crowned by the highest peak in the world; Mt. Everest (8,850 M).
Trekkers will be captivated by spectacular views of snow-capped mountains rising above the clouds. Each year hundreds of climbers headquarter at the base camp in preparation for launching summit attempts. Yaks or Sherpa porters will carry all camping equipment, food and baggage. Personal items like water bottles, cameras, binoculars and rain jackets will be carried in light backpacks by each Trekker.
INSIDE THE LOCAL CULTURE
Nepal is one of the poorest and most undereducated countries in the world. Because of the collaborative partnership with the SEHF, Rotary Trekkers will gain firsthand insight into local culture that will help to understand the life-changing impact the new school will make on their community. Rotary trekkers will experience a side of Nepal and its people that trekkers with other excursion groups may not. They will meet and interact with Sherpa locals who live difficult and challenging lifestyles in this high altitude region.
