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Ordeal on mt mera 1
1. Ordeal
th
on
Mt Mera
by Jayant Doshi
th
(from 7 November till 25 November 2013.)
I arrived at my hotel in Kathmandu on the evening of 8th November after a long delayed flight on
what was to prove to be the most eventful,
difficult and adventurous trek. When I first
planned my trek in 2004, after I started getting
my state pension, I had guessed that it would
be my first and last such adventure, but I
never imagined that in the next ten years I will
be doing my ninth trek this year. The trek
organised by Charity through Adventure to Mt
Mera in Nepal attracted me and I joined Satish
Shah, Naresh C and Naresh S on possibly my
very last such trek before I complete my three
quarter century in the journey of my life. Eight
trekkers were doing Gokyo Ri, Kala Patthar
and Everest Base camp while we four were
doing Mt Mera, the highest mountain (6461
metres or 21190ft) that can be walked to the top without any technical skills or equipment. We
sorted out our paper work, collected our sleeping bags and down jackets, prepared ourselves by
packing all what we might need and keeping
the extra stuff in the hotel, went for a late
dinner where we met rest of the group, and
went to sleep.
Saturday 9th November : After an uneasy
night, following a long flight from London and
body still to adjust to the time difference, I
woke up at 5.00 to get ready to fly to Lukla.
The short flight to Lukla in the midst of
mountains is a thrill and we were lucky this
time to get the flight immediately. Two of our
bags were left behind because of overweight –
mine came in the next flight but the other one
did not - causing some tension. We had some
2. photos with the rest of the group, had our lunch
and then we started our trek. Perhaps this was
a mistake as we had hardly recovered from jet
lag, had hardly slept and had no chance to
acclimatise to the altitude and had little
opportunity to flex our leg muscles before
starting such an arduous trek. For the very first
day, it was a long hard and uphill steep walk. I
must have walked for almost 5 hours or more,
and we had climbed 600 metres up the
mountain. This very steep walk on the very first
day must have affected my thigh and calf
muscles, and I guess that affected my walking
for the rest of the trekking.
In my past treks, I normally was fast enough to lead the group but this time I found that right from
the beginning I was held back by my breathing problem. I lagged behind all the way, my thighs
started hurting and refused to move at times and at one point I had severe cramps on both my legs
and I could not move. I had massage and did some stretching before I could walk. I struggled
walking and kept stopping every now and then
and took four and half hours to reach the tea
house. We climbed 600 metres on the very first
day which was not a wise decision. (timings
given in this report refer to my walking as
others were always much faster than me.)
Compared to Everest trek there were very few
trekkers on this route.
In all the treks I have done in the past, the first
few days are easy walking and for short
periods and perhaps a day off to get used to
the altitude and avoid any repercussions. On
other treks we had half or one hour of difficult
walking in a day, while on this trek we had possibly half hour or one hour of easy walking and
rest was difficult walking. On this trek I guess it was perhaps a mistake to rush straight into
difficult walking without letting the bodies adjust. Not allowing the bodies to recuperate from a long
flight and the time difference, and now
allowing bodies to adjust to the altitude took
some toll and affected us all in one way or the
other. The region had heavy snowfall before
our arrival and as such we saw lot of snow.
We crossed and walked on a lot of snow and
ice. We faced severe cold most of the way.
However the skies were clear blue and the
sun blazing on most of the days and it felt hot
and wonderful in the sun though as soon as
we were in the shade it felt very cold. Each
one of us developed bad sore throat and cold
soon after we started the trek.
3. After dinner we had no choice but to get into our
warm sleeping bags. There was no heating in
the tea house and at night temperatures
plummeted and our only choice was to get into
the sleeping bags in the clothes we were
wearing all day. I could not sleep for long –
partly because of my body was still on London
time and possibly my body had not adjusted to
the altitude. Later in the night, during my sleep,
I got severe cramps in both legs and I was in
severe pain and could not move or bear the
atrocious pain. After some struggle the cramps
subsided but kept coming again and again a
few times but less severe and ultimately I got
over them. I started taking more salt from next day which I was told is best to reduce cramps.
Sunday 10th November : I must have fallen asleep in the early morning as I was woken up when
it was 8.00. Naresh S who was sharing the room with me declared that he had a bad night with
no sleep, and that he had temperature since he
left London and that he was considering
quitting and going back. He was convinced to
continue for another day. Naresh C complained
of nausea and bad sleep and that he was
considering dropping out also. He was advised
to carry on for a day or two before taking that
drastic decision. We started at 9.40 and
walked for over three hours and today also it
was a steep uphill walk and we must have
climbed another 600 metres.
After late lunch we went for a short
acclimatisation walk. We climbed a slope going
up at least 250 metres high which had rocks, hard snow and slippery ice. On the return I had to
get on my fours to overcome some very slippery sections. It was a hard but refreshing three hour
walk. I was in bed early as usual but felt as if I did not sleep. Others were also complaining of the
same and I guess this was the effect of altitude and we having rushed up without letting our
bodies getting used to the same. Both Naresh C and Naresh S were complaining of lack of sleep,
lack of appetite and possibility of quitting.
Monday 11th November : Next day I was
lying awake in bed but did not come out till
8.00, got ready and left by 9.00. Today was
also very difficult steep climb going up 400
metres with the paths covered in snow,
slippery ice and stones and rocks. It was
difficult and treacherous walk. I lost my
balance quite a few times though managed to
recover balance in time most of the times but I
slipped several times and fell on the ground at
least three times.
My three colleagues were much faster than
me. I reached the top at around 12.30 but
4. there was no respite as there was another cliff
with a steep slope to climb which took another
two hours. There was no pain in leg muscles but
there was no strength left in them. Thighs kept
resisting and I kept stopping to recover. The
body seemed to have run out of steam. When I
reached the tea house at 4.45 others already
had rested for at least two hours – that was the
difference in walking speeds. We had reached
4600 metres before coming down about 200
metres. After the long flight from London, it was
bit too much for the body to climb 1800 metres
over a three day period without any respite or
opportunity to acclimatise.
From the very beginning of this trek the mountains were covered with snow and ice. While no snow
fell during our trek, the covering on the mountains was intact because of very cold weather. We
had to cross and walk on icy patches all the time, and on snow covered grounds for long times
also. In our tea houses we had to go to the toilets where the path to the toilets used to be covered
in ice which was slippery and dangerous. All mountain streams were frozen solid – and during
daytime the ice would melt from under those
frozen streams and one could hear the musical
sound of invisible water flowing. Snow on the
grounds was frozen solid and would crumble
when one walked on it. The water drops on the
snow would shine when sunshine came on
them, and shone like diamonds.
Tuesday 12th November : It was a long day
for me on the fourth day. I started at 8.45 in
the morning and took a lunch stop at 12.45,
and then left at 1.30 and reached the tea
house for the night at 6.30 in the evening. It
was a very tricky and treacherous walk going
up and coming down several times. I would
guess that we went up and down totally almost 1000 metres. It was a tiring day putting full strain
on my thighs and calf muscles. I kept losing balance on the tricky terrain, fell at least two times
and lost balance several times. With rocks,
snow, ice and other obstacles on the way it was
natural that it was a difficult walk and led to
loss of balance at times when the foot was put
in the wrong place or on the wrong rock. Later
we came down from 4600 metres to 3800
metres passing valleys, trees, rivers and the
natural beauty of the mountains. While I had no
pains or aches in my legs or the body, I was
totally void of any strength in my legs and I had
to prop up my strength by taking some pain
killers. I walked the last hour in total pitch dark
with the help of the torch which was really not
suitable or adequate for the purpose. I kept
losing balance much more in the dark and was
5. saved by the porter several times. We had
walked down to a height of 4300 metres to
the tea house.
Wednesday 13th November : Today Naresh
S gave his decision that he had finally
decided to go back as his body could not take
it anymore. He had fever ever since leaving
London, and after thinking about quitting
from day one, but being persuaded to carry
on, he finally made the decision to go back. I
left at 9.10 while others stayed behind to
make arrangements for Naresh S to go back
to Kathmandu. Naresh C had by this time got
better and could eat and felt good enough to carry on the trek. Compared to others I was slow at
walking in these conditions. Whilst others thought it was my age, I could not agree with that
entirely. I did two treks last year and then I was keeping up with others pretty well. So what has
changed? My breathing problem when going up, and specially at a high altitude, is of course a
major factor. But also on this trek no time
was allowed for acclimatisation, or a
chance to let the body muscles get used to
the level of difficulty involved in walking.
Right from day one, the legs and the
muscles of the thighs and calf muscles were
under lot of hammering. And each day
walking was more difficult than day before.
On other treks normally first few days are
easy walking for much shorter period and
then we always got a day off to acclimatise.
On this trek it was “GO” from the time we
landed in Lukla. In three days we climbed
1800 metres which hammered our thigh
and calf muscles beyond belief. On my
other treks there was always a mixture of good and fair trekkers while on this trek I had two of the
best and fittest trekkers – and I think it was no wonder I was far behind all the time.
Today it was mostly walking in the valleys
laden with rocks – though walking amidst
rocks is tricky and arduous. We passed
several falling rock zones, and witnessed
rocks falling also. Some trails were
obliterated by fallen rocks and we had to
clamour over those rocks and find our trail.
All these days we had very clear blue skies.
While walking on flat ground should have
been easy I was still struggling and found it
hard going. My breathing was getting worse
and affecting my ability to walk at my
normal speed. Was it age or the constant
uphill walking of previous 4 days that had
affected my ability to keep pace? Suddenly I
felt that my body had aged and affected my ability to walk – though when I landed at London
6. airport and found that I was as fast as before in
walking it just reassured me – that I was still
good at walking fast.
Compared to Everest Base camp trek, the quality
and standard of tea houses on this route was
poor with one or so exception. Many had
dormitories, some had roof but no ceiling, some
doors would only close from outside while others
only from inside. Heating in dining rooms was
charged. Lights were literally non-existent.
Dining rooms on EBC route used to be huge with
wonderful paintings and decorations on furniture
but on this trek the dining rooms were small and
drab. Choice of food on the menu was not as extensive but still there was good choice. However,
because of altitude, and because food was bland I could not eat much. I must have missed many
lunches and several dinners and I lost lot of weight during this trek as much as any other trek.
After several days when I did not or could not
eat much, I had good lunch today. As it was
very cold I decided to get into my warm
sleeping bag and spend the afternoon in bed.
Later in the dining hall we met a Sherpa who
walked from Kathmandu, climbed Mt Everest,
and walked back to Kathmandu - and all that
in 10 days. We were told this is a world record.
We had photos taken with him.
Thursday 14th November : Today was a day
of rest and for acclimatising which in my
opinion was left too late for this sort of trek. In
the morning we went for a walk and I went up
about 200 metres high to a beautiful lake while the other two went even further up. Even this short
walk was tricky with stones and rocks, hardened snow and ice. Coming down I had to be very
careful and at times I had to get on my bums to tackle tricky, slippery slope. These conditions
made walking much harder and affected the leg muscles lot more than can be attributed to just
walking. After lunch I spent a few hours in the
sleeping bag to keep myself warm and tried to
sleep. From 4.00 till 8.00 we three had long
discussions. This was the first and possibly
the only opportunity we got to sit, relax and
talk for so long. This was one of these tea
houses which had lights and also fire which
made it cosy to sit and relax. I hardly slept that
night and had bad cough whole night.
7. Friday 15th November : While lying awake in
my sleeping bag, I got up when I was woken
up by the guide. I got ready and started
walking at 7.25 while others started later at
leisure. Their walking speed was such that
they would catch me in no time. Today also the
walk was tricky with rocks and snow and ice
but in addition there were very narrow ledges
to tackle with steep slope on one side. With big
feet and boots I had to be extra careful that I
walked slowly and extra carefully. A loss of
balance could be dangerous or even fatal as
one would fall down into the valley. Today we
had to go up the ascent and come down
several times. While the total walk for the day was over 7 hours, I was shattered when I had
walked for 5 hours. Last 2 hours I had literally to push myself, and my speed got slower and
slower. Besides leg muscles refusing to move, my cough got bad and hindered my walking.
Satish and Naresh both advised me to drop out as cough was a symptom of the altitude sickness. I
informed them that I will hire my own guide
who could walk with me and carry my
rucksack, and that I will turn back as soon as I
feel I cannot carry on. I also told them that I will
decide in the morning based on how I feel, and
I will continue the trek if I feel confident. Later
we went to hire crampons, rubber boots and
harness for our trek to the base camp, and
perhaps to the summit.
Saturday 16th November : We were now
reaching the final stage of our trek. From here
on the terrain was totally covered with snow
and ice. Snow, which had fallen before our
arrival, had frozen and become hard. Walking
on snow and ice with normal trekking shoes could mean slipping if not careful. However, walking
with rubber boots and crampons made it
slightly easier as we could get a better grip. But
most of the walk was up steep slope with
narrow ledges which made it more difficult,
especially with my big size boots. While others
started late and made it in 4 hours, I was
struggling after 4 hours, I was exhausted and
my legs were refusing to move. I kept stopping,
sitting and struggling to breathe. Later we got
flat ground or slight decline, and it made it
easier to walk though I took 7 hours to cover
the distance and reach the Base Camp.(5300
metres or 17384 ft) I did not have lunch nor
did I eat much at dinner time. Here we were
staying in tents. Also I did not sleep too well
but in the morning I felt fine. While I kept struggling because of breathing problem, physically I
found that I could cope and recover soon after a long arduous day.
8. Sunday 17th November : Whilst I was struggling walking at reasonable pace, I had no pains and
aches in the body. While walking my legs
resisted begging me to stop but after a good
night’s sleep I was fresh enough to carry on. I
had decided that I will go up to the high base
camp. But Satish and Naresh talked with me
and put some arguments which made sense.
While I might reach High Base camp I would
struggle to get back to the tea house and then
I had to think of walking all the way down to
Lukla. I agreed to turn back. Satish and
Naresh went to High Base Camp (5780
metres or 18958 ft) and Naresh decided then
not to attempt the summit. Satish did attempt
the summit (6461 metres or 21907 ft), made
it almost to the top but turned back a few
hundred metres before the summit as the cold was affecting his fingers. I walked down to the tea
house but that also took 5 hours and I was struggling all the way. By the time I was in the tea
house I was so tired that I could not even walk to the toilet. I had no regrets about turning back – I
guess it was time to call it a day for my decade
of trekking.
Monday 18th November : The temporary guide
was up to this point only. I packed all my
essential items in my bag and left the rest for
other porters to bring. I left on my return
journey at 8.10 in the morning with Mani, the
porter who was to accompany me up to Lukla,
carry my bag as well as my ruck sack. Going
down is easy on my breathing but it is difficult
on the knees and the fear of slipping and falling
is always on the mind. Whether it is dried
snow, or solid ice, or pebbles or scree, the
possibility and fear of slipping or losing balance is always present. Today’s walk was along the
valley but it had snow, ice, rocks, narrow ledges to make it difficult walking. In spite of good sleep
at night I felt tired as if ten days of walking was taking its toll now. As there was less breathing
problem going down I needed to stop less often. We reached tea house at 1.15, had lunch and
rested myself for a while and I felt fresh. A tired body tends to trip and stumble and lose balance
much more – but a tired and aged body will be
even more vulnerable. I controlled myself from
slipping and falling several times but still fell
on my buttocks two or three times.
After lunch and rest we left at 2.30. I felt fresh
and rejuvenated. We were still in the valley
and I kept walking at steady pace. Mani had
gone ahead of me. Suddenly I found that the
trail had been covered by rocks. Looking
ahead I could see 3 different trails going in
different directions and I panicked. I shouted
“Mani” several times but there was no
response. If I take the wrong trail and get lost
9. then what? I was angry on Mani. After some
thinking I decided to go along straight path
along the valley. After a while I saw Mani and
felt relieved. I vented my anger on Mani for
going so far ahead.
By 5.00 it got dark, and by 5.30 it was pitch
dark. Mani had no torch. Luckily I had my
head light which was not much good but I also
had a hand torch which I gave to Mani. He
kept throwing the light in front of me and we
kept walking in the total darkness in the
valley. A tumble or a kick against a rock could
be dangerous. I had to walk very slowly to
make sure I do not hit a rock or fall. If either of us was to get injured by a fall or by hitting a rock it
could be dangerous. Who will help whom? The torch went off after a while. I had spare batteries
but we had to dig through the bag to find them. Then, after some time, we saw a flicker of light in
the distance and Mani told me that we were near our tea house now. But we kept walking and all
the time lights seemed to be getting closer. It took almost an hour before we reached our tea house
when it was 8.00. For that hour I walked in anxiety and in hope but all the time aware of the dark
and the valley and my legs which were not going to last for too long. I had been walking for almost
12 hours with lunch break. I told Mani that
walking in dark was dangerous and should
not happen again.
Tuesday 19th November : I had most
amazing 9 hour non-stop sleep and felt
totally refreshed and rejuvenated. It was my
best sleep since coming on this trek. We
started at 8.15. Today it was mostly going
uphill with some really steep slopes. The
final steep climb took two hours and was
exhausting. But Mani gave me the news that
we will not be walking after lunch. I was
happy and made some plans in the mind. I
will wipe my body and change clothes, sit in
the sun admiring the mountains and the valleys and read and later sit in the dining hall in front of
the fire and read. When we reached the tea
house my dreams were shattered. While the
tea house was on the slope of the valley
overlooking the valley and the river and
waterfalls, it was in the shade. I put on all
cold weather clothes and braved to sit outside
to read but I was freezing in a few minutes
and had to come inside. The dining room was
tiny with no fire. There were no lights.
Bedroom was a room with several mats and a
door that did not close. The ceiling )plastic
sheet) touched my head and in the dining hall
the beam hit my head. I had no choice. At 4.00
I got into the sleeping bag and lay there till
dinner. After dinner I went to sleep.
10. Wednesday 20th November : I woke up, got
ready and started walking at 8.15. Mani told
me that at first it was all uphill before we
descend to the tea house. It was long
exhausting walk whole day going up the
mountain which never seemed to come to an
end. By the time I saw what appeared as the
final peak, I could see another peak followed
by another and I kept walking till evening to
reach the top. I struggled and kept stopping
every few minutes. Ultimately we reached the
top and Mani told me that now it was going
down all the way to the tea house. But it was
already evening. Mani was too young and
inexperienced to think or decide and he was following instructions from the chief guide. I should
have thought and discussed this with him but never came round to that. From Monday’s
experience I should have known that it will be dark soon after 5.00. If I had just bothered to find
out how far the tea house was then I could have avoided the ordeal that was to follow. Just before
reaching the peak, there was a tea house where we could have stayed. But the thought did not
occur then.
When I reached the top I saw a valley with a
down slope filled with snow, ice and rocks. I
knew straight away that going down that slope
in these conditions was not going to be easy.
Mani was carrying two bags and a light in his
hand. My head light was just about enough to
show me my step. We started walking in the
dark. First step I took and I slipped. I took
another step on what looked like dried soil and
I slipped. I realised that with cold temperatures
at night ice becomes hardened and more
slippery and that there will be more black ice
also. If I slipped on this slope I could end up anywhere and could get any sort of injury. Mani tried
to put his body weight against mine to stop me from slipping. I suggested that it would be better if I
sit down on the ground and then slide slowly and he welcomed the suggestion. I got on the floor
and used my hands to push my body and used my feet to stop myself sliding too fast. This way,
while I was safe from slipping and falling, I
strained my arms and legs and my buttocks
took the brunt of sliding on ice. But even then
Mani, with two bags, torch in one hand with
my walking sticks, tried hard to make sure I
would slide but within control. In the process
one bag flew from his hand and soon after
one stick went down the slope. The bag was
not far which he got back and I told him to
forget the stick.
11. Mani suggested that he would go and drop the
bags down the slope, come back and help me
come down. He carried on doing this several
times. It was exhausting as he has to run down
the slope with the bags, then come up same
slope and help me. He would use his frail body
with a small frame to make sure that I slid
slowly in the right direction – that I did not go
fast or sideways. After doing that for a while I
assumed that now the tea house would not be
far and told him to drop the bags to the tea
house and get some help. He agreed and asked
me to slowly slide down and he left. I do not
know what happened exactly after this but
either my mind went blank or I faced a black out for a few seconds. I must have tried to slide and I
am sure I did not slide much but the next thing I knew was that my shoulder was against a rock
and hurting and my left cheek had hit the rock bruising my cheek. I was in pain but I decided not
to move again from where I was.
I sat there on ice in the pitch dark except little
light from my head lights. Mind is fickle and in
such circumstances my mind at least starts
imagining all sorts of scenario. What if Mani
does not come back? What if he cannot find
me? Will I survive this cold with a single down
jacket? What if Mani falls or gets injured? What
can I do? What if I fell and got injured? Would I
survive till help comes? But surprisingly my
mind was calm. I did not get any such
thoughts. I must have waited for almost an
hour before I saw a flicker of light at a distance
and I assumed it was Mani. But the light showed and disappeared many times. It was another
half an hour before I saw Mani. He had brought a more powerful light together with hot lemon tea.
He could not find anyone to come and help. After having tea we started slowly moving towards the
tea house. I was still sliding on ice. We kept moving down slowly. At one stage when it looked as if
snow and ice were finished he asked me to
stand up and walk but we were wrong. There
was black ice and I slipped again. Ultimately
we reached the tea house. It was 10.30 – 5
hours of the ordeal walking, or more like
sliding, in the dark and on snow and ice. My
buttocks were on ice for all those five hours. I
had not eaten lunch and I was in no mood to
eat dinner so late at night. Tea house was one
big room with kitchen in front, some dining
space and then six mattresses. I unpacked
and went to sleep. Others were chatting and
eating their dinner and I was lying in my
sleeping bag unable to sleep – but at least my
mind was at peace as I had reached safety.
12. Having sat and slid on ice for 5 hours I
thought my trousers would be wet or even
worn out but they were not. It felt as if
everything was fine and my long time sitting
and sliding on ice had not caused any
damage. For next few days I was normal
and I thought that I got away from that five
hour ordeal with no harm done. But I was
wrong. Whilst I did not feel any immediate
impact, on return to London I faced physical
problems which must be related to this
ordeal. I am a hot blooded person and can
bear cold. Even in winter I can do with one
cardigan, but this time I could feel a chill in
my body. Even with heating and proper clothing, I feel a chill passing through my body. Since
coming back my cold and coughing have gone worst - as if the cold ice sipped through my bones
and muscles. My feet are swollen – never seen them like this ever before. My blood pressure has
dropped and once it went so low that I could
feel weakness in my body. My body strength
seems to be lacking and I can feel joint pains
and aches when I am walking. After even
longer treks in the past, I would resume my
sporting and other activities from the day I
landed in London. But this time after almost a
week I am struggling. I did play golf twice but I
was not my normal self as I struggled even
walking the course. My sleep pattern is affected
and I need to sleep every afternoon as I keep
waking up quite early in the morning.
Mani for his age (20 years) and with a small
body frame was brave and responsible. He was chosen because he could understand little bit of
English and Hindi. He used his body weight and strength to hold me and to stop me from sliding or
falling. He ran up and down the slope to carry the bags and help me at the same time. He could
have told me to walk. He could have just run away leaving me there. But he did not. He was brave
and responsible and ensured that I was safe and sound. Five hours in the dark in a valley covered
with snow and ice was an ordeal which I will remember forever - and I am not sure how long I will
be suffering from the after effects of that ordeal.
Thursday 21st November : It was the final
day and we began our walk to Lukla. Previous
night’s ordeal had taken its toll. Pushing my
body with hands and feet and sliding on my
back on ice had affected my body. My joints
and muscles were hurting and my body
seemed to lack any strength. Even though it
was downhill I could not walk my normal way
and kept stopping a lot. At lunch time I lay
down on the bench and tried to give rest to my
body. By then Satish, Naresh and rest of the
party caught up with us. I felt relaxed and
fresh. Afternoon walk to Lukla seemed
13. exhausting. It felt as if we were almost there and yet we kept walking and walking. It was evening
by the time we reached Lukla. I crashed into bed. Later I packed my stuff, had shower and dinner
and had good night’s sleep.
I have done nine treks in the last ten years.
These included 19 days walking during
Makalu Base Camp trek. But when I think
about all those treks I did, I think this trek
was much more difficult than any of the
others I did. In most of the treks my walking
was better than the average trekker. After
long days walking I never needed to crash
into bed or rest my body. And on none of
those treks did I feel after effects after coming
back home. All those treks had days with
some difficult walking – but this time it was
difficult walking most of the time and hardly
any easy walking most of the days. The
impact of climbing 1800 metres in three days had lasting effects. The muscles were jammed before
they got a chance to get used to long walking on the mountains. I was hoping very much that I
would make to the high base camp, and attempt at least little bit of final summit. I could have done
it only if my body had a chance to adjust and if more time was available.
But it was all for a good cause – to raise funds for 3R Education Trust which support One Teacher
schools in remote parts of Nepal. With support from you all I managed to raise almost £3500.00
for which I am grateful. I did not fully succeed in my trekking but I did help to raise funds for a
worthy cause. This may be the end of my trekking adventures in my retired life – but certainly not
end to my efforts to help such worthy causes.
(reports on www.jayantdoshi.yolasite.com ....email comments to jayubhai@btinternet.com)
14. Photos can be viewed on
https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=E019017921384D53!1122&authkey=!AKcjZYqI8hR0MPg&ithint=fol
der%2c.jpg