“A Mish a Day” #224 Here Comes the Hearts. Port Craig/Kathmandu. Southland & Nepal. 1.11.2015. My first trip to Nepal is an adventure I am positive I will never forget. From my first exposure to the chaos of the Kathmandu traffic, to the first time I saw Sagarmatha/Mt Everest, the whole trip was one to remember. This was the first of the now annual ‘Active Hearts Foundation Charity Treks’ and it came at a time when the country needed some help.
Around lunchtime on the 25th of April on what was just another day in the mountainous paradise, the ground began to shake. Centered around the Gorkha District, west of Kathmandu, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake changed both the country’s landscape, and its people forever. The quake caused millions of tons of mountainside to come crashing down into the valleys below, destroying everything in its path. Vital access routes into remote villages were destroyed, and the unstable nature of some of the mountains became a continuous danger when travelling around. By chance the Active Hearts Team were about to open their new library in Satdabato, and got caught up in the natural disaster. Efforts to provide help to Nepal were ramped up by foundation’s founder Dan and the Active Hearts Whanau on the ground in Nepal. Along with risky trips into the mountains which many of the Active Hearts Team call home, Dan managed to organise a group of people to partake in a charity hike. The amount of work in Nepal conducted by Dan and the team was incredible, and as much aid as possible was given to those who needed it most. Back in New Zealand we were rattled by the news of the massive earthquake, and fear instantly set in knowing our friends were over working in Nepal during the quake. Dan managed to get a message up on Facebook, and worry turned to wondering how to help from the other side of the world in New Zealand?
When I first heard about the Active Hearts Charity Trek I was instantly keen to go, and then began working on the logistics of the mission. I was down working on the Humpridge Track during the days before the trip, and to my horror I discovered that my passport was going to expire the day after I left for Nepal! We managed to create a reason for the helicopter to visit the lodge I was working at on the Humpridge Track, and then I had to hitchhike to Invercargill to catch a flight up to Christchurch. It’s safe to say the lady at Internal Affairs wasn’t too pleased when I said I needed a new passport by 10am the next day. I explained what I was up to on my trip to Nepal, and she said she would do what she could, but no promises. Later that afternoon I received the news that my ‘rushed passport’ was ready, and I could now travel to Nepal!
