Part 2 of a Two-Part Story
Read Part 1: Telling Lies in the Himalayas
We left with me (and others) paying to bathe with toilet water. As I said, it was a questionable decision for sure. I’m blaming a lack of oxygen to the brain.
Tea House Trekking
But the hike wasn’t all toilet-water showers, eating momos, and lounging in yak-wear. There was also drinking. While raksi, the local moonshine, was readily available, I stuck (mainly) to tea. In fact, it soon became apparent why hiking the Himalayas is referred to as “tea-house trekking.”
Not only are you stopping frequently to warm up and rest with a nice cup of ginger tea, but you are also staying at isolated little teahouses perched high along the mountain ridges.
We were never more pleased to catch sight of our teahouse than on the day of a big storm. While it rained every day in the mountains, this storm featured torrential rain complete with golf-ball-sized hail, lightning slicing through the sky, and booming thunder.
For the first time, we cut our hike short, choosing to wait out the storm in one of the smallest guesthouses of our trek. Hikers, guides, porters, hosts—about twenty-five of us piled into the one-room house.
With steam wafting off our damp clothes, we huddled around a large wood-burning stove, clamoring to get warm. While the storm raged outside, I pushed aside thoughts of our wooden shack sliding off the mountain.
Instead, I snuggled beneath the yak blankets, cradling my cup of tea, and chatting with my friends in the warmth of the cozy fire.
Nirma, a woman of many talents, dancing for us as we waited out the storm.
A Climbing Legend
With us for her eager audience, it was during this ferocious afternoon that Nirma told us of her historic attempt at the mighty Annapurna IV, a 24,688-foot (7,525 m.) peak.
The 11th-tallest mountain in the world, Annapurna IV, had never been climbed by a woman. 3Sisters Trekking decided to sponsor the first female summit of the peak, choosing their star pupil, Nirma, to lead the team of female climbers.
In preparing for this historic climb, Nirma and her three climbing teammates, all 3Sisters guides, traveled to Italy to receive mountain climbing training on the stunning peaks of the Dolomites. Nirma also traveled to Poland to receive advanced ice climbing training. These overseas trips meant that Nirma was traveling the world when more than half of Nepali women can’t read or write.
During that rain-soaked afternoon, Nirma regaled us with the exciting story of her team’s groundbreaking summit attempt. The climbing team of four women was joined by a team of four Nepali men with previous experience climbing Annapurna IV.
Together, they would attempt history as the women sought to become the first female climbers to scale the intimidating mountain. The expedition merited national significance, as the team sought to have a first ascent by Nepali nationals documented in the record books.
National pride was on the line for the all-Nepali team to succeed, especially after decades of sherpas helping other nations claim climbing trophies.
After establishing a base camp and acclimatizing, the team set out for the summit. Yet before they could conquer the peak, the team was forced back by inclement weather. The group of eight returned to their camp and hunkered down, waiting for the conditions to clear and hoping for a chance at a second attempt.
Finally, days later, the weather lifted, and the team was given a window of opportunity. The eight climbers set out again. This time, said Nirma with her quiet smile, we made it to the summit.
Yet the joy was short-lived. As so often happens in the merciless Himalaya, the weather changed abruptly, and the conditions worsened. On the way down, an avalanche hit the climbers, and the entire team was buried under several feet of snow. The eight climbers were still tied together and were able to dig their way out. Miraculously, everyone survived.
While the climbers had cheated an icy death, they had also lost all communication. The expedition supporters back at base camp, witnessing the avalanche from far below, had no way of knowing whether the team was alive or dead.
The entire nation, including the climbers’ families, heard that an avalanche had struck. Their long wait for news of their loved ones’ survival lasted several days. Nirma credits the survival of the entire climbing team to a special blessing they received from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
During a Buddhist ceremony before their ascent, the women climbers were given white silk scarves that had been blessed. The scarves were meant to protect the climbers on their quest, and they wore them during both summit attempts. Nirma is convinced that it was these delicate pieces of white silk that saved her life and the lives of her friends.
Home Visit
We had formed a close bond during our Himalayan trek, and several of us climbers elected to stay for a few days in the laid-back lakeside town of Pokhara upon our return.
Nirma’s invitation for us to visit her home was an honor, and we eagerly accepted. Nirma lives with her sister in a one-room apartment with bathroom facilities outside. She has a one-burner flame stove and two beds.
The entire apartment was about 12 square feet (3.6 sq. m.) and was decorated with posters on the wall and family mementos. We saw precious photos of her family, newspaper clippings of her historic summit, her hard-won degree from school, and her climbing training certificates from Poland and Italy. She also showed us her treasured passport.
As we sat primly on the edge of her bed, Nirma served us Nepal’s famed butter tea made from the bounteous nak. To me, the tea tasted like extra-salty cream of mushroom soup. While politely refusing refills, I held onto my cup with two hands, taking small sips.
I’m usually pretty good in these situations, and I would never purposely offend my host, but the pungent, greasy tea was hard for me to swallow. Nirma noticed and took pity on me. After I refused several more offers for refills, she took the cup from my hand, still half full, and ended my suffering.
My reasons for remaining in Pokhara were twofold. Not only was I in need of a little R&R, but I had also arranged to volunteer with EWN. EWN, founded by the three Chhetri sisters: Lucky, Nicky, and Dicky, is the nonprofit arm of the 3Sisters Trekking business.
EWN’s goal is to encourage Nepali women to be independent by providing education and job training. Compounding the problems of poverty in Nepal is the country’s entrenched caste system, the fact that there is no mandatory schooling, and citizens’ limited access to healthcare.
In one of the poorest countries in the world, destitute women and throngs of Nepali children live on the streets. EWN has helped more than 1,000 women over the last 10 years by providing Trekking Guide Training, where young girls are taught mountaineering skills, knowledge of the nation’s flora and fauna, and first aid.
Nirma and the four guides she was training introduce themselves (plus us hikers).
In addition, the coursework emphasizes basic English, Nepali history and culture, hygiene, and nutrition. The girls also endure tough physical training.
EWN helps girls from rural areas of the country, especially in West Nepal, a remote region in an already disadvantaged country. Here, girls are particularly vulnerable to child labor, sex trafficking, abuse, and abandonment due to poverty and illiteracy.
My volunteer work with EWN centered on fundraising consulting and I was thrilled to help the organization in other ways as well. First, 15% of the fee I paid to 3Sisters Trekking for the guided trip to ABC went to support EWN.
My fellow trekkers and I also donated almost all of our trekking gear to our young porters, including backpacks, hiking poles, boots, fleeces, jackets, thermals, shirts, hiking pants, hats, gloves, and socks. The gear was in addition to the much-appreciated cash tips we gave each young assistant.
I consider myself fortunate to have found the 3Sisters/EWN program for my Himalayan trekking experience. It was great to be guided by such well-trained women during the heavy hiking up the Himalayas and back.
This unforgettable experience was underscored by the surreal beauty of the mountains, the physical exertion of a hard twelve-day trek, and the lifelong friends I made.
Most importantly, I was able to meet a woman who continues to inspire me. The adversity that Nirma faced early on in her childhood was met with a steely determination and sharp intellect that define her character.
Nicknamed the Laughing Goddess, Nirma climbed to the top of the world, and she did it with a smile and gentle “up, up” encouragement.
Do you have fond memories of an adventure? What made it so special? Did you share the experience or embark solo?
⭐ An Adventure A Week is a serial based on my autobiography “Adventures Of A Nomad: 30 Inspirational Stories.” Can’t wait for the next installment? Get the book.
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Christened “Wander Woman” by National Geographic, Erin Michelson is a professional speaker and author of the Nomad Life™ series of curated trips and travel guides, including the #1-ranked “Explore the World with Nomads.”