Eight Weeks to Go

This morning I checked my calendar and counted the weeks till I head off to Nepal. Only 8 weeks!! it is time I got myself organised.

About two years ago, I was sitting in the Uni Library, working on an assignment when an email came through from an associate that I had met through a work acquaintance, inviting me to join a group of women to trek in Nepal. I quickly forgot my assignment work and started to do a little research on the trek. It was like someone tapped me on the shoulder and said "you should do this!" (I am a great believer that sometimes opportunities crop up out of the blue and that you should grab them with both hands).

However, with this there were a lot of things to consider. Would I be fit enough? Cost? It would be the first time that I had set out on an adventure without including Steve in something like 30 years. That was a tough one as I knew it would be something that he would like to do as well.

It took quite a few conversations for me to realise that he was happy for me to go by myself, and after about 6 months of will I, won't I, the decision was made, and deposit paid.

So exciting!!!!!!! I am sure many of my friends are tired of hearing me talk about it.

After the original email, there was a group of about 12 women from around the world who were interested in going on the trip. Our chief organiser and motivator started to set up a network, encouraging us all to start getting fit, providing lots of background information and support to guide us along the way.

As time passed by the core group of 6 women have decided to take on the 25 day challenge which will start in Kathmandu on 8 October 2008. We will be traveling with World Expeditions and doing the Everest Circuit.

It cannot be denied that we are really looking forward to the adventure side of this trip. However it was the general consensus amongst the 6 members of the group that we should also give something back to the community that we were going to visit. So it was agreed that as a group we would look at how we could best provide some assistance to the communities that we would visit on our trip.