A big thank you to all the staff at Green Village Guest House for our first meals and nights accommodation. What an enthusiastic send-off we received!
We gave tshirts to our wonderful Trek Guide, Sonam Sherpa, pictured second from left, and our two super Assistant Sherpas, Kami Sherpa, on the far left, and Karma Sherpa, third from left.
The Green Village staff very enthusiastically requested tshirts also, as pictured!
The mountains coming into view!
We meet many donkeys so patiently carrying very heavy loads on the trail.
The finger at the bottom is pointing to where we are now, and the finger at the top to where we are headed- Everest Base Camp!
We met these students on the way to school. Saturday is usually a day off in Nepal, but we learned these kids were going to school especially to meet the Hillary family and members of the Himalayan Trust. The trust was founded by Sir Edmond Hillary, and since that time has done so much for the people of the Solukhumbu region region of Nepal.
Shree Yuba Barsha Basic School in Monjo were generously happy to spontaneously welcome us for a short visit!
The children were so sweet!
Mira is a great addition to our team, and enthusiastically led the kids in a run around the the playground.
The teachers came out to meet us- they have the best uniform!
A big thank you to School Principal, Khagindra Raj Bastola pictured back right, and all the staff and children for so enthusiastically joining our team! This was our first school visit of this Nepal Peace Run 2023!
Magdalena is our team doctor ;)
Don't worry, we are heading in the right direction- Namche.
A happy team!
We stopped for lunch and our amazing team of trek guides found some locals to help construct our Peace Tree Plaque for tomorrow. As you can see, it takes a village!
Luckily we have some Peace Run stickers, since stickers are a big thing on this trail. Here Dhavala sticks on our first one with a rapt audience looking on.
Thank you Sherpa Family Lodge and Restaurant for a great local lunch- we are eating very well so far!
These kids caught up with us after school...
Today we crossed 5 bridges over very powerful mountain rivers!
Karma Sherpa carrying our newly fixed Peace Tree plaque.
The ever enthusiastic Mira saw this local woman tending to her potato patch and lept in to help her. Mira grew up in a tiny village so helped grow and sell crops from an early age. There is a short documentary about her called "Mira" which is very inspiring to see!
Mira the great!
Walking towards the "Hillary Bridge" which was first put in by Sir Edmund Hillary many years ago, bridging the Dudh Koshi River and connecting isolated communities in the valley. The Himalayan Trust has rebuilt the bridge several times over the decades, the most recent version is above the older version, and is the one that is heavily used by locals and visitors alike on the way to Everest!
Crossing the Hillary Bridge!
Entering Sagarmatha National Park. Sagarmatha is the Nepali name for Mt Everest.
At the entrance to Sagarmatha Park we met up with Alex Hillary, grandson of Sir Edmund Hillary and leader of the Himalayan Trust group. We had already met many of these wonderful people at the airport while waiting for our flight yesterday! Here Alex is chatting with Laxmi and Mira.
Alex's mother, Yvonne, was with his team and they were all waiting to meet his father, Peter Hillary, who is beloved in New Zeland and Nepal for continuing the legacy of dedicated service to the Soluhumbu Region his father started so many years ago with the Himalayan Trust. We were greatly honored to meet with them all!
The Peace Run and Himalayan Trust Teams together!
We reached the famous mountain town of Namche Bazaar! Namche is located within the Khumbu area at 3,440 metres at its low point, populating the sides of a hill. Most Sherpa who are in the tourism business are from the Namche area. Namche is the main trading center and hub for the Khumbu region and is famous with trekkers in the Khumbu region, especially for altitude acclimatization, and is the gateway to the high Himalaya.
These adorable children welcomed us to Namche!
Pemba Doma Sherpa was a resident of Namche, This memorial greets visitors in her memory.
Pemba Doma Sherpa (7 July 1970 – 22 May 2007),was the first Nepalese female mountaineer to climb Mount Everest via its north face, was the second Nepali woman to summit from both the north and south faces, and is one of six women to have summited Everest twice. She was the leader of the 2002 Nepalese Woman Everest Expedition. Pemba Doma Sherpa climbed Cho Oyu from the Tibetan side on 28 Sep 2005.
A resident of Namche, Pemba Doma had been raised by her grandparents after her parents died when she was two. She attended classes in one of the schools built by Edmund Hillary. She was the founder of the Save the Himalayan Kingdom charity, which focused on educating Nepali children regardless of caste. She was also the director of the Climb High Himalaya trekking company.
In 2007, Pemba Doma became the first South Asian woman to climb Mt Lhose, but was tragically killed when she fell from an elevation of 8000 metres while descending Lhotse. Her legacy can clearly be seen today in the bravery of many Nepali women who follow in her footsteps.
We arrived in Namche Bazaar to see these locals playing volleyball.
Kuleshvari was greatly relieved to find someone who could fix her boot!
The view of Namche from our hotel.
Namche at night. Goodnight!
