In April, 2023, Paul Martel, founder of the U.S. non-profit, Partners For Andean Community Health (PACH) will trek 32 miles in Nepal from Phakding to the summit of Gokyo Ri. The trek will honor David Guacho and the employees, physicians and volunteers that make up the foundation FIBUSPAM in Ecuador. FIBUSPAM was co-founded by Paul in 2006 in the city of Riobamba high in the Ecuadorian Andes. Since its founding, nothing less than a small miracle has developed there. The tiny clinic that began in the small balcony of a church has developed into a full scale, 4 story hospital. Over the last 15 years, FIBUSPAM has brought health and surgical care to tens of thousands of needy children and families throughout Ecuador. Despite, the ravages of COVID in Ecuador over the last three years, David Guacho and the people of FIBUSPAM made remarkable advances in patient care, staffing and infrastructure. This trek will honor these profound accomplishments.
To learn more about these developments at Hospital Fibuspam, you can view the following short video in both English:
and Spanish:
The Trek will follow the following schedule:
April 17th- Fly from Kathmandu to Lukla and trek to Phakding (8,562')
Our flight left JFK on time and we are now over Spain. Oddly, less than half-way. Note that Mikie climbed up on the back of the plane to get a great picture.
Our trek to Gokyo was arduous but magnificent. We remarked several times that it seemed like a different world. We got an early start, said our goodbyes to Machhermo and with a steep climb, were soon on our way. We followed a beautiful river valley with magnificent views in all directions. After several hours, we began to climb away from the river toward the Gokyo Lakes. After a quick chocolate bar break, we passed the first and second stunning lakes and then finally the third large lake with the village of Gokyo at the far end. There beside Gokyo was the mountain we will climb tomorrow. While it seemed a bit daunting and certainly gave us pause, we feel healthy, ready and prepared for the climb. Our plan is to leave for the summit at 4:00, enjoy the sunrise from the mountain and take advantage of the crystal clear mornings. Before dinner, our guide Jit led us on a short 500 foot acclimatization hike in an afternoon snowstorm that took us to 16,000 feet. An early bedtime for us i...
At 4:00 this morning, our team left our hotel, Gokyo Namaste Lodge, in a light snow to climb Gokyo Ri. The weather was not ideal and we were not optimistic that we would see anything but clouds. The climb of 2,000 ft was very steep and slippery in the snow. Also, any climbing at 17,500 feet is very slow and difficult. As we neared the summit, amazingly, the clouds lifted and the sun began to burn through. We reached the top and we were able to admire the breathtaking views, celebrate, display our banner and video some messages in recognition of Fibuspam. Just as suddenly, the clouds closed in and we remarked on how fortunate we were. While we descended, we passed several groups that were certain to see nothing at all. The entire trip took 5 1/2 hours. Reaching the summit in honor of Fibuspam was a very emotional moment for the team. We left many prayer flags at the summit and it gives us joy to know they will fly for some time in honor of Fibuspam. We are grateful for all those who su...
Today we continued our progress trekking from Dole at 13,200 ft to Machermo at 14,600. We started in the forest and later reached the tree line. We were chased by threatening rain clouds nearly all the way. We arrived safely in Machhermo followed by heavy snow and hail that accumulated to 5 inches. It was extremely cold and the snow dimmed our hopes for next few days. The lack of internet service was also frustrating but it was clear that things had changed at this altitude. The conditions are much more primitive here. The following day will be our last rest and acclimatization day. People gathered around a stove in the dining room to keep warm. However, the stoves burn yak dung and the smoke was a bit much. We retired to our rooms, sleeping bags and blankets early to keep warm. Tomorrow will be our last rest and acclimatization day and we woke often concerned about the cold and snow.
Comments
Post a Comment