2010 Helambu Charity Trek with Doug Scott
Trek and Meet Doug Scott - Raise Money for Community Action Nepal
“Every trip to Nepal is awe-inspiring. The splendour of the mountains is matched by the spirit of the Nepalese people. Join me to raise money for CAN and see the difference you can make to the health, wealth and education of the Nepalese people and you will be amazed at the difference they will make to you.”
Doug Scott C.B.E., Founder and Operations Director of Community Action Nepal
This trek will give you the opportunity to witness CAN’s work first hand. You will trek for four days then meet Doug and two CAN Trustees Jeff Frew and Rob Lorge, who will perform the official opening of one of our new buildings. Not only does the trek take you through some of the most stunning views of the highest mountains of the Himalaya, you will be visiting two of the communities with whom CAN has worked over a number of years.
Kutumsang
In the village of Kutumsang CAN worked with the local community to build a Health Post and staff it with two nurses to provide health care and health education programmes. The health care needs of the wider community are also met by the periodic provision of Health Camps in the community. CAN works in partnership in this area with another charity – Surgery in Nepal. The community are now looking for alternative means of contributing to the running costs of the health posts with, for example, the development of a community camping ground.
Melamchigaun
CAN has worked with this community on a number of projects over the last ten years including the building of the large secondary school. CAN recently funded the building of a new block of four classrooms and two of the teachers’ salaries are funded by CAN. The new facility that Doug will be opening is a hostel needed to house local children whose parents are migrant labourers and children who attend the school from distances too far to travel every day. This facility was built by a group of scout leaders from West Yorkshire who raised the cost of a five-roomed hostel. In October 2008 the group trekked to the village and worked alongside the community to build it. The community have also built a health clinic in the village and CAN is now working – again in partnership with the community and Surgery in Nepal – to upgrade the clinic and with a full time nurse to provide basic health care.
HELAMBU SKYLINE TRAIL
The Helambu Region is easily reached from the Kathmandu Valley. There is a short coach ride to the road head at Sundarijal for the start of the trek. The trail goes along ridge tops leading through areas increasingly influenced by Buddhism. We pass through the villages of Chisopani, Chipling, Kutumsang and Melamchigaun, finally completing the circuit at Kieul. There are distant views of the Himalaya from the higher points of the trek and a particularly panoramic view from Chisopani. It is a hard but immensely rewarding trek for walkers of proven fitness and average ability.
Outline Itinerary
Monday 29th March 2010 - Depart UK
Tuesday 30th March - Arrive Kathmandu mid-afternoon, transfer to hotel, attend a briefing meeting then an opportunity to explore nearby Thamel for an evening meal and re-pack for the trek.
Wednesday 31st March – Wednesday 7th April - Trekking Travel by bus for an hour to the road head. The trekking day usually starts at 6.30am with a cup of tea brought to your tent. You then pack in preparation for the day, have breakfast and embark on a day’s walk of anything between four hours and seven or eight hours with plenty of rest stops, time for photos and always a substantial and sustaining cooked lunch en route. At the end of the walking day you are greeted by your tent already erected, a welcome evening meal, and (usually) an early night in the comfortable two person tent so you are ready to start the next day refreshed.
The terrain is very varied with some steep ascents and some knee trembling descents. The trek takes you through lush rhododendron forests, magnificent oak forests, and often passes waterfalls and raging rivers. There are frequent distant views of Himalayan snow capped peaks with, on a clear morning, the possibility of seeing the sunrise on the vista from Annapurna to Everest.
There is a rest day built into the trek where you will meet up with Doug and the other trustees. You will be able to spend time exploring the culturally rich village of Melamchigaun, visit the sacred cave on the hillside, meet the villagers, sample the local brew – rakshi – in their tea houses and participate in the festivities when Doug performs the official opening ceremony of the hostel.
Thursday 8th April - Return to your hotel by bus arriving early evening.
Friday 9th April - Free day in Kathmandu to wander around the old city, markets and temples and shop in the nearby bustling Thamel area.
Saturday 10th April - Depart for UK
What is it going to cost me?
The trek will be organised by Community Action Treks - the trekking company that supports CAN. We ask you to pay the cost of the trek yourselves. The land only cost is £950. The cost of the flight will be known at the point of booking – a guideline price on flights at the moment is between £700 - £900.
We ask for an initial non-returnable deposit of £300 which will be paid to Community Action Treks. The remaining balance of £650 for the trekking costs should be paid eight weeks before the start of the trek. We will book flights as early as possible to achieve the lowest prices. This is usually 7- 8 months in advance of the trek. The land only costs cover transfers to the hotel and to and from the start of the trek, hotel accommodation on a B&B basis and all trekking costs including food.
How much sponsorship do I have to raise?
We would ask that you pledge to raise at least £750 - more if you can. You will be surprised how quickly and easily this can be achieved and we are sure you will be inspired by what you see in Nepal to enable you to raise more on your return. All the money raised will go to support CAN’s projects in Nepal. On receipt of your deposit we will send you an information pack with a full trek itinerary and some ideas for fundraising.
How fit do I have to be?
This is a challenging trek that has been designed for walkers of average fitness. You will still need to prepare for it. The fitter you are the more you will enjoy the trekking. Training is very important and you should walk up and down hills as much as possible as Nepal is not a flat country! We will supply more details on preparing for your trek in the information pack.
To book your place on this trek, contact Community Action Treks on 017687 71890 or email info@catreks.com
