Poon Hill Trek

April 12, 2016 Olivia Blinn

Before I left Nepal, I wanted to be able to say that I had trekked in the Himalayas. However, a fuel crisis had left transportation difficult to organize and expensive. Thankfully, I had six friends who were willing to work through the logistics to make it happen.

Because we were limited on time, we decided on a three day trek in the Annapurna range. The trek was 25 miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of 7,200 feet. At one point, there is a stretch of 3,500 steps. That was a bucket list item that I had never asked for.

The trek was two days up, one day down. One the third morning, we woke up at 4:30 am to hike another mile by headlamp. The three days were difficult and exhausting but entirely worth it. I watched the sunrise over the Himalayas at 10,500 feet. There's something really special when the first light of the sun hits the peak.

Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain. —Jack Kerouac

Kathmandu Monkey Temple

April 12, 2016 Olivia Blinn

Swayambhunath, also known as the Monkey Temple, is one of the oldest religious sites in Kathmandu. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was badly damaged by the earthquake. Although the rubble has been cleared, some damage still remains. A set of 365 stairs leads people directly to this Buddhist temple.

Kathmandu Durbar Square is one of the three squares in the valley. I previously documented Patan Durbar Square. The day I was at Kathmandu Durbar Square, it was Indra Jatra, the biggest festival in the city. The festivities hadn't quite started yet, but women and girls were dressed in red. One young girl was dressed up as the Kumari — the living goddess who would make an appearance later in the day. The Kumari is a young girl worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists.

Everest Heli Tour

April 12, 2016 Olivia Blinn

A friend of mine decided that before he left Nepal, he wanted to go on a helicopter tour of the Mahalangur Himal, the section of the Himalayas that contains Mount Everest. It includes four of the world's six highest peaks.

He managed to talk four of us into going on the tour. We showed up early at the airport on a Saturday morning, but the skies were completely overcast. We waited and waited and waited for them to clear. Eventually we received instructions to come back the next morning.

The next morning, we were given the all clear. As we walked out to the helicopter, I could see more snow-capped peaks than I had seen since arriving in Nepal. The entire ride out to the region, which takes just under an hour, was stunning. It was a surreal experience.

We landed in Lukla, the village where most people begin their trek to Everest. Lukla has a short and steep airstrip and is often referred to as the most dangerous airport in the world.

We refueled and continued on our way. We flew over base camp but didn't land because there's no landing pad in order to do so. (I've noted where base camp is in a caption below.) We then stopped at Everest View Hotel to have breakfast — the first time that I've had breakfast at 12,700 feet.

After a few photos and purchasing souvenirs, we headed back to Kathmandu. The sky was beginning to cloud over, and the view was no longer as spectacular as it had been in the morning. At any rate, it was a truly unique experience.

That glacial area in the lower right third of the photo is Everest Base Camp. There was only a couple of tents when we flew over it. Because the region had been damaged during the earthquake, only one man was trying to summit for the fall season.&nb… — That glacial area in the lower right third of the photo is Everest Base Camp. There was only a couple of tents when we flew over it. Because the region had been damaged during the earthquake, only one man was trying to summit for the fall season.

Patan Durbar Square

April 12, 2016 Olivia Blinn

The Kathmandu Valley is made up of three cities — Kathmandu, Laltipur (Patan) and Bhaktapur. Each city has a Durbar Square — an area made up of temples and courts, opposite the old royal palaces in Nepal. All three Durbar Squares are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Saturday is referred to as a holiday in Nepal, and Durbar Squares are usually filled with people relaxing and drinking tea. All of the squares were damaged in the earthquake, and many people lost their lives because the earthquake occurred on a Saturday afternoon. The rebuilding process has been slow in Nepal, and many temples have sat damaged for months.

Heli out of KTM

April 12, 2016 Olivia Blinn

One of my wish list items while I was in Nepal was to ride in a helicopter. I had never been in one before, and our team was using them pretty regularly for our work. My wish eventually came true, and it was an incredible experience.

I was able to see Bouddhanath stupa from the air (above), which had been badly damaged in the earthquake and was undergoing construction. It was fascinating to fly of out Kathmandu valley and into rural areas in the mountains. The change in temperature was noticeable. The clouds prevented me from seeing any snow-capped peaks, but it was still beautiful. On the way back into the city, I saw a tent camp where people were still living, months after the earthquake.

Nepal Earthquake Response

April 12, 2016 Olivia Blinn

In April 2015, I decided to get scuba certified as my one last hoorah in Cambodia. In a few short weeks, I would be flying back to the U.S. (or so I thought). I received my PADI certification on an island off the coast of Cambodia. While on a ferry back to the mainland, I received a message from my boss, telling me that she was going to be headed to Nepal. Having not had any cell service or internet while on the island, I had no idea why she was going there.

A quick google search told me about the 7.8 earthquake that had shook the country the day before. Fast forward another week or so, and I had a new plane ticket. Instead of heading home, I would flying to Kathmandu to help our team with emergency relief. Within 48 hours, I packed up the last 9 months of my life, finished some paperwork, said a few hurried goodbyes and left the country.

I landed in Nepal on May 3, learning about disaster relief while on the job. I worked with an incredible team of people who gave their all. It was a privilege to be counted among them.

On May 12, I was working at my desk in our office when the building began to shake. A coworker and I made eye contact across the room. When the shaking didn't stop, we wordlessly evacuated the building.

We met up with the rest of our team as the ground continued to shake. I've never quite experienced anything like that — solid ground moving as though there's liquid underneath.

Our team would soon learn that a 7.3 earthquake had just struck Nepal, less than three weeks after the first quake that had devastated the country. At the time, we had team members working in the mountains of the very same district as the epicenter. It was a miracle that all of them were completely unharmed.

A couple weeks later, I traveled to that district and documented some of the damage. Our team distributed non-food items to families in need. Tarps, blankets, cooking kits, soap and water-purifying tablets brought smiles to countless faces. Despite distributing in central locations, many families had to walk for hours due to the unique geography of Nepal.

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