TA Loeffler's Adventures that Move

To Gyabla (2730m)
The valley begins to widen on the stage to Gyabla, and rather than climbing up and down it is a more gradual and steady ascent until we reach the outskirts of the pretty village of Gyabla.  The walk will take approximately 6 hours.

Quote for the Day

Walking . . . is how the body measures itself against the earth.
― Rebecca Solnit

Did You Know?

You can see the Bengal Tiger and the one horned rhinoceros in Nepal.

Find Your Fit Fact

Walking also slows the aging process. Being sedentary means your muscles atrophy since they are not being used.  Walking will help you to maintain muscle mass and health as well. You should be walking throughout your lifespan.

Activity Suggestion: Icefall Walk

Objective: Have the student rely on each other to navigate and overcome obstacles

Materials Needed: Random obstructions (Hurdles, hula hoops, balls)

Activity Description:

–   Scatter the equipment all over the floor from one end of the activity area to the other

–   Have the students work in pairs

–   One partner is wears a blindfold while the other works as a guide to instruct their partner through the icefall

–   The instructing partner is not to touch their partner at any time.

–   One partner is wears a blindfold while the other works as a guide to instruct their partner through the icefall.

–   Once they cross the icefall (i.e., activity area), they switch places. If they touch an obstacle at any time, they are to switch places and they go back to the beginning.

–   Make the activity harder or easier by adding or subtracting equipment.

To Amjilosa (2308m).

The stage from Sukathum to Amjilosa is a challenging day. After crossing the suspension bridge outside Sukathum we enter dense forest once again until the valley narrows into steep gorge country.The sound of the river is deafening and waterfalls cascade down either side of the gorge. Great care needs to be taken on this section of the trek. Our final approach to Amjilosa is a series of steep switchbacks which ease after a few hours with another hour of easier gradient before reaching Amjilosa.

Quote for the Day

 To walk is to lack a place. It is the indefinite process of being absent and in search of a proper.
― Michel de Certeau

Did You Know?

A popular fast food in Nepal are called Momo. These are dumplings made from flour dough filled with chicken, water buffalo, or vegetables.

Find Your Fit Fact

One tool that can really help you to gauge whether you are walking far enough or fast enough is a pedometer. Your phone, if it is an Android or iPhone, can actually double up as a pedometer. Ideally, you should be taking at least 10,000 steps every single day.

Activity Suggestion: Crevasse Crumble (rolling rocks)

Objective: Have students learn the difference between stalagmites and stalactites while being active at the same time.

Materials Needed: 20 tennis balls, 20 marker cones (10 of each colour), 6 small soft balls or size 1 mini footballs.

Activity Description:

Set up 10 cones with a tennis ball on each at either end of the hall, with a centre line which players must not cross and divide the group into 2 equal teams.

– The objective of the game is to roll the soft balls to try and knock the tennis balls off the opposing teams cones. The game is continuous and is played until all balls are knocked off.

To Chiruwa (1270m)
The trail ascends and descends steadily for approximately 4 hours as we make our way towards the Tamor Khola and the valley floor at Nagadin. This area is significant to the history of Nepal and is where the first Kirati warriors originate from. The Kirati were the first who attempted to unite all the Himalayan Kingdoms into a single sovereign state. There is a final ascent into Chiruwa, a village tucked away between a steep hillside and the river.  The walk today will take between six and seven hours.

Quote for the Day

There comes . . . a longing never to travel again except on foot.
― Wendell Berry 

Did You Know?

People in Nepal do not always greet each other using a handshake but instead, they put their palms together and bow their forehead and say “Namaste.”

Find Your Fit Fact

Walking helps maintain and develop your brainpower. In a study, funded by the National Council on Aging, published in the July 29, 1999 issue of Nature, found that those who undertook a walking regime were mentally sharper.

Activity Suggestion: Yeti Tag

Objective: To get the students active while learning to avoid obstacles.

Materials needed: None

Activity Description:

– Select a group of students (4-5) to start as “Yeti’s”, they have the power to “Yetify” the other players by tagging them.

–  Yeti’s must move around the space by walking only

–  The other students must run to avoid them

–  When a player is tagged, that student is now a Yeti. The game ends when everyone has become a Yeti.

Walk To Mitlung (1542m)
Today we will begin our Great Big Walk!  We will walk approximately four hours to Mitlung.  The trails throughout the lower sections of the Kanchenjunga region pass through fertile valleys that typically produce up to three crops per year. We pass by crops of rice, millet, potatoes, cauliflower and green vegetables. Gradually heading in a northerly direction the trail steepens after a few hours before a final descent of 350 metres on a muddy trail to Mitlung.

Quote for the Day

But the beauty is in the walking — we are betrayed by destinations.
― Gwyn Thomas

Did You Know?

Nepal has 8 of the 10 tallest mountains in the world.

Find Your Fit Fact

During the Canadian winters, it can be easy to slip into hibernation mode but it can be a fun time to start walking. If you layer your clothing properly, you might find that walking during this time of year isn’t so bad and can be quite fun. Traction devices for your shoes can help maintain your footing.

Activity Suggestion: Avalanche tag

Outcome: Activity is used to get students warmed up while also teaching them about avalanches that can in the mountainous regions of Nepal.

Materials: None

Setup: This activity will use one half of the basketball court. Have students all standing on one side of the half basketball court along the boundary, and then pick three taggers.

Rules and procedures: Inform students about the possibility of an avalanche when climbing a mountain or crossing a glacier. Explain that an avalanche can be caused by nature, or by the climber’s own movements. In this case, tell them that the way they move can cause them to get stuck in an avalanche if they are not careful! Have three students standing across the center-line of the half court. These students are trapped in an “avalanche” and can only move along the centre line. On the signal, every student runs from one side of the court to the other. If anyone gets tagged by one of the people stuck in the avalanche, they have also been trapped, and have to try and tag the other people in subsequent rounds. When everyone is standing on the centre line, the game is over.

Drive to Taplejung (1820m).
Today we plan to drive to Taplejung. Flights can sometimes be delayed due to mountain weather and so flexibility and patience may be required. The Kanchenjunga region is home to Sherpa, Limbu, Rai and Gurung people.  Taplejung is the gateway to the Kanchenjunga region and a lively place, especially for the Saturday market.  The drive will take approximately five hours depending on road conditions.

Quote for the Day

Home is everything you can walk to.
― Jerry Spinelli 

Did You Know?

Nepal has the highest point on Earth in Mount Everest.

Find Your Fit Fact

Heart disease and stroke are some of the biggest killers today. Walking just 30 to 60 minutes helps reduce the risk of both of these.

Activity Suggestion: Mission Possible

Outcome: This activity can be used to enhance problem solving ability and promote creative thinking. This activity also explains some of the issues that can be encountered when walking across Nepal.

Materials: Whatever equipment that is available. Preferably items that are safe to step or sit on. Some examples would include poly spots, scooters, ropes, mats, etc.

Setup: Different equipment can be scattered around in a line from one side of the gymnasium to the other.

Rules and procedures: Students are to pretend that they are trekking across Nepal and arrive at a crevasse on a glacier near a high mountain pass. Each team member has to get across the crevasse in order to continue walking across the Great Himalaya Trail. Students are asked to get their team across the “glacier’s crevasse” without falling off of the equipment which would symbolize stepping on ice and falling to the bottom of a mountain. Once all students make their way across the gymnasium, the game can be repeated as a cooperative game where students record the time it takes them to get across the gymnasium in a faster time than the previous trial. Once each group has had success at the activity, there can be one competitive activity where each group of students tries to race the other groups across.

This is a map of our entire Great Big Walk Route

Today we fly  to Bhadrapur (2420m) and then drive to Ilam.
Bhadrapur is situated in the terai, south east of Lukla. The flight from Kathmandu takes approximately  50 minutes and affords views of the entire trek and the Himalaya from Kanchenjunga to Langtang.

Here is a map of our entire route for the Great Big Walk.

Quote for the Day

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.
― Steven Wright 

Did You Know?

Nepal is the world’s 93rd largest country is the world by landmass.

Find Your Fit Fact

Walking helps you live a longer life. A study on about 8000 people in Honolulu, Hawaii found that walking just three kilometers a day can help decrease the risk of death by about half. Other studies have yielded similar results.

Activity Suggestion: Mountaineers Tail

Outcome: Students will have to find creative ways to communicate with their fellow classmates, work as a team, and raise their energy levels.

Materials:  3 Bandanas or scarves

Setup:  N/A

Rules and procedures:

The activity will begin by defining the boundaries for the activity.  Divide the group into at least 3 teams.  Each team forms a train by holding on to each others’ shoulders. The person at the back of each line gets a “Mountaineers Tail” (bandana or scarf). The tail is tucked into their back pocket so it is sticking out. The object is for the head of the Mountaineer Train to grab the tail of another Mountaineer Train, while at the same time protecting its own tail.

We had an excellent day touring some of the famous spots of Kathamandu, including my favourite, Boudhanath Stupa. The stupa is the second largest in the world and the largest in Nepal. The stupa was alive with many folks celebrating Losar and as you can see, there were many brand new prayer flags flying from the stupa. A stupa is a sacred spot where the relics of enlightened beings are interned.

We spent the afternoon in last minute errands and packing. Everything that is going is packed in the two “go bags” and everything that is staying is in the one “stay bag.” Glad to have all that decision-making done. In trying to test the satellite phone over the past few days, we’ve been having trouble getting SAT registration. I’m hoping it is because we didn’t have enough of sky view here in the city. So time will tell-we’re trying hard to trouble shoot the problem-and once we get out of the city tomorrow, I hope all will be right…

In the meantime though, it means that folks can’t text the phone and we can’t make audio updates. I’m hoping to still get SPOT location update out and there will be a daily update that I pre-posted. There will also be occasional posts by the team at the World Ex GHT blog so if all else fails you can catch up with us there. It’s been two days of festivals here so we may have run out of time to solve the problem. Stay tuned…

We are psyched to start walking though we still have two days of driving long windy roads and a short flight tomorrow to get to our starting point…and then two weeks of walking to get to the official start of the Great Himalaya Trail. We walked 19520 steps today…I invite you all to join our Great Big Walk Walking Group and walk along with us. Tomorrow we hope to be in Ilim-this is the region where most of the tea in Nepal is grown. I’ve never seen tea growing so I cam excited to learn all about it. Here’s hoping to sharing that learning with all of you tomorrow!

This morning we’ll be sightseeing and taking in  key attractions in and around Kathmandu. The Kathmandu Valley has an amazing range of fascinating highlights.  We will visit Pashupatinath and Boudhanath (two favourite places of mine).

Quote for the Day

All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Did You Know?

Kathmandu has more World Heritage sites than any other city in the world.

Find Your Fit Fact

Walking helps with anxiety and stress. According to research, if you go for a walk you can decrease stress by about 33%.  A walk can do wonders for both your mood and your stress levels.

Activity Suggestion: Instant Cold!

Outcome: To educate students about the important role body movement plays in regulating your body temperature while walking across Nepal.

Materials: 30 tennis balls

Setup: Ensure all 30 balls are in adequate condition and can easily bounce.

Rules and procedures: Students can either work as an entire class or the educator may choose to divide the class in half depending on the number of students.

The teacher must select a designated playing area such as the basketball court or a volleyball court on a gymnasium floor.  This will be referred to as “the windward side” of the mountain.  Once the group gathers in “the windward side” of the mountain, the group scrambles to keep the tennis balls from coming to a complete stop.  If the tennis ball is seen to stop moving, the teacher must yell, “Cold Hikers, Cold Hikers, 1,2,3,4,5” and if they are able to complete the entire phrase, the game stops.  If the game stops, the teacher can restart the activity.

Throughout the activity the teacher will announce the weather conditions that are occurring on the windward side of the mountain.  This will allow the learners to make connections to material they are currently studying in science and geography classes!

Meeting the Expedition Team In Kathmandu (1330m)

Today we will be meeting up with the members of our expedition team.  We’ll try to get to know each other, build team bonds, and work to take care of last minute tasks before we head out to begin the Great Big Walk.

Quote for the Day

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the heck she is.
― Ellen DeGeneres

Did You Know?

The population of Nepal is approximately 27 million which makes it the 41st most populous country in the world.

Find Your Fit Fact

People who walk and exercise more have a lower chance of exhibiting symptoms associated with colds and flu. This is because walking mobilizes the immune system which makes you more resistant to the symptoms of flu and other such diseases. When active people do have a flu, their symptoms are less severe than sedentary people by about 41%.

Activity Suggestion: Hiking Boot Tag

Outcome: To engage students in a fun game and to emphasize the importance of appropriate footwear when walking across Nepal.

Materials: N/A

Setup: N/A

Rules and procedures: Students will form groups of two.  The teacher shall quickly assign partners to ensure that no students are left behind or subject to rejection.  You will begin by telling the students that when walking across Nepal, they will need to wear proper hiking boots!

Ask everyone to don an imaginary backpack and hiking boots. Students then stand back to back to their partners.  On “Go”, both partners spin around 180 degree and face one another.  At this time, they attempt to tag their partners “hiking boot” with their own “hiking boot”.  Be sure to remind students that hiking boots are quite strong and that it is important not to stamp too hard on their partners feet.  Students should play best 4 of 7 rounds or continue playing until the teacher acknowledges the conclusion of the activity.

Bags are packed. No sleeps left. No hockey games left. A few more things on the to-do list left to do and then 34 hours of travel.

We fly St. John’s to Halifax to London to Delhi to Kathmandu. We arrive there on Feb. 27. On March 1, we meet our expedition teammates, March 3 begin the journey to Eastern Nepal and March 5, the Great Big Walk begins. We’re excited the stressful part of packing is done and look forward to the challenges ahead. We’ll see several friends in Kathmandu, visit favourite spots in the valley and then walk and walk. Someone told me to “Go take a hike!” I took them literally.

Quote of the Day:

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

by Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look ’em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so
but, sadly, it’s true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump,
you’re not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right…
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…

…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t.
Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times
you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win
’cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

Stage Two: it gets worse before it gets better!

And so it begins…

Step One: Start pulling all the gear on the list.