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2020 has been a tough year, a tragic one for many. I want to share a story of hope along with some pictures. It’s all true and the pictures are my own or my friend.
The last picture was my friend Tenji with me and my wife in Lukla Nepal. Tenji is wearing a pair of boots that we gave him and is on his way to summit Everest.
We first met Tenji in 2017 and our helicopter was forced to land in a rice paddy field and we had to stay at the home of a local villager.
Tenji was with us as our guide. My wife asked him where we were, and his reply was crucial to our trust in him. “I don’t know ma’am.” We shared a meal with the family who had taken us in.
Tenji’s father had died when he was young. He was the eldest son and was to bear the responsibility of looking after his mother. Life in Nepal is hard, especially in rural areas. It’s a life that would be recognised by a time traveler from the Middle Ages.
Tenji’s mother was getting old. She was finding it difficult to continue to grow the potatoes on their little farm. She was too old to stay out in the summer to chase the bears away.
Tenji headed to Kathmandu and spent some time as a Porter and then moved on to become a climbing Sherpa and guide. He was high on Everest at Camp 2 when tragedy struck.
Just before midday on 25th April 2015 a large earthquake struck. The ropes and ladders leading through the deadly Khumbu icefall were swept away. The climbers on Everest were trapped.
Gathering what ropes they could they climbed through the icefall to find base camp had been destroyed by an avalanche. A bloody smear marking the sight of their tent. At least 10 Sherpa had lost their lives along with 5 foreign climbers. The mountains are beautiful but deadly.
Tenji found his phone which had been swept away by the avalanche. There were a hundred or so missed calls from his family. They were alive. 9000 Nepalese died that day as the earthquake wreaked havoc. The damage is still there.
Tenji was not to summit Everest on his next attempt either. His client’s oxygen regulator failed. Tenji handed over his oxygen but when that failed too, he had to leave the mountain (and the summit bonus.) This lodge is owned by a Everest multi-summiteer.
Tenji summited Everest in 2019 just after we met him again wearing the boots we gave him. With the summit bonus he bought some land and had plans to build a house.
Sadly this year, he has had no income, with the climbing season abandoned and no trekkers allowed. My being confined to home, along with thousands of other trekkers and climbers, meant a real struggle for an already poor country.
So as we approach 2021, spare a thought for the wonderful people of Nepal 
who have had a real struggle in 2020. At least we don’t have to worry about the bears stealing the online shopping order.
who have had a real struggle in 2020. At least we don’t have to worry about the bears stealing the online shopping order.