During the Trek to Everest the team will be sending regular reports home to us. On parts of the expedition they will have access to the internet in the way we're mostly used to- wireless phone data or an internet cafe.
For the times when there is no regular way to transmit data the team are equipped with a portable satellite device that sends data via a geostationary satellite on the Inmarsat network. It's slow and expensive (think $10 per MB) but it allows us a special insight into the extremes of the adventure.
There may be days where because of obstruction or equipment malfunction, no message is received. Meet the team in the following pages...
Gryphon
Why did you choose to join the expedition? Walking is one of my favourite things. I love bushwalking in Tassie and have been trekking in Nepal before. It was one of the most wonderful experiences I’ve ever had. I wanted to be a part of this expedition because it is a perfect way to kickstart my gap year and get the travel bug going!
What are you most excited about? I am excited about every aspect; meeting new people, soaking up another culture, walking through the beautiful landscape of Nepal and the whole adventure of it all.
Are you nervous about anything? I am a mixture of nervous and excited about meeting everyone else who is part of the expedition and also about going overseas for the first time without my family.
Have you travelled overseas before? I have! I went to Nepal in 2010 and had a bit of an explore through Europe last year.
What are you hoping to get out of the expedition? I hope to come home with a greater understanding of the culture in Nepal and also a bunch of new memories to keep with me forever.
Brady
I found the opportunity to be able to experience such an exciting adventure too good to turn down. I chose to do this trek because of my love of bushwalking and the outdoors. This adventure was not like the other trips overseas where you would stay at low altitudes, this one sounded exciting at high altitudes thousands of meters above sea level, this sounded like the perfect opportunity to try and push my level of experience and skill to the next stage of walking. I am most looking forward to exploring a small part of the Himalayas. This mountain range has always been on my bucket list to explore and learn about its secrets. This trek put on by World Expeditions is a fantastic chance to start to explore a place that I have been hoping to explore for many years now. The first time I travelled overseas was in 2001 when I was only 12 months old. My family lived in England for two years before coming home to Tasmania. I hope to gain experience and knowledge of Nepal and the Himalayas from this trip, my future goal someday is to become a guide or to travel the world and I am hoping that this adventure will give me the experience to do such a thing.
Kara
I chose to do this trip because of my passion for adventure and exploring. The chance to do high altitude trekking was a chance to try a new experience that could potentially open new path ways and passions in life. I feel excited and nervous to go on this trip, but I am most excited about going to see Gokyo Ri. This amazing stretch of land where the highs and lows of the environment make you feel small excites me to be able to experience such a feeling. I recently last year travelled with a small group from Prospect High School to Vietnam. This was my first overseas experience that will forever be in my memories and has lead me to want to travel more in the future. I am hoping to try a new form of travel on this expedition so that I may broaden my range of travel for the future.
Ryder
After the last 3 weeks of sitting inside all day studying, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than going on this adventure. I’m really looking forward to exploring part of the iconic Himalayan trekking region and pretending I’m Edmund Hillary as I take in the insane views.
I’ve done a fair bit of walking in Tassie and it’s very exciting to have the opportunity to take it to the next level in a place like Nepal. This will be by far my longest walk, and the altitude will bring its own challenges, so hopefully my body won’t get too upset about it, but that’s just part of the fun!
Erin
I chose to go on this expedition because I love travelling and thought that it would be a challenge and is is also somewhere where I may not have the opportunity to go to.
I am most excited to meet everyone one else and to explore a different country.
In previous years, I have travelled to Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Hawaii and New Zealand.
I hope that I get life long memories out of this trip and new friendships
Lucy
I joined the Nepal Expedition to Gokyo Ri because the Himalayas and Nepal Region have such a strong cultural and traditional history. I was also drawn to the beautiful scenery and people that I would meet along the way. Having just completed Year 12, I am looking forward to challenging myself and exploring.
Deri
After completing year 12, I was interested in participating in a trip overseas. I chose the secondary schools expedition to Gokyo Ri, Nepal due to the amazing views, culture and challenge of trekking through the Himalayas. Along the way, I hope to experience aspects of Nepalese culture first hand, whilst not falling into a crevasse.
Mel
I am grade 11 student in Tasmania, overseas travelling has always been an option for me as I love to be in the outdoors. I chose to do this trip with Secondary Schools World Expedition to Gokyo Ri because I believe I can get a new outlook on life with the cultural change being away from my home state. Along the way I hope to challenge myself whilst trekking through the Himalayas, along with all the amazing views of the mountains along the way and learning about the Nepalese culture.
