... and my phone rang. With some hesitation and a last glance at the scoreboard, I retreated to a quiet place to see who was calling.
Boy, am I glad I picked up the phone.
Back in the summer of 2006, I took a break from my day job for a year of travel photography, where I found myself trekking through Nepal to Mt. Everest Base Camp and beyond (with help from Mountain Madness guides).
I admired the oldest member of our group, Hans, a 70-year-old retired German radiologist, for his energy, determination, and a shared love of the people and landscapes we were discovering. In the years since our adventure, we've kept in touch from time to time... although his unexpected overseas call was a complete surprise.
(Pictured: Hans. For more photos from the trek, check my Nepal Collection on Flickr)
As it turned out, Hans had been planning something special... a return trip to the Solukhumbu region of Nepal with some philanthropic ideas in mind. The mission? To plan and deliver a contribution to youth education in the small mountain villages we had encountered in the Khumbu region.
As I listened with growing excitement, I realized that not a day had gone by since leaving Nepal in 2006, that I hadn't daydreamed about returning.
When the question finally came... "Would you be able to join me in Nepal?" ... I knew what the answer would be. After making sure things were in order (and some begging for my wife's permission), I was in.
March 22nd, 2010... Nepal, here I come.
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