Traveling to Nepal and climbing Everest

Photo Credit: Rupert Taylor-Price via Compfight cc
Mount Everest

People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering.      ~St. Augustine

Hey kids!

Let’s travel.

Let’s wonder at the majesty of the mountains.

Let’s connect with some real people who live in Nepal or who are planning to climb Everest.  Through the magic of blogging, we can meet some students at the Maya Universe Academy Sagarmatha.  Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, this school serves 26 students.  The Maya Universe Academy runs three non-profit, community run campuses.  They are the first of their kind in Nepal.   According to their website, “In 2011, 90% of private school students were admitted to a secondary educational institution compared to 46% of public school students.”  The Maya Universe Schools began as a community endeavor to provide free, quality education to the rural Nepalese people.  Kids at these schools have lives similar to Sun-jo in our story, Peak.

We are also able to flatten our classroom walls and climb Everest with some mountaineers.  Visit Alan Arnette’s blog for a first hand account of everything Everest.  Mr. Arnette has climbed Everest four times as well as completed the Seven Summits.  His blog has tons of  information, videos, photos, and links to other Everest bloggers.  He can show you all his gear, break down the cost for climbing Everest, give you training tips, share some fun Everest facts for kids, and, most importantly,  relay his experiences climbing Mount Everest.  Mr. Arnette’s is the Everest of blogs!  You can spend hours climbing through his posts, reading and learning.

Today we will visit Nepal and climb Everest vicariously through blogging.  After you travel to the Maya Universe Academy and climb Sagarmatha, leave a note for the students and climbers you encounter.

People with goals can do incredible things, like open schools and climb mountains.

Like St. Augustine, let’s marvel at the people we meet and the people we are.

What did you learn by visiting  the Himalayas and Sagarmatha?

 

 

 

 

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10 thoughts on “Traveling to Nepal and climbing Everest

  1. On the visit I the first recorded efforts to reach Everest’s summit were made by British mountaineers. With Nepal not allowing foreigners into the country at the time, the British made several attempts on the north ridge route from the Tibetan side.

  2. Hi Mrs. Donofrio! I learned that Mt. Everest is over 60 million years old, the wind can blow over 200 mph, and it can become as cold as -80 degrees F. I also think that the Universe Academy of Sagarmatha has accomplished many things over the past 3 years.
    What is the most interesting thing that you have learned about Mt. Everest?
    -Raina

    • Hi Raina,
      The most interesting thing I have learned about Everest is that it continues to grow every year. Can you imagine that the mountain is getting bigger? God thinks up some pretty cool things!
      Would you like to attend the Maya Universe Academy at Sagarmatha?
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

      • Hi Mrs. Donofrio. I don’t think that I would like to attend the Maya Universe Academy because it takes about 1-2 hours to get there for most people, and it would probably be a big change from what my school is like here in the United States. However, they have very good intentions for their school and I think that the children are very lucky to go there for and education.
        Would you attend the Maya Universe Academy at Sagarmatha? Why?
        -Raina

  3. Hi Mrs. Donofrio,
    Wow I sure think that Mr. Arnette’s blog was amazing. I can’t believe he climbed Mount Everest four times. That must have been really hard work. Some things I learned about Mount Everest are:
    1. It is 60million years old.
    2.Everest grows about a quarter of an inch a year.
    3. It consists of different types of shale, limestone and marble.
    4. The wind can be 200mph.
    5. The temperature can be -80 degrees F
    Did you know any of these things?
    Emmalee

    • Hi Emmalee,
      I did know that Everest grew about a quarter of an inch per year. That is the only fact you mentioned that I knew. I also know that there is only a two week window in May and another one in November in which people can try to reach the summit; the weather is too prohibitive at all the other times of the year. I imagine that is when the temperature hits -80 and winds hit 200+. You did a great job with your research! Do you know how Everest got its name?
      ~Mrs. Donofrio

  4. Hi Ms. Donofrio,

    I learned that the number of people who attempt to climb Mt. Everest is approximately 4,000 and the number of people who successfully climb the mountain is 660. Wow, I would not want to be apart of the 3,340 people who didn’t make it! What did you learn about Mt. Everest?

  5. Wow Mrs. Donofrio, I’ve learned so much Thanks to you! All the links you have on your blog are great I looked at all of them. One interesting thing I didn’t know was that there are 18 different climbing routes on Everest. That’s awesome. The book Peak is great! So exciting. What is your favorite part of the book so far? Well hope to blog you later.
    Love, Hannah

  6. Hey Mrs. Donofrio! I learned great new facts from the links you suggested us to use. One thing is I didn’t know that it was over 60 million years old. Another fun fact I learned was that Everest grows about a quarter of an inch every year. The temperature can be as low as -80 degrees. One more thing is that the wind can blow up to 200 MPH.

    -Frankie

  7. Hi Mrs. Donofrio,
    I learned that in the Himalayas they do everything by tradition, and that it rains a lot, and also that they make homes out of mud, rocks, and bamboo to where as we Americans mostly make our houses out of more stable supplies and that there jobs are probably a lot harder than the jobs we do here.
    It seems hard to live in the Himalayas.
    ~Baylee

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