Anyone Interested in Trekking Nepal?

[mjordon]

Thank for all your feedback; to tell you about my "crazy and odd" posts...

To put it simply: I love the outdoors and I love to travel. I have been organizing private group events since 2003 and I enjoy meeting new people and having the company on my personal trips. Has anyone ever traveled alone here? There are positives and negatives about traveling alone and I thought it would be cool to return to two countries that I have been to before and have some new friends along! I am active in several non-profit organizations and I know how to work for free and put in the extra effort that most would never consider doing for free. This is why it seems like such a crazy thing - because I'm not expecting anything out of it and that's just not how society is supposed to work, right? Here is a shocker: I also own a small business that caters to independent travelers; nevertheless, my posts here are in regards to my own leisure time and personal goals outside of work.

I am planning on going back to NZ and Nepal regardless of who wants to join me and geez - if I had someone willing to take me by the hand and show me a country that I'd never been to before (on a shoestring budget) I'd probably really take their offer seriously! I think it gets back to seeing the best in your fellow man - perhaps that's not a natural human trait, but it can be learned with enough experience. Not all are honest or upright and the first inclination is to distrust... just like when you go buy a car and the salesman is pouring on the pressure! The natural inclination is to see the dishonest side of humanity and usually that is because people see opportunity for selfish gain (themselves). It's all just sad, but it's not always necessary to look down on others and to immediately assume the worst. I asked if some of you were interested in a trip to Nepal and I got a few responses that were... how often do invitations for outdoor trips happen here? How many of you have actually done a trip that requires airfare and months of planning? How many know that those type of trips can be expensive? I've been honest and have answered all accusations and attempted to clear the air.

Now - with my Nepal and NZ posts. As I said: I'm planning and hoping to go back. I have my NZ permanent residency visa and I think it would be great if I can do it again- and regarding Nepal: as I mentioned before, I have a trekking guide friend that invited me to go back and I thought it would be cool to ask around if someone was interested also. Now, the trip isn't free - just like driving down the street to buy a dozen eggs isn't free. This is life and if we want to have a good time, it costs money (big surprise). I'm not in the position to pay for twelve of you to join me at my cost (I wish I were) but I have to pay for my personal trips and everyone else would be expected to do the same. If any of you took the time to read the posts that I have here, you would realize that I have done my best to answer questions regarding Nepal and NZ and the costs involved in a 20-30 day expedition to Nepal are in fact based on a professional third party quote - not my own. Feel free to get your own quotes, do your own homework, organize your own trips and chase everyone off that isn't as complacent as you in the process! It would be nice if you had the guts to PM me instead of trying to shame me in front of everyone. I think it wouldn't come to much of a surprise as to who the cross-eyed cat is, who the Neanderthal is, and who the chem trail-Zorro is. Let's see you guys step up to the plate now and post your real picture, some real info about your careers, and divulge some nitty-gritty personal info... come on - do it.

-Matt

PS: Maybe I should keep my aspirations at a lower level around here to not intimidate anyone...

And to answer Kitty:
I am asking people if they are interested in a trip to Nepal; a not-for-profit trip to Nepal. To join me - on my personal trip and they are completely free to work out their own logistics, period. In fact - I prefer it that way so I don't have to baby sit anyone.

If someone asks me a question - I answer. Do yourself a favor and don't assume the worst - instead, focus on the positive... be an optimist!

"Opinions founded on prejudice are always sustained with the greatest of violence."
Francis Jeffrey (1773 - 1850)

[magikwalt]

Okay...so back to hiking.

[mjordon]

Thanks Duke... I wholeheartedly agree with that statement! Let's enjoy ourselves (go hiking) and not read into every letter written here.

That's what I'm here for.

[zippetydude]

Hi Walt!

Since we're back to hiking, my thoughts do stay a little closer to home. bluerail, you mentioned my next grand adventure...Peru, and the ancient Incan lands. I would love to do a few days guided, then just explore the area a few more days just for fun. I'm not so much interested in technical climbing as in hiking/running across trails that are thousands of years old up there in the high country. Anyone been thinking of that? Maybe a couple of years from now? I'd have to scratch together the cash, which would take a while, but I really would love to visit that region.

Anyone else got a favorite area they want to visit? mjordon sounds like he likes the Himalayas and New Zealand. I'm thinking Macchu Picchu. What other destinations captivate people out there?

z

[bluerail]

well that would be a good run zip

[Cy Kaicener]

Zip - If you want to find places to trek, here is a good link. See Popular Treks (9 pages)
http://www.trekking-world.com

[phydeux]

I'll give a little more input. From my experience doing outdoor travel in the 1980s - 1990s, this just looks like an incomplete jigsaw puzzle - you look at the pieces assembled on the table and you can get an idea of where its heading:

- "I've got a friend in Nepal" (yeah, I've got friends and relatives aroudn the world, too);
- "The more people, the cheaper it gets" (logistics do get tougher/more expensive for larger groups);
- The "feel-good" / "no-bad-days" / "don't-worry-be-happy" attitude of the OP (yeah, storms, rain, rockslides, etc. ever happen, do they?)
- The OP has been on this site since 2007, but only had about 12 post before this thread (doesn't project an interest in the Southern California mountains, does it?).

If you really want to go to Nepal, New Zealand, or anywhere else, my advice would be to:

- If you want to go with a guide service check out some of the other links posted above, and any other services you can find. Go with someone who has some verifiable experience in the area you plan to visit. Get both negative and positive opinions about the companies you're considering using, especially how they deal with contingencies (they WILL happen!). Stay away from any that come off as having a completely postive, "dont-worry-be-happy" attitude, or only give you references for such. Try posting for info about companies on other outdoor sites and see what you get. Examples: 1) Its amazing how many guide services allow folks on trips to Denali that have never used an ice axe, nor had experience with glacier travel; 2) The OPs "offers" remind me of a friend who went on an inexpensive trip to Patagonia that fell apart soon after they got on the road in Chile. A few of the participants were able to salvage the trip after getting rid of the so-called 'guide.'

- Investigate setting up a trip yourself. A few friends and I did this three times, splitting the responsibilities, and the logistics really were not as difficult as they seem (this was in Mexico & South America); its probably easier now with the internet. This isn't for everyone, and might not be as easy as paying someone to handle the details for you, but it allows for lots of flexability in scheduling and deviating off on interesting side trips. We all thought it was a more satisfying way to do a climbing trip, and made the climbs all the more memoriable.

We looked into going to Nepal to climb a few of the 'trekking peaks' in the early 1990s and it didn't seem that complex (might have changed by now). We dropped it due to the faultering economy at that time.

Make you own decision, but make sure you do your homework so any trip you take doesn't turn into a "Wheel of (Mis)Fortune."

[Marknhj]

For what it's worth: I've been running into Matt and his wife around town for the past couple of years; on the trails, in my gym and at the Street Fair. It's always a pleasure chatting with him and his enthusiasm for hiking is obvious when you meet him.

(Matt - I looked for the mountaineering movies you and Kim mentioned were playing at the Film Festival last time we met. I was planning to see the Alaska one but unfortunately, after doing half of Skyline that morning, I found myself asleep on the couch ten minutes before it started! Did you see any you recommend?)

[mjordon]

Phydeux:

Too bad you are convinced that everyone in this world is a thief.

So when are you going to get the guts to divulge all the info that you have been grilling me for [yourself] - I'll bet never. You seem content with make-believing that you are the "keeper of the message boards" and owner of the trails. Ahh, good thing that you can be anyone online, right?

I suggest you go your way and I go mine. I'm not interested in participating in endless banters with a cross-eyed cat.

PS: For the record - I have personally appealed to you via PM two times already in a goodwill effort to answer your questions and begin a positive comradeship on the right foot. If you are truly interested in the discovery of facts, would you take me up on the offer? This appeal make it three times.

[phydeux]

mjordan;
Fine with me. Wish you would have expressed you intentions directly; I'm always leary of anyone who appears to be selling something and avoids giving direct answers (I deal with that at work on a regular basis). I was basing things on my experience and the experience of others I've known and climbed with over a few decades. I take those experiences, look at the postives and the negatives of a situation, then draw a conclusion (the 'jigsaw puzzle').

BTW: My avatar picture has changed many times. Some have been pictures of me (most recently around Christmas), some were interesting images, and some whacky images like the cross-eyed cat. It'll change again.