BB1435 : Training For Khiraule

Thursday 2nd October 2014

Khiraule is a village in a remote part of Nepal. Although in the Everest region, it is well away from the well-trodden tourist trail. However for one BOOTboy, Philip, it is a place of considerable significance.

Why?  

Because he has led a major project in Rotary to raise funds to transform the village school.

The old school

Through various grants and donations, work is being carried out to:

The new school

The plan is for the entire development programme to have been completed by the time Philip visits Khiraule in November. He will be trekking there with a party that includes other Rotarians in order to see the village.  Their intention is to inspect the work to ensure that the money raised has been spent properly.  He will also be using the experience to raise further funds to alleviate the problems caused by the recent major flooding disaster in Nepal which has caused significant loss of life and the destruction of many homes.

Meanwhile, he has to get fit for the four day trek from Phaplu airport to Khiraule via passes reaching 10,000 feet.  Today was his third training outing with the BOOTboys, having recently done the Scafells (BB1428 and BB1431).

This time we didn't travel so far afield.  The weather was glorious, probably the last good day in the remains of summer, however time constraints restricted the choices.  The selection was the Kentmere Horseshoe although purists would say that we didn't do it properly as we missed out the High Street summit.

The Kentmere Horseshoe

After parking at the Green Quarter farm, we crossed the valley to climb the Garburn Pass, leaving it near Crabtree Brow to take the short cut up the gully to reach the ridge path leading up to Yoke.  Ill Bell, Froswick and Thornthwaite Beacon followed in quick succession.

The air quality was very good, the distant views superb.

Coniston and Whetherlam ranges

Crinkles and Bowfell, Scafells behind and Great Gable right

Looking back over Froswick and Ill Bell, Windermere to the right.

As we walked, Philip told us more about the background to his visit.

Nepal is the fifth poorest country in the world and as a result it has very limited resources with which to support villages like Khiraule that are situated in extremely remote areas with poor communications, being long distances from more populous centres.  Consequently, access to facilities for Education and Healthcare is tremendously limited and difficult.

There are approximately 400 people in Khiraule and 90 children attending the school.  The Rotary Club of Kendal together with other clubs in North West England have raised significant funds and grants to enable the school’s major redevelopment project to take place.

Philip has been liaising about the project with Ashok Shrestha of the Rotary Club of Dhulike whom he will be meeting during his visit to Nepal.

Khiraule pupils

We rounded the head of the valley, passing close to the Mardale Ill Bell summit before dropping down to the Nan Bield shelter.

Here the wind was blowing strongly but the shelter was most uninvitingly facing the wrong way, its stone seat being deep in shadow. Accordingly, we climbed part way up Harter Fell before finding a sheltered spot overlooking Small Water and a quite low Ullswater where we took lunch and learned more.

The villagers are primarily Sherpa, an ethnic group who are Buddhists with an ancient rich culture originating in Tibet.  They live off the land and have very little (if any) money.  People live in extended families in their own stone built farm houses with their land surrounding it on which they graze their animals (water buffalo, chickens, and goats).

Khiraule village covers a huge area of land and is at an elevation of 7,000 feet. It is surrounded by huge Himalayan mountains and deep valleys with a deep gorge river running by the side of the village.  There are panoramic views from every direction. The stone farm houses are spread out across the valley of Khiraule.  There are approximately 45 houses. There are no roads, the nearest one is over ten days walk away.  Until recently there was there is no electricity in Khiraule.  All food is cooked on open wooden fires.  Water is from the glacier river which some have piped to their homes through black rubber piping using gravity.

Philip's trek will be led by Lhakpa Sherpa, a native of Khiraule, who is now resident for part of each year, with his wife Pat, in the village of Barbon, not very far from Kendal.  The trekkers will be a group of eleven including Philip, his son Christian and son-in-law Mark.

Our training trek return took the usual Horseshoe route of Harter Fell, Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts, the difference this time being that the ground was so unusually dry that fast progress was possible.

Comitibus :  Harter Fell

The Scafells peeping between Ill Bell and Froswick

On reaching and crossing the Tetherer Pass we dropped gently down to Green Water and the car.  It had been a splendid day with excellent views and we now know a lot more about the history of the Khiraule project and the villagers’ recent experiences.  Philip added:

I have been moved by an appeal from Ashok and would like to help the great efforts being made by Rotarians in Nepal to alleviate the human tragedy caused by the recent flooding disaster.

Watch this space for further news and start saving up to help Philip in his mission to support Khiraule.  I am sure you will not be unsympathetic!

Don, 2nd October, 2014

PS To find out more about the Khiraule Education and Healthcare Project,
visit their web page by clicking on Khiraule.

Bonus Picture for Margaret

Kentmere washing

BOOTboys routes are put online in gpx format which should work with most mapping software. You can follow our route in detail by downloading bb1435 .

For the stats of each BOOTboys walk since records began, see BB Log.
Warning- it might not be completely up to date!

Photos have been gleaned from many sources although mostly from me!
Likewise written comment.  
Unless stated otherwise, please feel free to download the material if you wish.
A reference back to this website would be appreciated.
If I have failed to acknowledge properly the source or infringed copyright, then I apologise.
. Please let me know and I will do my best to put things right.

 E-mail addresses on this web site are protected by

 Spam Trawlers will be further frustrated by
 Spam Blocker: help fight spam e-mail!

BOOT boys

If you want to join
The
Inter-continental
Fan Club
let us know and
you will receive
automatic notification
of new BOOTboys reports.

Click on
to contact us.

For the Index pages
of our various outings
click on the relevant
link below:

Click on the photos
for an enlargement
or related large picture