Local woman goes goodwill trekking in Nepal

Nancy Cohn spent last fall trekking her way through a good portion of the mountains of Nepal surrounding Mount Everest. She loved the moments she spent below the world’s tallest peaks — at home now she even dreams about it. But when she reflects on her journey, her joy for the trip is just as apparent when she speaks about the people she met and helped along the way.

Cohn spent 25 days traveling and hiking in the Himalayas. Along the way she delivered medicine to a clinic, took warm clothing to those in need and brought messages from home to students in Nepal.

“We’re not here for ourselves,” she said. “We’re here to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. I was fortunate enough to go and I wanted to give back — it’s just as important as the trip.”

Giving to others

In her daily life, Cohn places an emphasis on volunteering and giving to others. She serves as a youth group leader at St. Richard’s Catholic Church in Columbia Falls, where she lives, and she works with the Glacier Symphony. In addition to working as a clinical laboratory technologist at North Valley Hospital, she volunteers by caring for the hospital’s aquarium. She is also caretaker for Peter Brucato, who is known as the “Mayor of Big Mountain.”

A retired doctor friend originally invited Cohn on the Nepal trip, but when the friend decided not to go, Cohn went on the trip without her.

Together they had arranged a donation of medicine from NVH and Cohn continued the plan herself and eventually delivering it to the Khunde Hospital in Nepal. Prior to the trip, Cohn also arranged a warm clothing drive at NVH and employees donated a myriad of items including coats, gloves, hats and base layer clothing. Ultimately, Cohn was able to take 10 pounds of medication and 40 pounds of clothing to be given to the Sherpa people.

Getting her youth group involved, Cohn’s middle-school aged group members made paper cards and included their email address to begin a relationship with students at the Khumjung Hillary School. The Nepal students in turn wrote cards of their own, in English, and Cohn brought them back to her youth group. Next the church group will be sending care packages to the Nepal students to help fill classrooms that Cohn said are primitive.

“Those were the three things I really wanted to do as far as goodwill,” she said. “I feel lucky I had the opportunity to give back. I was so glad I was able to stop and talk to the kids.”

Awesome, but trying

Cohn spent 17 days relying on her feet — walking, climbing and exploring the Himalayas. She climbed to Kala Patthar at 18,500 feet for the best view of Mount Everest. The following day she hiked to Everest Base Camp at 17,400 feet. It’s an experience she can hardly believe really happened.

“It was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she said. “It’s been on my bucket list for six or eight years and then the opportunity came up.”

Cohn visited the Holy Land in 2009 with her mom. Despite her upbringing as a Christian and Catholic, she said the trip to Nepal surpassed that previous trip.

“I felt like the mountains of Nepal was a sacred place,” she said. “The beauty is because of our Creator. This is what our Creator made.”

Still the awesomeness of Nepal didn’t make the trip easy. Cohn spends her summers hiking in Glacier National Park and her winters on the slopes of Big Mountain. Though an active person, the journey with it’s high altitude was a challenge. She found herself working harder and walking slowly. Cohn would often see helicopters pass overhead lifting someone out of the mountains and the sight would prompt her to say a prayer.

“I had no idea whether I’d adjust or not,” she said. “Even if you’ve been before and do fine, altitude sickness is not something you are immune from getting just because you’ve done it. The lack of oxygen takes its toll. You are walking really slow because it’s that hard.??

Much of the journey went well with the exception of the day she climbed to Chukhung. She had come down with a cold and sinus infection. The trek that day began before sunrise and before breakfast.

Her party started out with their headlamps in the dark crossing a frozen river. Without a way to nourish her body or take cold medication her energy level and spirits plummeted. Her muscles began hurting from the lack of oxygen.

“My Clif bars were frozen. My water was frozen,” she said. “It was tough. We were doing this to see the sunrise and I just couldn’t wait for the sun to come up so it would get a little warmer.”

She stopped and rested throughout the climb. There were times when she thought about quitting and turning back. But she continued on making her way up the 3,000 feet of elevation over two miles finally making it to her destination.

Reading a passage from her journal, Cohn recalls that day, “Even though the climb is tough, I have a smile on my face because of the pure beauty I am looking at.”

An experience

Cohn enjoyed meeting the Sherpa people, the ethnic group in eastern Nepal, and seeing how they live and work.

“The Sherpa people are the most resourceful people I’ve ever seen,” she said. “They make use of everything and they are happy with so little. They have green veggie gardens growing in November. They heat only with yak dung and leaves because there are no trees at that elevation.”

She booked her trip package through Summit Climb, which included a guide, porter, some of the airfare and room and board. As a trekker, she stayed and ate in teahouses along the journey. Accommodations were primitive with limited heat and electricity and she went two weeks without a shower. However, she was surprised at the options for food. While she did try the Nepal food, the menu also included items like pizza and spaghetti.

“It’s not a trip of luxury. It’s a trip of sacrifice,” she said. “It’s all part of the adventure.”

All told, Cohn trekked for 17 days between 9,300 and 18,500 feet. She visited several villages. She stopped at Buddhist and Hindu temples. And she gave something to those in need.

“I’ve been back two months and I think about it every single day,” she said. “I have dreams about being there. I will go back in the future, I’m sure of it.”