From Scratch to Summit

From Scratch to Summit

Story of Nepali Climbing Guide KB Tamang

KB (right) with Ganga probably first shot of them

I have mentioned on the earlier posts of this blog how I ended up in the job of trekking staff and how excited it was to be able to go back home with the earnings of those early treks with the gifts to the family members.  Besides the visible gifts of sweets or some money, I had brought the invisible gift especially to my younger brothers and sister which was ‘a message of importance of the education.' These days one don’t need to be a brilliant leader or educationist to explain the importance of education, it’s generally understood by every citizen of 20^th or 21^st century, but this is not the same case in the remote villages of Nepal like ours.  

Most of the village kids of my village (Lumsa, in Solukhumbu) used to go to school but they would end up their study by early secondary level or at around crossing the primary level.  When I used to go home and see my younger brothers Dhan (DB), Karna (KB), Ganga and sister Pema, first thing I would ask was about their schooling.  My father used to say ‘you got educated; you utilize your education,  they will be fine with some education; why you need a lot of education to live in this village?’  and I used to confront with him about such thoughts he had.  It was not only my father but many fathers of the villages used to think same way! So not to blame him but it seems like that’s how much they can think about the education -so this is not to blame poor father :) .   

Ganga, Pema, Mom, Fathr and Myself (our back yard at Lumsa)

Despite my mere voice to educate younger members in the family, due to economic and family situations, DB had to leave school.  He went to Lukla (Khumbu) seeking job as a trekking porter as many youths do from our area (Solu) and that’s the beginning point for them to be in trekking industry.  I was disappointed and I had asked DB to come to Kathmandu where we could possibly explore better job in same field.  Once DB came in Kathmandu, we both started to work as trekking porters or whatever kind of job we would find in trekking trips.  We two used to discuss hours and hours sometime almost all night about our dreams and goals.  One day, we decided to go back home and we thought to buy gifts!  Because our village is at 2500mtr over 8000ft it’s quite cold during the winter.  So we thought cloths would be better.  But because the family is big, we had to buy many gifts.  So we end up buying cheap cloths found on the street carts sold by vendors.   Once we reached back home and distributed gifts of cloths to our brother and sister our mom said to our father– 'Now may be the kids can have new cloths not patched and torn'.  In Those days my mom and grand mom used to fix the cloths by stitching lots of patches on the torn section especially on the butt, knees and elbows.  Because our village school didn’t have dress code then, students could go school with such clothing.  I still remember the gifts I and DB shopped in Kathmandu were worn by KB and Ganga for many years (see the picture).

Let me make the story shorter and jump to recent situations why KB and other students couldn’t complete schooling in the village.  Nepal got the serious political trouble of armed conflict initiated by hardliner communists known as Maoists since 1996 or so and it started to spread from western Nepal to all over the country slowly but strongly.  Maoists’ ‘People’s war’ eventually arrived in eastern Nepal and among first villages where Maoists took shelter for their political and armed activities were including Lumsa.  First day how Maoist entered our village is recalled by some students– without any pre-information Maoist  armed force had surrounded the school, and their leader lectured about what’s Maoism and what was the armed movement all about and students and teachers were asked to join them or support them.  From the next day, students who had connection in Kathmandu and in other towns left the villages and went there fearing they will be taken away for people’s war.  Among the remaining students senior graded ones (8-9-10 grades) were chosen for political assembly organized by Maoists at some unknown location and they were forced to be part of the assembly.  Those forcefully taken by Maoists included KB which I only discovered later because of the lack of communication.  After this incident the school was virtually not functioning especially the senior grade students were not able to come to school.  Due to this chaos KB couldn’t complete his secondary level (grade 10 is the final grade in our village school) final studies.   

Karna alone seen by other's camera just below the summit '09

We managed to bring KB, followed by Ganga and Pema to Kathmandu for the safety of family but in Kathmandu also he couldn’t rejoin the school as the curriculum of the course is different and also may be he 'lost the interest' of study. That’s how second brother of mine after DB couldn’t further higher education dreamed by me and family.  So Karna also fell in to the bottom of the trekking industry ending up to work as trekking porter.  Well now we got three Tamang boys working in trekking, by then I was able to work at Himalayan High Treks of which most of these blog readers must be clients.  No matter what level of education (or no education at all) one has from  Solukhumbu including my village work in trekking industry.  Because the most sought mountain and trekking destination of Everest falls in this district of Solukhumbu it's very common to be in tourism industry.  But there was difference hidden within me that I or my family should go further than just being lower level workers.  However it became very hard to be different especially because DB and KB both couldn't achieve higher education. 

Then we figured out some other ways to enhance skills in trekking industry.  In Nepal, trekking is also an integral part of mountaineering.  If someone has skill of climbing he secures more opportunity of work than a regular trekking guide.  Similarly Nepal's trekking industry since the beginning of year 2000 started to became more competitive with more knowledgeable guides coming in to the job.  So studying some English and learning climbing were chosen for both DB and KB.  Other trekking workers of our village (generally speaking) used to go back home as soon as trekking season is over.  Next trekking season they would come for work as usual. But KB and DB started to go climbing training, practice and learn some English.  So soon they both were able to communicate at least basic level of English.  DB was able to find few trips as guide and he was able to go to the USA because of his labor to learn new things.  It was not exactly same time when they two went to language school or climbing school but that's what they did in a row. 

Summit of Everest 2009, 20th May

KB had completed his basic mountaineering training in 2004 and I was able to find a job for him as a climbing Sherpa at least for one or two climbs every trekking season to the small peaks.  What I learned after one of his early climbing trips is that he managed to take a client to the summit of Island Peak (6140mtr / over 20,000ft) in the situation that most of other climbers were backing off due to difficulty of weather and so forth.  This was his first example that he has the ability and passion to become a good mountaineer.  However, because both the trekking agency I own in Kathmandu and my friend owns in the USA didn't have climbing clients, we couldn't make use of his abilities.  And he couldn't get jobs easily because he is not a Sherpa by birth (born in Sherpa ethnic group).  As mountaineering industry still is ruled by Sherpas (Sherpa ethnic group of Solukhumbu area Nepal), sherpas get job more easily than people from non-sherpa tribe. 

However since he did complete the basic mountaineering course, he got at least one or two climbing trips to small peaks (also known as trekking peaks) every tourist season.   

As the matter of fact, playing world cup or Olympic could be a dream of a player similar is climbing Everest for a mountaineer.  Apart from that, guiding or working in bigger peaks for tourist climbers are much beneficial for local climbing guides.  Working on bigger Expedition is when the climbing sherpas or guides make some money.  So obviously Karna was requesting to senior Sherpas and guides to take him as a climbing Sherpa to bigger expeditions.  But as mentioned earlier, it was hard to find him such job despite he is as capable as or may be better than any other climbing guides.  Meanwhile, a ray of hope came for KB in the year 2009 spring when one of our common friends happened to have connection to a socio-political organization who wanted to take the logo of the organization to the summit of the Everest.  Because he knew Karna as a potential candidate to whom he could make work more than to a senior climbers by paying less, Karna was chosen among 3 members to the expedition team after much request.  However, the chance of him being left back prevailed till last minute due to his serious sickness just about 10 days before the team to leave for Expedition.  He was unable to attend the last minute briefings and meetings with the organization's representatives.  I had to lie my friend that he is just resting, but Karna was admitted to a hospital due to sever typhoid fever.  The day to leave Lukla by flight Karna managed himself to come along. He was carrying heavy duty drug for typhoid for another month from the day he was released from the hospital.  I had told him not to climb but to stay at base camp or lower camps as once he is in the work he is still eligible to get the pay and there are other sherpas to support anyway.  You can read more detail story of how he managed to be on the top of Everest at www.hightreks.com  on that expedition but it was just unbelievable news when I heard from the Everest that he reached the summit despite the sickness and further complication caused by the team leader as he was left at camp 4 (8000mtr /24000ft) by rest of the team to look after another fellow climber who was weak.  He had assisted primary help to the fellow man and he followed the route alone all the way to the summit from camp 4.  It was an amazing achievement.   

As most friends of mine know KB climbed Everest second time this year May 19, 2011 in same heroic way it makes me and my family feel so proud not only because he climbed the highest peak in the world but also for the achievement he accomplished despite the obstacles he and we as a family had to face. I will try to post his recent climbing experience and story in the coming posts (hopefully).  So please wait for that. Meanwhile, I hope I didn't make you bore by this long story…. ALL THE BEST readers!