Manaslu Trek Final Post - Dear Children
This is the final post of a 19-post blog series about our nearly three-week trek on the Manaslu Circuit in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal. You can read the posts from “Why Nepal"?” posted on June 17, 2019 on our website .
Cover Photo: A photo of the kids from the last day on the trail as we descended more than 5,000 ft!
*Please note that to see Cover Photo on email notification, you will need to click “Read On” at the bottom of the email.
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Kapil read this letter to the kids at dinner on the night we arrived back in Kathmandu. It made my heart melt, cemented the kids’ confidence in themselves, and made them feel so proud of their accomplishment.
June 15, 2019
To my dearest children—Zayan, Kenza, and Kaysan:
Words cannot do justice to how proud I am of you all right now. What I watched you accomplish over the last 18 days was nothing short of magnificent! For me, as a father, to observe your fears and anxieties, and to watch you overcome challenges day after day—I am in awe of your courage, focus, and unwavering energy to climb to the top of the mountain. You set goals for yourselves and you nailed them!
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for letting me drag you through this experience. I ask only one more thing of you—never forget what you learned up there—of what it takes to work hard for something. Trekking is so much like life, isn’t it? One step after another, not always knowing what lies ahead on your path, but knowing that no matter how difficult it may seem, you will get through it. Sometimes when things get tough, it’s ok to lean on others so they may carry you forward…but don’t forget to return the favor when others need it. And never forget that everything you want is on the other side of fear. I love you so much. Thanks for the best Father’s Day present ever!
-Dad
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Thank you to all of you who shared this journey with us through this series. Your comments and messages were so encouraging and made us feel witnessed in a way that deepened our experience, even after the fact. Our favorite messages were of the several of you who shared these posts with your children. Your messages inspired all of us to keep writing and sharing our adventures (even the ones that haven’t yet made it to this Adventure Journal). We are working on a Nepali video which should be ready in two weeks and we invite you to experience the journey audio-visually. Please be sure to show it to your littles, for those who live with some :) Though we will alert you through various social media channels, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here and pressing the red button at the bottom of our intro video for updates of new content…we have several projects in the works!
We hope you will consider visiting the beautiful Himalayas and people of Nepal. The Nepali economy depends on responsible, environmentally-aware tourists to patronize the local villages and the Nepali government needs continuous reminders of the value the world places on its natural beauty. If you were inspired to help support the trash crisis in Nepal, please consider supporting Doko Recyclers. Their current endeavor is to create solutions for light bulb waste (within Nepali borders) and here is their kickstarter page! Please feel free to share this information and blog with others!
