The Seekonk
Reporter
FEBRUARY 2013 Volume 25, no. 2
FREE
TM
Serving the Residents of Seekonk, Rehoboth and Surrounding Communities Since 1989
see page 87
Love is in the Air
Fit & Lean in 2013
Trek in Nepal Inspires Project to Help School Children There
by Leslie Patterson Hollis Burkhart came back to Rehoboth from her recent trek in Nepal with more than just happy memories and some great photos. She came back with a desire to provide the children she met in Nepal with much-needed books and school supplies. Upon returning to Kathmandu after her seven-day trek in the foothills of the Annapurna Mountains, she was invited to the home of her guide Dash Lal for dinner. “Meeting his wife, three children, nephew, father, sister and niece and sharing a meal of dal bhat with them was the highlight of the trip,” Hollis said. “That night, I woke up out of a sound sleep and knew with a deep conviction I was to somehow be of service to children in Nepal,” she said. After visiting a government school and seeing how much they needed, she resolved to do what she could to collect supplies for schoolchildren there. But first, a few words about the trek itself. Hollis, a long-time resident of Rehoboth, had last gone for a trek in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal in October, 1998. This recent trip was from the end of November to mid-December. The trekking season typically ends in November. The trek consisted of walking on mountain trails, at an altitude of up to 10,000 feet, for seven days on the traditional paths villagers have made. In these mountains, walking on trails is the only way to get around because there are no roads. Nepalese villagers are incredibly strong and are used to carrying loads of 50 to 100 pounds or more up steep mountain steps. The trek consisted of Dash Lal, Hollis, her brother Roger Vale of North Carolina, and their porter Gurung. continued on next page 6...
see page 48
Johnson and Wales Inn 213 Taunton Ave, Seekonk
March 12th, 13th & 14th 6:30 pm - 10:30 pm.
more info on page 20
Trekking guide Dash Lal and Hollis Burkhart on the trail at sunrise.