Wow. I came here to gather information to write a book about the Himalaya Rescue Dog Squad Nepal (HRDSN), and now I'm involved with a search. I'll soon be headed to the mountains with the team to look for American Aubrey Sacco, who was last heard from on April 20th when she emailed her parents and said she intended to make a solo trek in the Langtang area. She was supposed to finish that trek someime around April 30th, but no one heard from her. Aubrey later failed to get on her plane home on May 15. At this time, Aubrey's last known point (LKP) was where she signed in to begin her trek.
It's been frustrating having to sit around, waiting to get on with the search. At home, when someone is reported missing, our team can mobilize very quickly. Not so here in Nepal, where the rescue squad is flat broke right now. So, they wait for funds to be wired so they can move. (Which has now happened.) And a contract has to be signed. And they need some sort of letter from some government office so they can enter the search area with their dogs. (I really have no idea how the government is run here, and, truth be told, it doesn't seem like most Nepalis know, either. Right now, things are basically a mess in that department. And they could get even messier on May 28th, when the new Constitution is due.)
So, today I pack up all my things again and get on a bus with searchers and dogs, headed back to Kathmandu. (I get to experience that long bus ride after all.) As long as nothing holds us up along the way, we'll be in the city late this afternoon. Then search teams, me included, depart for the mountains, probably tomorrow morning. I have no idea what the area will look like, but I know we're not talking the big'uns here. (I think we'll be up to about 14,000 feet.) So, no, Deb won't be using any ice axes or oxygen. Beyond that, I have no idea what to expect.
Well, as always, the power is out, and I'm running low on battery again. But before I shut down, here are some related links you might want to take a look at:
Aubrey's Website
The blog Aubrey was keep until shortly before she went missing: Glitter The World: Spreading The Sparkle One Country at a Time
CNN News Story
Facebook group: American Aubrey Sacco, Missing, Nepal Himalayas
