The Circle
Just wanted to post this email I received from Steve Wagner. It’s pretty cool.
A few years ago, I spent an evening in Ketchum attending a showing of Win and Sarah Whittaker’s documentary about students at the Himalayan Mountain Institute (HMI) in Darjeeling, India. Young people at a 14,000 foot base camp were learning climbing techniques wearing old equipment, some with ill fitting boots falling off their feet as they maneuvered up and down rock faces, but instead of complaining they were laughing and having fun.
I was so taken with their enthusiasm and exuberance living such a humble life with such grace that when I arrived home I talked to my wife Lila and asked her how we could help these wonderful students. We decided that we would pay tuition for one or two of them at a time, and with my friends in the climbing industry, maybe we could garner a few pieces of equipment to send to HMI.
My friends Gombu and Phursumba Sherpa helped choose the students, and starting with a very generous donation from The Sun Valley Company of their old ski instructor uniforms and equipment donated by Steve Howe, an editor with Backpacker Magazine, we started by sending over two thousand pounds of clothing and equipment to HMI with climbing expeditions that were heading that way. Through a small circle of friends, and strangers who would become friends, we began a new adventure.
A few years later, Steve Howe called and said ” I have a friend named Jerry Mika who wants to talk to you. He started a project called Super Sherpas, do you mind if I give him your number?” It took just one phone call to realize that we were on parallel paths and quickly became very good friends. Jerry is sponsoring two world renowned Sherpas, Apa and Lhakpa Sherpa and their families, and is actively working towards improving education, healthcare and economic conditions among the Sherpa people of Nepal. Through our small part in the Super Sherpa project, we have all become good friends and look forward to our visits to Salt Lake City where the families now reside. The circle keeps getting bigger.
One day last winter, Jerry called and asked if Lila and I would like to drive over to Snowbird, Utah to attend a fundraiser where David Rilen, the author of Three Cups of Tea, was speaking. We gladly accepted and listened to David‘s recounting of the remarkable journey he made during the writing of his award winning book.
David’s adventure chronicling Greg Mortenson’s success story of building schools and educating children in far off parts of the world, reinforced our commitment to the young people in Darjeeling, and now to the Sherpa people of Nepal. We are very excited at the thought of hosting David Relin along with the Super Sherpas here in Sun Valley for a fund raiser to help bring awareness to the plight of the Sherpa people.
Please join us for an inspiring evening with David Rilen, author of Three Cups of Tea, and the Super Sherpas here in the wood River Valley on August 8th at 8 pm, at the Hemmingway Community Campus in Hailey, ID. In addition, there will be a VIP event prior to David’s presentation at a private home which includes time to spend with the author and the Sherpas, an autographed book, wine and hors dourves. General Admission: $35. VIP Event: $150.
Thank you for your generous support,
Steve and Lila Wagner
Contact Chapter One Book Store for tickets 208-726-5425.
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