Maggie Propst: AU Human Sciences – Summer Program in Kathmandu, Nepal Summer 2022
Before I even left on the plane to Nepal, I knew this would be one of the only chances that I had in my lifetime to ever see Mt. Everest. And then once we arrived in Nepal, the Everest flight was something everyone desperately wanted to go do. At first it seemed like it was something we were not going to be able to do because in Nepal during the months of June, July, and August it is monsoon season. Monsoon season led to many walks home in the rain and many cloudy days where there was low visibility of the mountains. On the days in which we did get an odd clear day the mountains were beautiful and breathtaking. The view was so great that I can remember literally chasing it down in a taxi on the way to work some days. But we could not see Everest from the city of Kathmandu. It was nearly impossible to get a clear day where we didn’t have anything already planned or without having to be at work from 9 to 5. But finally everything fell into place and we were able to book the Everest flight on a weekend. We were taking a big leap of faith because there was no way of knowing that we would even be able to see anything with how unpredictable the clouds were. The day of the flight came and everything fell into place. It was the most perfect experience and I would do it all over again without question.
We had to wake up super early that day to be at the airport for our 6 am flight time. The Nepal airport is an experience of its own. We saw a very sweet cat that seemed so at home, just roaming all around the airport with the different people who were coming and going. Waiting for the flight time to get there enhanced my anxiety, I have a big fear of heights and flying is included in that fear as well. It did not help that the plane we were taking was a small one from an airline called Yeti Airlines.
Once we were in the air I calmed down some because I then got distracted by watching the passing by cities and mountain ranges and there are no words to describe the beauty of them. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
We finally got to Everest and it was such an out of body experience for me. I found it so hard to comprehend exactly how tall the mountain is. I will say that it is obvious to spot the mountain because it is taller than all of the other mountains. But nothing is completely different that it stands out significantly to the eye.
The flight was such a great experience and I will recommend it to anyone that has the chance or the want to do it. They even let all of the passengers go into the cockpit and get an even clearer view of the mountains. They also gave all of us these certificates that signify the completion of the flight. I will cherish that flimsy piece of paper forever.
