Jeff Wiese - Bordertown.
For the past month Jeff has been trekking in Nepal to raise funds for 3 fundraisers -
MENTAL HEALTH - One Foot Forward
NEPAL - TeamMED
ROTARY CLUB - Bordertown Helipad & Patient Transfer Facility
He has been documenting his experiences in a series of very interesting and entertaining Facebook posts - read about his challenges and adventures here.
Jeff's story about himself and his motivation, written at the start of his trip.
I am currently President Elect of the local Rotary Club of Bordertown. I am married with 3 children and 1 granddaughter.
Most of my life I have been farming, but other vocations include working in the Bureau of Meteorology, Earthmoving, Engineering & Construction. I still race in competition Dirt Karting.
For the past 30 years, I have been a keen bushwalker and regularly go for hikes in the Tasmanian Wilderness. My wife Judy and I have done many hikes together, including in New Zealand. Earlier this year I hiked to the top of Mt Kosciuszko at night, raising funds for Shelterbox Australia.
I have always been interested in visiting Nepal and trekking in the Himalayas but it is only now that I have managed to make my dream come true. Having recently overcome stage 4 cancer may have helped spur me on. I have been planning this trip for about a year. Physical preparation has included several snow skiing trips, regular hiking in The Grampians carrying a full backpack with tent, food etc. Whenever in Adelaide I hiked in the Mt Lofty Ranges.
At home, I try to walk every day with a backpack for about 6km and this includes up and down our dam bank or the local footy grandstand. For trekking, a lot of meticulous planning is required to make sure you have every essential item without overloading the backpack.
While trekking alone for a month in Nepal I wish to raise funds for worthwhile projects. I am excited about the trip but it will be especially challenging at my age, turning 71 this month. There will be steep continuous climbs sometimes 2,000 metres at a time to cross high passes. I plan to go to extreme altitude (over 5,500m) so it will be interesting to see how I cope with the thin air. A large part of my trek follows the original Everest Route in the footsteps of Sir Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay starting at Jiri.
I leave Adelaide on October 6th 2022 and fly to Kathmandu where I will purchase last minute items, meet my guide and catch up with the Rotary Club of Kathmandu. I am employing a Nepalese guide to accompany me and to negotiate accommodation etc. I head out on 9th October. I will be returning home on 7th November.
One of my fundraisers is for medical assistance to a remote village, Bhakanje in Nepal. I am hoping to find this village and visit there during my trek.
We will be very thankful for any donations to either of the 3 fundraisers listed above.