Across the Himalayas in 128 dayS | Feature

At eight, he ran away from home, walked two straight days to attend a Janai Purnima festival in Gosain Kunda after his parents didn't permit him to do so. That may have been the worst nightmare for his parents but for Sunil, it was that trip which developed his love for adventure." I think that was the day I discovered my true passion," says Sunil Tamang. Since then Sunil has been trekking and exploring various places and in October, 2010 scaled Island Peak (6189m) in the Everest region. But the biggest feat for this 20 year old has to be his latest achievement-trekking solo across the Himalayan region in 128 days.

"I had just finished my S.L.C when the thought of travelling across every Himalayan district struck my mind. Back then I neither had the experience nor the financial means to make my dream come true," says Sunil who spent the next two years planning his trip all the while studying I.Sc at St.Xavier's college. At first he was disappointed when he couldn't find any sponsors. Most of the organizations and the people that he approached shunned him. Many even called him 'crazy' for attempting such a risky trip. After all how many teens do we come across willing to carry 30-40 kilos of weight and go on a solo adventure? Danielle Marchal of Belgium and Thomas Junker and Group of Germany however were among the few who believed in his dream and financed the trip. With their help and support from his parents and sponsors Andrew and Barbara Haxby, Sunil was able to achieve his dream this June.

A native of Rasuwa, Sunil first came to Kathmandu some nine years ago. Till date he is baffled by the laziness and irresponsibility of Kathmandu youth. "I compare the youngsters here to those outside Kathmandu and feel like the youth here are simply wasting all the opportunities that they have. Most of them are too busy partying to even bother about education and social duties," expresses Sunil which is why he says one of his main reasons behind the trip was "to inspire youth to explore and do something out of their comfort zone." Another cause that Sunil wanted to focus was climate change. "Everyone talks about the impact of climate change on Himalayas, I wanted to experience it myself," he explains. And experience he did.

To see the difference in the size of Gangapurna Glacier Lake which he first visited as a twelve year old up close made him realize that climate change was undeniably happening. Wherever he went, locals complained about the problem in crop production due to changes in weather patterns. "Seeing first hand the impact of global warming is a totally different experience. It is sad to know that the locals living in these (Himalayan) regions who will be affected the most are the ones who are least aware of the possible damage," shares Sunil. Rather than playing the blame game Sunil believes it is time people started accepting responsibility for their actions. "The reason I chose to go on a solo trek was to make people believe that a single person can do anything and make a difference."

Although he may make trekking solo for 128 days seem like a cakewalk, there were times when Sunil himself thought he wouldn't be able to complete his journey. "When I was crossing the Tashi-la pass, I fell 2-3 metres down and thought I wouldn't make it. I was hurt and tired. But I thought about the faith my parents and friends have in me and there was no way I was going to give up so easily." The biggest gift perhaps was the warm welcome he got when he reached his village, Syapru Bensi. "People treated me like a local hero. I was invited to lunches and dinners; it was amazing to see how proud they were of me. This motivated me even further," shares Sunil who wants to study Environmental Science in the future.

With the motto 'Trek for Change', Sunil Tamang set on a journey to inspire the youth, encourage environmental awareness among the locals and make a change. Sometimes walking sixteen hours a day with nothing but a glass of juice in his stomach, Sunil has successfully completed his trek. But he says there's a lot more to be done."Our government doesn't really think when they carry out actions. Roads are now being constructed in the Annapurna and Manaslu trek routes in the name of development but they are not foreseeing the consequences it will have on tourism," he laments. He feels nothing has been done to promote tourism year. "When I visited Kanchanjunga, I couldn't find any signs. Ironically, it was declared a tourist region few years ago. Rather than spending millions on the glitzy inauguration ceremony, it would have been great had they done something that would actually benefit the tourists and locals alike."

The youth, as of now, would like to enjoy his time reading literature, watching documentaries and exploring more of Nepal's unexplored places.