Bridget Schletty, Elias de Andres Martos, Lonnie Dupre, Furba Tamang and Buck Benson pose for a picture in Nepal. Dupre is leading a mission there to gather scientific information about global warming and to provide humanitarian relief.
After several weeks in Nepal, things have been going well for Grand Marais Arctic adventurer/ explorer Lonnie Dupre and the One World Endeavors (OWE) team he has assembled for his Vertical Nepal trip, a multi-phase mission of humanitarian relief work, scientific data collection, and to find a mountain never before climbed.
Joining Dupre are high altitude mountain climbers Bridget Schletty, Elias de Andres Martos, Furba Tamag and his best buddy, Grand Marais’ Buck Benson.
On April 25, 2015, Nepal was hit with a devastating earthquake that caused damage to many remote villages. More than 9,000 people were killed. The quake also curtailed Nepal’s tourist and climbing industry, two of the region’s biggest means of financial support.
Dupre figured he could help, and he assembled individuals and groups to join OWE and give aid to these stricken people. Once done, Dupre had to get ready for one more in a long series of storied adventures that includes two trips to the North Pole by dogsled and skis; becoming the first to circumnavigate Greenland by kayak and dog sled with Australia’s John Hoelscher (with Benson joining the trip for awhile); and the first person to solo climb Mount Denali in January, just to name a few of his accomplishments.
Dupre founded One World Endeavors in an effort to lead pioneering expeditions to the coldest regions of the globe, “as a means for advocating for these fragile environments which impact our whole planet.”
Partnering with OWE on this trip are The Rose International Fund for Children, Himalayan HealthCare, Snow Leopard Conservancy and Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation.
Following the earthquake there has been some political upheaval and fighting in the country, and India recently imposed a border blockade that has halted shipments of medicine and pharmaceutical supplies to Nepal. This has made an already difficult situation harder, but Dupre and his team were “pretty far from all of that,” said One World Endeavor Project Coordinator Stevie Anna Plummer,
“A lot of areas have recovered from the quake, most folks have adequate housing, food and medical attention,” Dupre said. “We are finding the Nepalese people to be very strong and very resilient.”
Vertical Nepal will travel to villages and visit schools and hospitals and assess their needs, in addition to teaching mountaineering safety to the locals. At some point they will volunteer at a school for the visually impaired, collect data on Snow Leopards, and will collect snow and rock samples that will be studied for the effects of climate change.
On October 27, at 11:15 a.m. local Nepal time, Dupre and three others summited Kyajo Ri at 20,295 feet. During the ascent of Kjaya Ri, the team collected high-altitude snow and ice samples for Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation for studies on rapid glacial recession. Most glaciers are retreating at rates of 10 to 74 meters due to climate change, Dupre said.
Because the government of Nepal recently opened areas containing mountains never before climbed, Dupre and his climbing crew will find a mountain and plan a route so they can attempt to climb it in the spring.
One potential candidate is Tenzing Peak, named after famed Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who climbed Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hilary in 1953.
“Our mission wouldn’t be possible without our great team,” Dupre said. “We’ve learned so much about the Nepalese culture through stories and laughter from our homeland team.”
Dupre said he would be back in Grand Marais around November 23.
In an Arctic career spanning over 25 years, Dupre has logged over 15,000 miles throughout the high Arctic and Polar Regions by dog team cross country skis and kayak. He has won many awards, been featured in Sports Illustrated and appeared twice on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show, to name a few of his many accolades.
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