“I could barely see 20 feet in front of me. I almost turned back three times.”
Austin Sowerbutts, a sophomore at Ouachita, took a trip to Asia with the school’s Campus Ministries (CM) department this summer, where they spent three days traveling. He and a team of nine others departed just four days after the spring 2016 semester.
“We did normal college things. We got to tour the city and hang out with students for two weeks,” Austin said.
Austin loved his time abroad, but he knew that he wanted something more. Knowing that he would be in Asia and could cut down on traveling costs, Austin devised a trip to visit Nepal. Austin had worked out a plan with Campus Ministries leadership. Austin was to depart for Katmandu, Nepal while the rest of the Campus Ministries team headed back to the United States. At the end of their trip, the CM team and Austin said their goodbyes, leaving him on his own. Austin had budgeted his money during his time away from home so that he would have enough in Nepal to explore to his heart’s desire. Austin booked a hotel room before leaving the airport and got in a cab to get to the hotel for the night.
“I realized I had 10 percent battery left on my phone and I was trying to communicate where to go with a guy who barely spoke English,” Austin said. Austin ended up getting to a hotel for the evening but went over his budget that he had planned. The next morning, Austin rode the hotel shuttle to the airport to depart for Nepal. Austin arrived in Katmandu, Nepal, and spent the next three days exploring.
“I got to see a monkey temple, go to the palace square and go to a Hindu temple while they were performing service,” Austin said. “The culture was amazing.”
After his time in Katmandu was over, Austin learned that his flight was pushed back due to heavy rains throughout Nepal from the monsoon season. Forced to remain in Katmandu, Austin continued exploring and met a man from Australia with whom Austin could actually communicate. They were both going to Lukla and later Base Camp and decided they would travel together for safety and companionship. After rescheduling his departure, the plane took Austin and his new friend from Katmandu to Lukla, which has one of the most dangerous airports in the world, in terms of landing and taking off. Arriving safely, Austin hired a guide to help him get to Base Camp, which sits at 17,500 feet; Everest stretches all the way to 29,029 feet.
“The process of acclimating to the elevation takes anywhere from seven to 15 days before you can get to Base Camp,” Austin said.
He spent seven days hiking and training his body to function with such little oxygen.
“I stayed in Bed and Breakfasts’ for seven nights.”
During his acclimation period, Austin lost his iPhone.
“I ate breakfast at a Bed and Breakfast and left to go grab my bags from my room. When I came back, I realized I left my phone on the table and more than likely somebody had stolen it,” Austin said. Luckily, he had a Chinese phone that James Taylor had purchased for him, so he could communicate with family or for emergencies.
The heavy rains in Nepal brought heavy clouds and snow to Base Camp. It took Austin just seven days to acclimate to the elevation and complete the trek up to Base Camp.With the intention to see and photograph Everest, Austin got up at 3 a.m. the next morning and hiked without his guide–but with the guide’s permission–to Kalapathar, a route facing Everest’s peak. Austin began his two-hour hike to Kalapathar in complete fog.
“The trek began slowly and steadily, but soon, I was taking 10 steps at a time. I used whatever I could as distance markers. One rock was about 20 steps away, and by the time I reached it I was on all fours gasping for air,” Austin said. He struggled but finally broke through the clouds.
“It was the most breathtaking thing I had ever seen,” Austin said.
Before him lay a valley of clouds and looming above them was Everest.
“I got there about 15 minutes before sunrise, and when the sun rose, the clouds erupted in orange,” Austin said.
This moment encapsulated his desire to visit Nepal in the first place. Austin documented his time there with plenty of photographs, but the group had plans to return to Lukla that day, so he reluctantly came back down to Base Camp and began the descent with his guide.
Upon reaching Lukla, the rains proved so bad that he wasn’t able to take his scheduled flight to Katmandu. Austin was able to reschedule his flight, and he made it to Katmandu in time for his flight out of Nepal.
“I was tired of airport troubles, so I strung up my hammock to sleep at the airport for the night,” Austin said. “I had people giving me crazy looks and security guards checking my identification.” While waiting for his departure out of Nepal, Austin met a man from California.
“He had never heard the Gospel before, and I felt like I was able to share so much with him. It felt almost as amazing as seeing Everest.”
Austin arrived safely home to Arkansas; full of stories to tell and life experiences that will serve him for years to come. Austin plans on continuing to travel and adventure next summer in Iceland or New Zealand.
By: Will Blase, staff writer
