NORTH CONWAY, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire climbing guide, his wife and five clients are safe after this weekend’s earthquake in Nepal triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest where the group was hiking.
Rick and Celia Wilcox of International Mountain Equipment in North Conway were leading the trek at about 17,000 feet in Gorak Shep when the quake hit Saturday. Celia Wilcox is a former resident of Oxford, Maine, and still has friends in Oxford Hills.
Alec Behr, manager at the IME store, said Monday that colleagues and friends haven’t heard directly from the group but have been in contact with a second person who confirmed Monday that the Wilcoxes were safe and headed down the mountain.
The quake killed at least 4,000 people, including at least 18 who died when an avalanche swept through an Everest base camp used extensively by climbers.
The 30-day IME trip left the U.S on April 9. On Saturday, the group was scheduled to hike from Gorak Shep to Kalipathar for a view of Mount Everest, according to the trip itinerary. Sunday would have brought the group to the Everest base camp.
Behr said the group is hiking back toward the town of Lukla where, according to the itinerary, it was expected to fly to the capital city of Kathmandu at the end of the expedition. Behr said there may be rockslides and other quake-caused damage along the way.
“But quite honestly, that kind of thing happens all the time anyway,” he said.
Less certain is how the quake damage in Kathmandu will affect the flight back to the U.S., scheduled for May 7, he said. The Associated Press is reporting major backups at the airport as relief flights pour in.
Rick Wilcox reached the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, in 1991 and has led 19 expeditions in the Himalayas. He also has been president of the North Conway-based volunteer Mountain Rescue Service for nearly four decades.
New Hampshire residents with ties to Nepal are discussing ways to send aid and organize rescue and relief efforts.
The New Hampshire chapter of the Non-Resident Nepali Association organized a meeting of several groups on Sunday. The Bhutanese Community of New Hampshire hosted the meeting in Concord, where the director of programs and development said he still hadn’t heard from more than 15 friends in Nepal. The American Red Cross also was at the meeting.
In Hanover, Bhola Pandey, co-owner of the Base Camp Cafe, which serves Nepalese cuisine, said he’s raising money to build 10 to 20 homes, and plans to throw benefit dinners.
One Mainer remained missing Monday, but three others were reportedly safe.
Family members said 57-year-old yoga instructor Dawn Habash of Augusta set out April 18 for an eight-to-10-day trek through Langtang National Park. Her family has not heard from her since, but is expecting word any day.
Portland photographer Doug Bruns and his 32-year-old son, Tim, were about a two-day hike away from Mount Everest base camp when the earthquake triggered a major avalanche. Doug’s wife, Carole, said the two were safely making their way down the mountain.
Documentary filmmaker Alison Hudson of Southwest Harbor also was safe. She said she braved the earthquake from the doorway of her Kathmandu apartment. Hudson said she will be leaving Nepal “with a heavy heart.”
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