About this Course

In June 2011, seven SNC students and two faculty members will travel with the Truckee, CA-based Bodhi Tree Foundation to deliver pre/postnatal vitamins and medical supplies to the women of Humla, the most remote region of Nepal, deep in the western Himalayas. This trip will be the center of two courses each student will complete; the students will gain traditional academic and real-world knowledge of Service Learning as well as Nepali art and culture. In addition to our service, we will visit many significant cultural and religious monuments for both Buddhists and Hindus. Join us as we prepare for this adventure of a lifetime.

Packing and Gear

The following list is adapted from Bodhi Tree Foundation's suggested packing list.
Updated Nov. 29, 2010

YOU WILL NEED:  
Clothes: 
Down jacket
Rain/wind/goretex jacket
Fleece top/jacket 
Heavyweight Top
Sports bras
Short sleeve capilene shirt
T-shirts (tank tops will not be appropriate)
Underwear
Long underwear, 2-3 prs.
Fleece pants
Quick dry pants 
2nd pair of pants
Gaiters
Hiking shoes/boots (well broken-in!)
Sandals (teva-like)
Socks, 3-4 prs.
Sun hat (Baseball hat, for example)
Sunglasses
Warm hat
Gloves
Extra clean clothes to leave in Kathmandu for after trekking (we will leave locked bags in Kathmandu) 

Toiletries and personal items: 
Sunscreen
Toiletries
Toilet paper
Prescriptions in labeled pharmacy bottles (ask your doctor for generic names, in case you need to replace)
Tampons, etc. (very hard to find, bring what you need)

Gear: 
0-degree Sleeping bag
Thermarest
Pack towel/wash cloth
Nalgene water bottles (2)
Headlamp & extra batteries
Trash compactor bags (2) great for keeping gear dry
Day pack
Camera & extra batteries  

Documents, etc: 
Passport
Travellers' checks & cash
Extra passport photos 

Extra/optional items:
Skirt (great for trekking)
Trekking poles
Travel pillow
Leatherman
Lonely Planet Nepal
Phrasebook
Wet wipes
Favorite snacks (cliff bars, snickers, gu….)
Purell/Hand sanitizer
Extra ziplock bags
Umbrella
Personal 1st aid kit (detailed suggestions will be provided elsewhere)
Book to read on trek (e-book reader?!)
Sarong  (good for concealed body washing) 

NOTES ON CLOTHING:
Cotton Kills! Leave your cotton at home. Cotton has poor insulative qualities, will trap moisture on your skin and stay wet, creating a hypothermia risk, and becomes heavy and abrasive when wet, creating a risk for blisters and skin irritation. Wool is a better natural fiber alternative, but frankly, this is a situation in which synthetics--especially wicking fabrics--truly are a better choice.

Please remember to be culturally sensitive – Nepal is a conservative country and women do not show their bodies.  Please try not to reveal too much skin. Keeping your shoulders and knees covered is a good basic guideline.

NOTES ON EQUIPMENT: We provide sleeping tent, kitchen tent, dinning tent and other necessary equipment for camping but you need to bring all your personal equipment, etc.
 
What you will carry for the trek:
Please bring the equipment listed above. You will pack your gear for the trek into a duffel bag that will we will provide for you in Katmandu, and some items into the smaller daypack you will provide. The larger bag with your camping gear will be carried by the porters to meet you each evening. The daypack you carry will contain things like water, rain jackets, hat, gloves, camera, money etc. The weather in the mountain is changeable so you will need some warm clothes with you in your daypack.

What to do about the leftover baggage:
On the morning we leave KTM to go trekking you can store all the things that you do not need on the trek such as valuables, extra clothes, etc. in a locked bag at the Tibet Guest House.

NOTES ON TREKKING AND CAMPING :
You will be traveling in the mountain regions at your own pace and use tented accommodations at the end of the day.  Our cooks will prepare meals, and our guides and porters will carry heavy loads, but we expect you to carry small personal daypacks. We will tread as lightly as possible. All waste paper is burnt. All other non-biodegradable garbage will be brought back. All water is purified; vegetables are treated with a water iodine base.
 
In all likelihood, you will not have access to phone or internet for most of all of the trekking portion of the trip, so please advise your friends and family. We will carry a satellite phone for emergency use only.
Meals: During the trek, our cook staff prepares simple but hygienic, nutritious and delicious meals. Each breakfast, lunch and dinner contains at least four varieties with the choice of hot drinks.
Drinking water:  our cook staff will provide properly boiled and purified water for drinking. In Kathmandu, we suggest you stay with mineral water or purify the water.   We will also carry a Steripen so that we can treat water anytime on the trail.
Personal Hygiene: A limited amount of warm water will be served each morning or evening for washing. We suggest not polluting streams or river waters, and using minimal amounts of biodegradable detergents such as Dr. Bronner's. When camping near villages you may be able to wash at the local water tap but please keep most of your body covered (i.e. – wrap with a sarong)

NOTES ON HEALTH PRECAUTIONS: 
Check with your doctor and make sure that you have sound health. The most common health problem is diarrhea. We minimize the risks by consuming meals in camp. Our staff will attempt to ensure basic safety measures as medical services are severely limited or non-existent in these remote areas. However, a well-equipped first-aid kit will be carried by our staff. 



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