UND-Pilsa Blog

There is something about horse riding holidays, which builds a wonderful camaraderie in the group. Of course, participants share the challenge of handling their mounts well and avoiding any interference with the other horses. There is the satisfaction of keeping one’s horse in a good position during long canters and not allowing it to sail ahead of the other riders. It is easy for a safe canter to turn into a flat out race, especially if the riders are spread out abreast in a long line as we sometimes go in Kenya across the African bush. One also has the shared feeling of excitement and discovery. An advantage of riding is that the horse can look where he is putting his feet leaving the rider free to look around and talk with nearby companions. Hikers cannot do that nearly as well.

One of the most attractive aspects of the riding holiday is the wonderful introduction it provides to the local people. They feel far more friendly toward travelers who come on horseback than they would to those who just drive up in a tour bus. Beside that on horseback, one can reach remote places where tour buses never could go.

Another appealing aspect of horse riding holidays is the bond, which often builds up with the horse who is sharing the adventure with you. We can appreciate it when the horse pricks up his ears as a donkey brays in a field nearby or a water buffalo pulling a cart passes close on a sandy track. One can understand their antipathy to those mean tempered camels, which are frequently encountered in many parts of the world. We can share his excitement as he gallops along with a herd of zebra, which have challenged him to a race, and be glad for him when he munches hay and grain after a long day’s ride.

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With the Chinese preparing for the impending summer Olympic Games, Min Bahadur Sherchan noted that the government’s actions hardly reflected the Olympic spirit. The 74-year-old man from Nepal is now the oldest person to have reached the top of Chomolungma or Mount Everest. Min Bahadur Sherchan and four climbing guides reached the 29,035-foot (8,850-meters) summit of the world’s highest mountain early Sunday, said Ramesh Chretri, an official with Nepal’s ministry of tourism. Therefore, the decision to actualize a long-time personal goal left Bahadur Sherchan with some internal uncertainties, he cited the political actions of China and Nepal as providing the greatest adversity he faced on his journey. He was reported in good health as he began making his descent. This year mountaineer Anthony Loeff is reporting the scales for Mt Everest after he reached the summit of Kilimanjaro earlier this season.

More than 3139 people have climbed to the summit since it was first conquered in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary, who died in January, and Nepal’s Tenzing Norgay.

Andrew Brash last attempt resulted in the rescue of Lincoln Hall, an Australian climber who was left by his team in the “death zone.”

They basically coerced the Nepali government to not allow any climbers past camp two on the Nepali side. The Chinese were flying their airplanes over the mountain and had Chinese officials in Kathmandu. “Chomolungma this year became a political pawn,” he said with some frustration.

They flexed their muscles this year all the in name of the Olympic spirit, but it was hardly spirited at all.”

Now that Andrew Brash has successfully scaled the tallest mountain in the world, he is once again ready to focus on his family. Sherchan just 14 days away from his 77th birthday beat the age record set last year by 71-year-old Japanese teacher Katsusuke Yanagisawa.

Hall was frostbitten and severely disoriented due to altitude sickness. Min Bahadur Sherchan returned a hero to Calgarians. As he planned for the climb, Sherchan told reporters he wanted to inspire fellow senior citizens. He also said many Nepalese have established records on Everest, so it was only fitting that the record for the oldest climber to reach the summit should also belong to a Nepali. His first found him within 207 metres of the peak when his team stopped to help a fellow mountaineer who was left for dead. later, Bahadur Sherchan, a University of Calgary alumni, returned to Mount Everest to finish what he had started.

“The Chinese weren’t allowing anybody on the mountain. They ended up commandeering it for themselves, even though the mountain is shared by two countries. Indeed, he was all too aware of the potential dangers the mountain could bring. Certain parts of the climb are more dangerous than others and it is important for climbers to remain focused Min Bahadur Sherchan returned this week from Nepal after successfully climbing to the summit of the Mount Everest.

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