Tears come to my eyes as I am overwhelmed by the awesomeness of it all. Wiping my eyes I put them back on the path ahead of me. Much of the path has been worn smooth by the donkey trains that travel it daily. My footing is solid for the most part and I am thankful for the good boots that are on my feet.

I am walking along now with an oblivious arrogance that nothing could happen to me or my fellow hikers. The sun was high in the sky and the temperature was very warm.

My first sign that something was wrong was when people from ahead of me started coming back down the path. Some faces ran by me saying something in French, in a tone that spoke of high tension.

Terri was the first face that I registered as he went by. His was a look of anxiety. He simply shook his head at me and pointed over the edge.

Oh God. I prayed, let it not be one of the children. Then my mind racing in an almost panicked state I reviewed the people from the group. Ashamedly my first thought where please Lord don’t let it be any my friends. Steve, Terry, Teresa or Tim.

Then I felt ashamed for thinking this way. Shaking my head I thought what I could do now. There is no time now for this stalled state, move. I started ahead, Teresa came into view then I saw Tim’s backpack and a few others. Reaching the spot I now know was the fall point I asked what had happened.
Knowing the answer already in my mind was still not enough, I needed to hear it out loud. I am thankful that it came from a child that has amazing coping skills. She did not say it in a way full of horror and fear. Just matter of fact, that someone had fallen over the side. This by far helped me stay calm and collected. In her mind we just needed to get down and find him. Such faith.

A moment later Terry came from farther ahead and said there was a wider part that would be safer for us to wait at and we should move the bags off the path. I grabbed the closet one to me and moved along. Minutes ticked by that felt like hours. Some of the women had joined us and some had looks of shock on their faces. I hugged Moraine and shook my head. Universal language was all that was needed.

Tic Tic Tic, time moved slowly and no answers where coming that I could understand. I sat with Teresa on a large rock as she was looking for answers as well. I tried my best to offer her words that did not commit to any conclusion good or bad, only possible ways that our friend may have slowed his fall.

Many of the team passed back and forth along the path. Some Nepali’s came along and found a path down for them. Praise God. Steve was down first and shouting out for John-Claude. I finally had a name.

Terri, Tim, Evie, Nicoles, Joel and others were also climbing down and shouting for him. What happened down at the river I do not know, but Steve was the one who found him. News came to us painfully slow.

It is estimated that 30 minutes passed before he was found. This is what I managed to piece together as people came and went hurriedly passed our way. “Steve found him, he is alive, moving a bit, not responding to our shouts, they cannot reach him, his face is bloody, he is alive!” Thank you God that our friend lives.

Dr Baby was ahead of the group and could not be found. A moment of panic shook me again, oh no another one of us is missing. No no I thought she was ahead of the group we just need to find her. David, our Nepali brother was asked to go and find her. He was off at a run, Thank you God that we have a young man from here.

Tic tic tic more time passed and he returned with her backpack on his shoulders. She was on her way down to the river. Praise God again that she was fine and we have a doctor with us. More news came to us. “Steve has made it to him and he is on his lap, Evie is there also (he is a nurse) praise God again.

Dr Baby is passing instructions but cannot get to him. He is alive” More Nepali people have arrived and are helping. A cell phone was found that works. Halleluiah! The Nepali police were called and help was coming. More Nepali’s showed up to help. Tic Tic Tic, more time passed.

My stress has come down, but my empathy is trying very hard to overwhelm me. I am choking back tears. Keep it together Mike, be useful. I was asked to watch the bags as I was sitting there anyway. I had a job and did not feel useless. Many prayers have left me by now and much thanks given to God for all the miracles that had already happened. More bags showed up and the pile grew.

Some of the group from below came back up and where asking for emergency blankets, (in French so I did not understand) I could tell there was urgency in their voice but not what they wanted. Others in the group sprang to action and blankets where found in seconds. Kicking myself, I should of thought of that and had them ready.

Again someone from below came up and took sleeping bags and some of the walking poles down. Four Nepali police arrived; good I thought we have help. Looking at them I realized they brought nothing with them. No rope or stretcher, no first aid kit. Just a note book and phone. Again I had a moment of high stress. Many thoughts running in my head, what are we going to do, what are they going to do, what is wrong with this place, don’t they know there is a man down there, why did they bring nothing with them.

Deep breathe Mike. Deep breath. God help us. Our means is not enough, now you can work. Teresa again shined. She was a rock star, translating for us. French to English to Nepali.

Tic Tic Tic. 2 hours has passed and more news from below has come up. The police and some locals had started cutting trees and building a bridge. He is missing some teeth, one broke leg for sure but maybe both, he is still conscious, he is alive”

Terri was on the phone many times with the French embassy. Many calls back and forth. I again felt useful as my phone has a GPS and I could give co-ordinates. Dr Baby was back up. There was nothing more she could do below. I think she was able to pass Evie some injectable pain meds. Meds she had just bought hours before from a pharmacy in a hut, another miracle.

Some of the group was together praying. While others prayed alone. The chaos has subsided. Terri and Terry were organizing and people are calmer.

They decided that 11 of the group should go to the next village. I was asked to stay with the bags. I was happy to stay, gave me purpose, something to do. Racking my brain for something useful to do, I remembered that Tim had brought along his mini cook stove and coffee pot. I can make a hot drink for those below.

Digging it out of his bag I set it up. Great invention that also has a USB charger. The cell phones where soon hooked up and charging. My battery bank was also pulled out and put to good use. Thank you God for making Tim and I gadget guys.

Dr. Baby had a small thermos with her and I filled it with hot water and instant coffee that was provided by someone. It was then sent down to the guys. News from below came up more often now as someone was going up and down often. Nicolas was a great help filling me in. Tim and Nicolas also brought empty water bottles down and filled them for us so we could keep hot water going.

Eventually all of us remaining were back up and the Nepali’s did what they do better than anyone in the world. Climb steep hills and carry heavy loads. They had built a bridge and made a stretcher and where on their way up.

Four Nepali’s around and one bent in half under the stretcher emerge from below. I watched in awe of their great strength and skill in climbing. I looked down at my feet and saw the role of ¾ inch foam padding that should have gone with the team that left earlier. What a blessing this was left behind.

I quickly cut the cord that was holding it and passed it to some standing close to where they were placing the stretcher. They unrolled it and it was exactly the length needed and wide enough that Dr Baby could easily kneel beside. Steve and Evie where soaking wet and quickly changed into dry cloths.

I gave Evie his water bottle and he drank deeply. Steve was given a cup of coffee. The next 10 minutes where a blur. There were easily 50 Nepali people crowding around. Terri waved his hands and got them to move back.

Terri, Steve, Dr Baby went with the stretcher back to where we stopped for lunch. The rest of us pressed on to the next village to await instructions in the morning. It was still daylight when the Stretcher made it to high ground and Dr Baby was able to have a good look. The light lasted long enough for us to gather up what remained of the bags and repack things.

They took John-Claude and went back down and we went up with our Nepali brothers just as darkness set in. Again I am amazed at these people. No lights to see and they press forward with ease. One in front of us and the other behind.

The pace was brisk and I thank God again for the strength that propelled us along. Evie had spent the last 3-4 hours down in the cold doing what he could for John-Claude. Nicholas and Tim had made many trips up and down the cliff and all I did was make coffee.

Around an hour later we saw lights and made it to a place we could rest and have a drink, the glacier water was very cold and tasted like the best of wines. I drank down two water bottles full. We then set out again. Our guide said it was about 30 minutes more at Nepali pace and we would be at the village we would sleep at.

Nicholas said we did it in 30 minutes so God was carrying us by then. We were all spent and exhausted. The forward group saw out light and met us at the edge of the village and took our packs from us. I was ready to break by then and God only knows how I kept it together. We quickly found our hut, one of the people’s homes. It had three beds in a u shape. All of us crammed in, 13 I think. Shoulder to shoulder.

Sitting on the beds we had a time of sharing and prayer. Many tears flowed freely and songs where sang. When we finished there was an issue of not enough beds for us all. They wanted us to be 5 in a room with only 3 beds. Again Teresa was incredible. She helped explain that we are not Nepali sized and do not fit 2 in a bed. Two hotel owners where arguing over where to put us and she stepped right in and got it resolved. Beds quickly opened for us.

Sleep overtook me thankfully fast. In the morning word got to us that the team should return to the village where they had brought John-Claude. A helicopter was being sent to pick him up.

3 hours of hiking and we were there just in time to see the helicopter come, landing high on the other side of the river. They took him across a cable walking bridge still on the manmade stretcher used to rescue him.

Many Nepali’s followed and ran up the mountain to see the helicopter. Dr Baby and another team member went with him. The rest of the team re-grouped and we set out back to where the road ended.

2 days later we are back in Surket, Steve’s hometown. That night we again had a time together to reflect and pray, and more tears. It was a very thankful time and many miracles where revealed from the many people that where there.

Someone said when they were talking to the Nepali’s that they said “when you fall there you die”. Word has spread faster than fire about the white Christian guy who lived. I found out later that the police did bring a stretcher with them and it was used.

From the pictures down at water level we have estimated that he fell around 80 feet. I was not prepared for the events that took place that day. It has left me shaken, confused, amazed and humbled. In a place where I was completely helpless to do anything, God showed up in a big way.

An event that most would call a tragedy, we were allowed to witness miracles. I don’t know if I was sent to Nepal to help them or if God brought me ½ way around the world so He could put me on the side of a cliff and I would have no choice but to rely on Him. My God is an awesome God.