A Camping Trip Hosted by the Sherpa Society of New York
It’s always fun seeing photos from others taken during their vacations.
Not long ago, two members from my outdoor grounds crew, Chhiring Sherpa and Phurba Sherpa, traveled to upstate New York for a short camping trip along the Neversink River between the Catskill Mountains and the Delaware Water Gap. The special event is hosted by the Sherpa Society of New York every year and gathers together those from four villages in northeastern Nepal who now live and work here in the United States. More than 100 people attended - it was a great way to enjoy a warm summer weekend with family and friends.
Enjoy these photos.
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- The weekend gathering was specifically organized for those who grew up in the Nepalese villages of Tapting, Kerung Gorakhani and Tingla. These are all small communities in the Solukhumbu District of northeastern Nepal.
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- Chhiring Sherpa, who is pictured here on the right with his friend P.K., is my grounds crew foreman. He attended the weekend gathering with his wife. In Nepal, sherpas are those who lead mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas. They are highly respected mountaineers, known for their physical strength, endurance and for their resilience to high altitude conditions.
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- The camping grounds are nestled in the woods of Cuddebackville, New York, a hamlet within the town of Deerpark – the second largest town in Orange County.
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- 108 people attended the event – here are just a few. The Sherpa Society provided fun, bright colored t-shirts for everyone to wear. Four of the campers on this trip have actually climbed Mt. Everest, the world’s highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas.
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- All the foods served were special Nepalese dishes. Cooking in this large pot is a dish called Aloo Dum, made with potatoes, garlic, coriander leaves, cumin, chili powder, tomatoes and turmeric.
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- All the meals were made on site by a chef who specializes in Nepalese cuisine. Another favorite dish is made with mustard greens or rayo ko saag – simply sauteed with pepper and garlic.
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- Here is the finished platter of aloo dum served alongside other Nepalese favorites.
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- This is called puri, one of the traditional foods in Nepal. It is an unleavened deep-fried bread made with wheat flour and often eaten with the aloo dum, or served as a bread for breakfast.
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- Nepali chickpea curry is also very popular. This dish uses chickpeas, onion greens, coriander and other spices.
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- And on the left is a daikon salad. Daikon is a mild-flavored Asian winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, napiform root. I grow lots of daikon in my garden.
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- Most of the campers brought their own tents for the weekend. The weather was warm during the day and dipped to the low 60s at night. This is Karma Lama, who works in New York as an engineer.
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- The campgrounds provided many other activities for visitors – this rock climbing wall was not difficult at all for these athletic Sherpas.
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- Others enjoyed time playing rounds of volleyball.
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- Some brought their children to the event – it was a great way for the youngsters to spend time with those from their parents’ communities in Nepal.
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- Unfortunately, not everyone could “unplug”. This charging station was a very busy spot all weekend. Campers took many videos and posted them on their own social media platforms.
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- Every year, the Sherpa Society of New York designates a group of members to organize the trip. Phurba Sherpa, with the gold scarf, has been working at my farm for many years. At the end of the weekend, the group is thanked for all the hard work and given a special ceremonial khatak scarf.
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- Khatak scarves are also given to the group to wear as a gesture of “good luck”.
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- Chhiring and a few friends stopped for this quick snapshot – everyone had such a great time.
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- Here is a photo taken at the end of the trip, showing both the American and Nepal flags. Thanks for sharing your images, Chhiring – I am looking forward to seeing photos again next year!
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