Eagle Scout organizes relief trip to area destroyed by Nepal earthquake

Last week, we shared Eagle Scout climber Matt Moniz’s story with you after he survived a deadly avalanche at Mount Everest base camp as a result of a magnitude-7.8 earthquake in Nepal.

LaprakMatt was evacuated from Everest’s base camp to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. But instead of returning home to the U.S., the 17-year-old has refocused his energy to organize a relief expedition to Laprak, a village in the country’s Manaslu region (shown at right).

In this remote area, Matt writes that the situation is “dire, many dead and injured, almost complete destruction of all homes.” He also cites a report of “250 children running out of food at one of the monasteries.”

Reaching Laprak by vehicle is impossible because of debris and destruction of limited roads, and demand for helicopters far surpasses the region’s supply. So this weekend Matt and his team plan to set off on foot to reach the decimated Himalayan village with supplies.

“Given the conditions,” he writes, “we expect that by foot it will take the team four to five days to reach the village.”

Until his departure, Matt remains in the country’s capital where he is working with others to assemble a team of doctors, climbers and porters to assist in this relief mission.

Join us in keeping Matt, his team and all of those affected by this tragedy in our thoughts and prayers. We’ll keep you posted as we receive more information from Matt about the conditions and needs of those in Laprak.

Gretchen Sparling


Photos courtesy of Matt Moniz; image of Laprak courtesy of Suman Gurung.