Update on Mike Sarraille’s Mt. Everest Skydiving Mission

When retired Navy SEAL Mike Sarraille set out to honor the legacy of the 31 Us citizens company associates who lost their lives ten several years in the past on Extortion seventeen, he understood he experienced to go massive. So when an option offered by itself to go skydiving around Mt. Everest with previous US Navy SEAL Fred Williams and the elite team at Finish Parachute Answers (CPS), Sarraille understood it was a perfect fit. 

On October fourteen, Sarraille and the CPS team set out on the two-week skydiving expedition into the Himalayas. Their intention is simple: to leap into the most extreme skydiving atmosphere on Earth. Their challenges are plenty––lack of oxygen, unpredictable weather, confined landing zones, towering Himalayan peaks, and rugged terrain––and that doesn’t even get into account their trek to Ama Dablam base camp. 

Sarraille has been documenting the expedition in Nepal and gave Men’s Journal an special early glimpse at his journal. The excerpts from his travel journal give a detailed glimpse into his journey by Nepal so far, as properly as perception into how the team is getting ready for their first jumps. Continue to be tuned for a lot more updates about each Mike and the CPS crew, including their attempts to raise income for the Exclusive Operations Warrior Foundation. 

Mike Sarraille: “From the outset, my ‘why’ for this journey was to honor my fallen brothers on Extortion seventeen and with any luck , raise income to assistance their children’s latest and long term academic endeavors. Whilst that is continue to very a great deal the reason, this journey has become so a great deal a lot more than I could have expected and I’m only eight times into a 19-working day expedition. Not to mention, I have not even jumped nonetheless. 

From looking at an open-air cremation of Nepalese man, partaking with nearby Hindu and Buddhist holy guys, listening to the tale of my fellow expedition mates and their ‘why’, sharing a beer with other expedition associates in the world’s optimum metropolis, Namche Bazaar this has now been a whirlwind of situations, emotions, and reflection far further than my first expectations. “

Working day 1: Depart Austin, TX 

A working day I have been waiting for – to depart on my adventure to honor my brothers while partaking in a lifestyle-changing expedition. Whilst psyched and anxious, it was really hard to depart my spouse. There may well or may well not have been tears, but I didn’t think it was likely to be this really hard to depart my spouse for a few months, the longest stretch we have at any time been aside. Also, I was unable to see my two children in Virginia to would like them a good goodbye and remind them just how a great deal I adore them, making my departure that a great deal tougher.

Working day two: Get there Kathmandu

As the early morning sun rises on October 13, our flight is two several hours from Kathmandu, Nepal. Sitting down in the middle aisle, as I wake up I peek to my left and catch a glimpse of a thing that will make me do a double get – the snowcapped Himalayas, as if their peaks are amount with our altitude. Several travellers shift to the left side of the aircraft to get photographs of the awe-inspiring peaks by the window. As we technique Kathmandu, the aircraft lowers its altitude, traveling by a valley with peaks on each sides before safely and securely touching down. 

 

Immediately after spending a few excruciating several hours likely by customs, I’m immediately greeted by Asian Trekking team guides who travel me by the metropolis to the Aloft resort, in Thamel district. Immediately after examining in, I am satisfied by expedition leader Fred Williams, a previous Navy SEAL and President of Finish Parachute Programs, as properly as Dawa Steven Sherpa, a renowned Sherpa and CEO of Asian Trekking. I am also joined by Elia Saikaly, an award-successful filmmaker and extreme adventurer who agreed to join me and document this journey. We communicate about the times to arrive over a number of Berrainghers––a nearby craft beer. I retire to my area, I can oversee the span of Kathmandu, residence to 1.five million Nepalis, and immediately crash from the jet lag.

Working day 3: Puja Ceremony and Hindu Temple Visit

On Thursday early morning, the overall expedition team traveled back again to the Kathmandu Airport to get portion in a Puja ceremony, an giving to the Hindu gods in exchange for their blessing. This Puja is led by a couple of Hindu holy guys, who bless our helicopters and the pilots supporting our skydiving expedition. The ceremony lasts 30 minutes, with our overall expedition team engaged and eager to master from the lifestyle and shell out our regard. 

 

Elia and I then headed to an previous Hindu temple situated in the centre of the metropolis with a crucial holy river managing right by the temple. The age of the metropolis can be felt by the temple. Here we noticed the cremation of a a short while ago deceased elderly man. A nearby college scholar who speaks English spelled out the Hindu belief of cremation and how Hindus ascend to heaven. At the end of the cremation, the ashes of the elderly man have been swept into the holy river. Observing the cremation is surreal and a wake-up simply call that I am immersed in a very distinctive lifestyle. Immediately after the cremation, we experienced an option to sit down with a few Hindu holy guys and my new Nepali buddy, who translated for me.

The holy guys answered my concerns about the which means of lifestyle from the Hindu point of view and then presented their blessings to me, my family members, and our expedition team. At 1 position, 1 of the holy guys put his six-foot-lengthy dreadlocks on major of my head as an act of kindness, as if he was gifting me his hair. They get a chuckle out of it, as do Elia and I.

Working day 4: Movement to The Terraces for the to start with night time of acclimatization 

We meet up with at the Asian Trekking Compound in which Dawa introduces us to the overall team of Sherpas who will be guiding us on the journey. We transfer our gear into water-proof duffle baggage, with every single team member obtaining 1 working day-bag for the trail, and 1 base camp bag for extreme gear. We load into SUVs for a 1-hour travel into the mountains at the edge of Kathmandu, in which we pull into a five-star boutique vacation resort, The Terraces, owned by Dawa and his family members. I really do not have the braveness to explain to my spouse that we are remaining at a five-star vacation resort for the night time as she was under the effect we would be roughing it the overall journey. Acquiring opened only eight times before, we are amid the to start with company at the vacation resort. The infinity pool and pool deck ignore the overall Kathmandu metropolis and valley––is amid the most amazing views to date.

The team bonds over beers in the pool and incredibly hot tub. Sharing stories of the Groups (a colloquial phrase referring to the Navy SEALs), skydiving, family members, and the occasional embarrassing tale. The diversity amongst the expedition team starts to hit me, these kinds of remarkable human beings with distinctive stories and distinctive explanations for why they joined this expedition.

As night time falls, Fred Williams gathers the team to assessment every single of the supposed drop zones––Syangboche, Ama Dablam, and Gorak Shep––and we assessment confined movie footage from their former skydiving tries into these drop zones. Fred Williams was joined by one more senior expedition team member, Dr. Ryan Jackson, who is a British ER medical professional, TopOut Aero Confined Co-Founder, and adventurer with a lot more significant-altitude jumps than everyone on the team. The duo talks by state of mind, scheduling concerns, and procedures to execute a effective leap in these confined, significant-altitude drop zones. Whilst appreciated, the anxiety from the gravity and chance of these jumps starts to set in.

Working day five: Helicopter flight to the World’s most hazardous airport, Lukla

We convene at five:30 a.m. to catch our helicopter trip aboard an AS 350 B3 to Lukla, the world’s most hazardous airport. I draw the lucky straw and get to sit in the co-pilot seat for the forty five-minute flight––one of the most scenic helicopter flights I’ve at any time taken. Traveling past the foothills of the Himalayas, the early morning sun mirrored off the peaks of the mountains. As we at last technique Lukla, it is further than what I could have expected, a small runway tucked into the side of a mountain, together with the rest of the metropolis. We then shift to a tea household owned by Dawa’s Aunt, who gifts us with Kata’s, white silk scarves, blessed by holy guys. She wishes us blessing for a harmless journey.

We begin a 3.five hour downhill trek, which is hell on my knees. Strolling the trail together the river valley, there is no shortage of gripping views. The trail span bridges gave us a deep regard for the river and its brilliant energy.

We finally arrived at Phakding (8600 ft), a lower elevation than Lukla. To help the acclimation process, it is a prevalent follow to snooze at a lower elevation at the end of the working day. The tea household is a quaint stone constructing situated together the river. Immediately after supper, everyone preps for the pursuing day’s six-hour trek to Namche, the toughest hike and optimum elevation acquire of the overall expedition.

Working day 6: The expedition’s toughest trek to the world’s optimum metropolis – Namche Bazaar

The team departs for Namche Bazaar and immediately after about an hour and a half, we attain the entrance to Sagarmatha Nationwide Park––the residence of Mt Everest. Sagarmatha (‘Goddess of the Sky’) is the Nepali identify for Mt. Everest.

Immediately after moving into the park, the trail immediately grew to become very challenging. We have been informed this was in which the elevation acquire would give everyone a exercise to bear in mind. The following couple of several hours have been 30-to-forty five minutes of upward motion, followed by fifteen-minute breaks to enable the team reform.

Elia and I paired up for the hike as I attempted to pull each mountaineering and expedition tale from his time in the loss of life zone that I could. Elia is hugely highly regarded for his expedition history and has noticed a lot more loss of life on these chance-stuffed expeditions than most. His twenty fourth journey to Nepal, he educates me on Nepal, its lifestyle, and every single site we go to.

Immediately after several hours of climbing, our fatigued nonetheless psyched team enters Namche Bazaar with each other. A bowl-formed terraced metropolis, this area is recognised as the optimum metropolis in the planet. A modern-day marvel of development, the metropolis is a blend of tea properties, bars, mountain gear outfitters, shops, and nearby houses. I was shocked by how modern-day the metropolis is offered the remote spot.

Immediately after examining into a tea household, the team breaks off in distinctive instructions to get in the city and hit the nearby watering holes. The city is stuffed with distinctive expedition groups, every single sporting a particular expedition patch, wandering the streets and packing the bars. There is no shortage of fascinating folks trying to find thrills and obstacle, spiritual awakening and reflection. Elia and Dawa make many introductions to remarkable individuals, every single with a distinctive tale. Everybody in Namche has a tale, every single worth listening to, both stuffed with lifestyle classes, roadways much less traveled, or daring feats accomplished 1 stage at a time.

Continue to be tuned for a lot more protection of Sarraille’s skydiving expedition in the Nepal. If you’d like to assist Mike assistance the Exclusive Operations Warrior Foundation, you can donate listed here. 

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