Trail Notes, Trip Stories and Honest Advice from the Field
The Freewheeling Kiwi Blog
Sharon Evans is the founder of Freewheeling Kiwi and one of Australasia's leading small group Himalayan trekking specialists
She has walked the full length of Te Araroa — 3,000 kilometres from Cape Reinga to Bluff — and led multiple groups to Everest Base Camp with a 100% summit success rate. She also treks in Australia, Bhutan, the Annapurna region and across New Zealand.
Why Nepal Resilience Matters
On the morning of August 26, 2026, a glacial collapse near the Nepal-China border triggered a catastrophic flash flood down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems. Hundreds are confirmed dead, thousands remain missing.
The guides and porters who make trekking in Nepal possible live in these mountains. They are not abstract. They are real people dealing with real crisis. And if you've trekked in Nepal, if you've sat in a teahouse and listened to your guide's stories, then you know these people matter.
This is the story of what happened, why it matters, and what resilience actually costs when repeated disaster is the cost of staying alive.
Sharon Evans is the founder of Freewheeling Kiwi and one of Australasia's leading small group Himalayan trekking specialists
She has walked the full length of Te Araroa — 3,000 kilometres from Cape Reinga to Bluff — and led multiple groups to Everest Base Camp with a 100% summit success rate. She also treks in Australia, Bhutan, the Annapurna region and across New Zealand.