Just a brief note to those of you I still owe backer rewards. I just wanted to let you know that I will not forget, though some will take a while to put together, including the CD slideshow and prints. And, of course, the book will be quite some time in coming, because I have to actually write the thing first. :) Then comes the editing and publishing process. But even if I don't have a book in hand for a year or more, I have the information for those who should receive a copy from the fundraiser and will contact you before shipping.

Thanks again for all of your support! What an adventure ... and even more of a story than I'd anticipated.

Deb

My bags are packed, and I'm ready to go! (Hm, kind of reminds me of a song.) But I am literally living out of my suitcase now. Some of the things I've packed I still need to use before I leave, so I slip stuff out of my neatly-packed luggage, use it, clean it, and put it back again.

Anyhow, I just wanted to remind those of you who pledged for backer rewards but who haven't submitted your mailing address that I'll need that information in order to send your items once they're available (ie. the DVD, the book, etc.).

I also wanted to introduce you to a world-traveling friend of mine--a local photographer and videographer--who's planning to stop by Nepal (maybe even stay quite a while) while I'm there, to collaborate with me on the visual aspects of this project. We're thinking not only a book cover and some of the photos in the book but also prints, posters, and video for a book tour and website. His name is Will Viktora, and you can check out one of his blogs, including some of his photos, at Bordertown Lensworks. You can also befriend him on Facebook. Will used to be a wildland firefighter but has, in recent years, been spending a lot of time in China and Tibet, using his photographic skills on various adventures like a float trip down the Yangtze River. Will is planning to arrive in Nepal in early June, and I'm looking forward to working with him.

Hey, everybody!

I've already sent out some messages requesting information in order to send out backer rewards, but I want to say thank you again to everyone who pledged to support my project, which ended successfully today. Phew! And YAY! I'm really amazed and touched by all of the generous support, financially and otherwise.

And thank you to the final backers, who helped push the fundraiser to and even past the goal in the last several days:

Nicola
Marian
Paula Monthofer
Allan and Andrea

I also wanted to let everyone know that you can follow my updates from Nepal by visiting my Deb's Search & Rescue Stories blog and/or by receiving email entries (a bit more frequent than blog posts) if you choose to. Twenty-five days till I'll be leavin' on a jet plane!

I still have lots on my to-do list to accomplish before I go, including a couple of interviews. (Eek! I've never done on-camera interviews before.) If I find out when and where they'll air--if I don't botch them completely--I'll let you know.

Thanks again for your generosity...

Deb

Three days left and $565 to go to meet the goal. Yikes!

I'd like to thank those who've recently pledged their support to the project, including:

Jen Highley
CachingCop from Twitter
and Digital artist, "Exit 178"

And I've added some new backer rewards which will hopefully help push the fundraiser to the finish line in time for the April 7th deadline (at 3:27pm MST to be exact):

For a $15 pledge, one person will receive $13.75 in Bookmans' Entertainment Exchange credit, along with the $5 and $10 backer rewards. Bookmans has six locations in Arizona (although the Flagstaff store won't reopen until Fall, 2010.)

For a $25 pledge, 2 more people will receive embroidered Himalaya Rescue Dog Squad Nepal t-shirts, which I'll bring back with me from Nepal. (1 has already been spoken for.)

And for a different $25 pledge, 10 people will receive the interactive DVD, "Backpack The Grand Canyon," a generous donation by J. Gary Brown. In this video, which includes more than 30 days of filming in the inner canyon at locations that you cannot see from the top, you'll enjoy amazing scenery plus get information and tips about backpacking or day hiking in the Grand Canyon. The DVD includes footage of the South Kaibab Trail and Phantom Ranch, the Bright Angel Trail all the way from the Colorado River to the South Rim, a trek down the awe inspiring North Kaibab Trail to Ribbon Falls and the "Box," helpful tips on travel, permits, gear, lodging, food, weather and critters. This would make a great gift even a non-hiker would enjoy.

For more information on this DVD, visit BackpackTheGrandCanyon.com.

I've had a couple of inquiries from current backers regarding how to increase their pledges, so I thought I'd give you the steps in case anyone else wishes to do so before the April 7th deadline (and take advantage of more backer rewards).

1. Go to the Kickstarter page here.
2. Click on My Projects, then “Projects I’m Backing.”
3. Click on “Manage Your Pledge” (in blue box on right hand side of the page).
4. Enter your NEW pledge amount (change reward if applicable).
5. Scroll down and click “Adjust Your Pledge.”
6. Click “Continue to Amazon.”
7. Sign into your Amazon account to complete transaction
8. You will receive a “Congratulations” page with the updated pledge amount post on the right hand side of the page. (And a big thank you from me!)

I still have some of the limited backer rewards available: the Osprey backpack, the computer repair service (in a limited area in Northern Arizona), and the painting from HRDSN member, Karna Dura.

A week to go, and the project fundraiser might just make it! At the moment, there's $665 to go. If I had nails to bite, I would.

First, big thank yous go out to my latest backers:

Annette Coffey
Barbara Speelman
Freelance travel-writer and editor, Stacey Wittig
Sergeant Aaron D.
Jan and Pete L.
Jayne and Pat L.
Rebecca H.
Barbara Madley
and Tammy Winand from the project, Teaching English, Learning Life With Tibetan Refugees

(Remember to send me a message via Kickstarter if you have a website that I haven't linked to here, so I can be sure to add it to my blog, Twitter, etc.)

Also, I've just finished watching the full-length documentary, "A School of Their Own," about the Riverside School in Shayauli Bazaar, co-founded by Ingo Schnabel, leader of the HRDSN. I've posted the link to the 5-minute documentary preview before, but in case you haven't seen it, it's available on YouTube. From there (upper right), there's a link to purchase the full, hour-long documentary DVD.

The film was made by HRDSN supporter, Debra Kaufman, who sponsors a Nepali student. She'd gone to Nepal to meet the child and discovered how the Riverside School's mission intersected with country's fight for democracy and freedom. The school struggled to stay afloat during Nepal's bloody, 10-year civil war, during which time the police accused the children of being Maoist rebels while the rebels themselves were forcibly drafting children over 12 years of age into their army.

I'm anxious to learn more about the school and this chapter of the HRDSN story when I meet Ingo and some former students, now young adults.

And I wanted to let you know that I've been posting new photos from Nepal on the Himalaya Rescue Dog Squad Nepal Book Project fan page on Facebook, but you don't have to be a Facebook member to view them. Included are some photos of the HRDSN's Medical Disaster Unit, like the one here. This photo was taken in 2002, when the HRDSN stopped on its way to the Terai Flood disaster in Rautahat. They stayed overnight at a school compound in Lothar, Makwanpur District. The local people took that opportunity to line up their children for medical checkups by Ingo and the team. Most of these kids suffered from diarrhea and chronic bronchitis.

First, big thank yous go out to the most recent backers of my project:

**Kim Manley Ort, author of the blog, Squidtastic
**Malcolm Foster
**Wellness consultant, Anne Buhlig
**Clayton Kessler, author of TracksAndTrails
**Search & Rescue volunteer and volunteer National Park Ranger, Sueanne
**Search & Rescue volunteer, Liz Rutledge
**Search & Rescue K9 handler, Cindy

I really appreciate your pledges. 16 days to go, and the fundraising portion of this adventure will be over. (By the way, a new backer reward has been added to the fundraiser: a new Garmin Legend H handheld GPS. For a $200 pledge, someone will receive the GPS, a signed copy of the book once it's published, a CD slideshow--which will actually be a DVD, but I can no longer change the description on the website--and a 5x7 print photo from Nepal.)

And now for some more exciting news, this time from Ingo Schnabel, founder of the Himalaya Rescue Dog Squad Nepal. While I'll be with the Ingo and the others, the squad will be visited by Adrian DeCastro, PhD., Special Adviser & Counselor at the United Nations. Dr. DeCastro and some of his colleagues and potential donors are very interested in the HRDSN's work and want to see things firsthand in Nepal. This could mean a LOT to the squad, including the potential for funding infrastructure and equipment they desperately need. So, I'll really look forward to meeting Dr. DeCastro and learning more about this unfolding aspect of the HRDSN story.

I can't say it enough--how much I truly appreciate your kindness and generosity. I'm talking to each and every one of you who've pledged to my project and to those who've done other amazing things to support me. I feel a bit like I did on the Appalachian Trail, when complete strangers did the most wonderful things, sometimes taking us stinky hikers into their homes for showers, home-cooked meals, soft beds, and, best of all, their friendship. Those experiences really restored my faith in human kindness, and this experience has done the same. I hope I can return the kindness AND pay it forward. That will be a priority of mine.

I'd like to take a moment to thank Paul Andrews from Decisions For Heroes for your recent pledge to my Kickstarter fundraiser.

I'd also like to thank...

...Nancy Shepherd for featuring my project on your Squidoo "lens" (article) Grassroots Funding. To top it all off, "Grassroots Funding" was awarded Lens Of The Day today! Yay for both of us!

...Just Hike, a friend from Twitter, for telling PodCacher about my project and donating a gift to be raffled off to anyone who pledges and lets PodCacher know about it. If you go to their website and click on "Play in new window" and listen for a minute, they talk about this project. They also kindly put a link on their blog.

...Addy Bell, author of the blog, Addaptabilities.com, for reaching out on my behalf to your fellow alumni.

...Bambi Watson, a.k.a. Mystic Mama, for writing this really flattering article about me and my project: Ramkitten. Bambi sent me an email one morning that simple said, "Surprise!" with a link. I literally cried in my Corn Flakes.

...and Jim Cobey, SAR volunteer, for spreading the word to your fellow teammates.

And I know others of you have promoted my project to your friends, followers and fans on Twitter, Facebook, via email, and elsewhere, and I can't thank you enough.

Be sure to call on me any time I can return the favor in any way. And I hope I can do you all proud with the end result of this project.

Yay, I'm booking a flight ... and then another flight ... and another. 23 hours and 17 minutes of flying time and 14 hours, 48 minutes of waiting in between those flights, and I'll be in Nepal. And I won't have to do all of that flying and waiting by myself. Nope, I got me a travel buddy!

Turns out, my friend, Marian, from college, who I haven't seen in 20 years and who's also my travel agent for this little adventure, is a spontaneous, adventurous lady herself. And today she decided to go with me to Nepal, at least for a couple of weeks. Yay again!

And thank you to Marian for pledging to my Kickstarter fundraiser.

Big thank yous also go out to my other most recent backers:

SAR volunteer, Randy Marlatt
Kathy McGraw from the blog, California Real Estate & Life
Jacki Lenners Mieler from the Flagstaff Visitor Center
Rosa Fuentes
Marjorie Joy
Just Hike
SAR volunteer, Elise Wilson
Meghan Pheley
Jodi Cullen from Team in Training
and Michelle, author of Giving Thanks For Horses and many other articles

25 days to go! And new backer rewards have been added--1 hour of free, professional computer repair (in Northern Arizona) and two hours of free, professional editing (done via email). Thank you to Stacey and Dan Wittig for donating these services.

So, after getting my first in a series of Hepatitis A and B vaccines at the County Health Department yesterday (which I really should have for Search and Rescue work anyway), I contacted Ingo about the rest of the "cocktail" of immunizations and medications recommended by the CDC for travel to Nepal.

And this is what he told me....

Ingo says I "absolutely do not need malaria medication since we are not planning to go to the Terai-Low-Lands at the Indian border. There is no Malaria anywhere else in Nepal.The altitude is too high for that. A booster for tetanus is recommended if you have been vaccinated longer than 10 years ago."

As far as rabies goes, he says that all of their dogs are up to date on their vaccines and that "it is not recommended to take such vaccine before as protection. ... It is very rare that a visitor is bitten and needs treatment. Happens of course to locals and therefore every health post and clinic that is in reach of a larger population has the vaccine."

Though I didn't inquire about snake bites, Ingo told me that there are no poisonous snakes in the area (I'm thinking he's talking about Pokhara and Shiyauli Bazaar), except the Himalayan Viper and the Cobra. (Oh, don't I feel better about that!) Both are known to bite people "only accidentally when they cut grass for fodder or lighten up the kitchen firewood place." Ingo says that it is very rare see a cobra or viper (yay!) and that most snakes that "walk around" during the day are hunting for fish, frogs and birds and are not poisonous.

Oh, and he had to mention spiders too, some of which are poisonous. BUT, he says, to get bitten "you have to be completely stupid. Who want to touch a 1.5 up to 2.5-inch long spider sitting in the center of her cobweb?" (*gulp!*) Oh, and he assures me that "free walking spiders" are all non-poisonous ... and "fun to watch hunting."

Then Ingo got back to shots and pills. He tells me that "if you do not drink any water from unknown sources (which we will not allow anyway as long as we are together with you) and if you do not fall to the temptation to eat greens or raw stuff like lettuce, slices of radish, cucumber and tomatoes etc. in any restaurant or munch unwashed unpeeled fruit," there is no need for Typhoid pills either.

Hmm, I'll have to think about that one. There were "ifs" in there.

Ingo advises that I should not eat food from street vendors and no ice cream or fresh-pressed juice except in "real good restaurants" that he and the team recommend. The food "their guys" cook is safe, meaning the meals that will be provided to me by the HRDSN.

Ingo says, "Lately, there are also all the medicines thinkable against anything that can befall a visitor to Nepal simply available in the local pharmacies. And as for Nepal, no prescription by a doctor is needed, because there are not enough doctors in Nepal anyway. I am a pharmacist for tropical disease by first profession, so do not worry; you are in good hands. You should more worry about Giardia and amoebas. That is the most common illness that tourists catch in Nepal while going out eating in restaurants."

He goes on to recommend....

"Having a pack of Tinidazole 2000 mg with you is the best you can keep for just in case. Amoebas and Giardia can also get to you if you eat clean food and well cooked food with unwashed hands or touch a toilet door knob, a dirty restaurant garden chair, a table and then touch your sandwich with the same unwashed hands. Tinidazole 2000... is cheaper to buy it here though. Every street corner pharmacy has it. The package costs between 1 and 2 Dollars."

Some things to think about there.

Hi, everybody...

I wanted to share Himalaya Rescue Dog Squad Nepal member, Karna Dura's, latest painting with you. He'll soon be having an exhibition of his work, which I'll have to find out more about. I would guess that will be in Kathmandu.

Anyhow, this is a painting of what Karna says are traditional Nepalese homes and, in the background, Fishtail Peak, otherwise known as Machapuchare. Machapuchare is located north of the town of Pokhara in the Annapurna region, which is where I'm headed. So I expect to be taking plenty of photos of very similar scenes.

I'm happy to announce that Hi-Tec Sports, manufacturer of lightweight footwear for the outdoors, golf, and court sport activities, has offered to outfit me with hiking boots and trail runners. How cool is that!

One of their reps sent me a message that they're interested in this project and wanted to offer their support. Good timing for me, as all of my boots and trail runners are really worn out from all of the SAR activities and hiking I've been doing.

Hi-Tec Sports was founded in 1974 in the village of Shoeburyness in Essex, England, and, in 1982, the brand name and logo were globally launched, eventually becoming a major worldwide sports brand.

You can follow Hi-Tec USA on Twitter at http://twitter.com/hitecusa (a real person who really talks to you) and on Facebook as well.

Thanks for the footwear, Hi-Tec!

First, a big thank you to my latest supporters, Beth Polidoro, Marsha Camblin, and Laurel Fan from Mountain Squirrel, for your generous donations! That really means a lot to me, and, even if the project doesn't reach its goal and no funding goes through, I won't forget your support. The project is currently 35% funded with 41 days to go, and I'm trying to come up with non-spammy ways to promote it and look for more pledges.

(If you've pledged, be sure to send me a message with a link to any website/s you'd like me to promote.)

So, okay, I made my appointment with the County Health Department to get stuck with needles. (Have I mentioned how much I hate needles?) The lady said that, because I leave in just two months, I'll be on the "accelerated" Hepatitis schedule, with a Hep A/B shot next week (A and B are combined, which I was happy to hear--fewer pokes!), then one the week after that, and another two weeks later. I'll also be getting an adult polio booster. She advised me to ask my family doctor for prescriptions for malaria and typhoid pills (ew, I hate taking medication, and those sound so icky to me) and said I take them a couple weeks before leaving. I have an appointment with my family doctor on April 2nd, so that should be plenty of time.

The lady at the Health Department advised me AGAINST getting the Japanese encephalitis shot. She said the chances of getting that are so low, it's not worth the potential "complications." Yuck. Okay, I'll pass on that one.

Oh, but we didn't talk about the rabies shot. (Or is it shotS?) I'll ask Ingo about that. I mean, is there a high risk of getting bitten by a monkey? Or a yak? Or ... what do they have over there?

First, thank you so much to the most recent backers of my Himalaya Rescue Dog Squad Nepal book project:

**Debbi Bothe, a K9 Search & Rescue volunteer who's raising funds to fight blood cancer by running a half-marathon with Team in Training

**Elaine and Bobby Cowley

**and Renee

(Be sure to send me a message with a website you'd like me to post on my blog, Twitter, etc.)

The project is now 32% funded with 44 days to go. That means there's $2,720 left to raise by April 7th at 3:27pm MST or no pledges go through at all. In order to help reach that goal, I'll be adding more pledge rewards as time goes on. The most recent addition is a brand new Osprey Kestrel 38 backpack, adult size M/L, for a pledge of $200. The person who makes this pledge will also receive the CD slideshow of photos from Nepal, a 5x7 print, and a signed copy of the book once it's published. There is only one backpack available at this time, so one $200 pledge will fill the slot.

Here's a photo of an Osprey Kestrel. For details about this pack, see the Kestrel 38 page on the Osprey website.

Hey, everybody!

I just wanted to let you know I've added a great new pledge reward to the mix. For a $500 pledge, someone will receive all of the before-listed rewards PLUS an original painting by HRDSN member, Karna Dura. Right now, there is only one slot available for this reward, but I may add another before the end of the fundraiser. (I DO have to be able to carry the artwork home to the U.S., after all, so I can't offer many.)

Anyhow, here's an example of a painting by Karna. I don't know yet what the subject of the reward painting will be, but whoever makes the pledge should contact me at ramkitten2000@yahoo.com, so we can correspond about options. Karna may paint something by request or give options to choose from.