[We Have Contact!] Local Hikers Near Mt. Everest as Massive Earthquake Strikes, Families Try Not to Worry as Hours Go By With No Word

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Two Humboldt County residents near Mount Everest earlier this week. Dave Creech on the left and Neal Carnam on the right have not been heard from since a massive 7.8 quake struck the area earlier today. [All photos in this article used with permission of Jill Creech from her husband’s Facebook page.]

Two Humboldt County residents, Dave Creech and Neal Carnam, were believed to be on a hiking trail near Mount Everest when a 7.8 quake struck about 12:40 a.m. our time. Neither have contacted their anxious families since.  Crumbling buildings and other impacts from the quake have reportedly left over 1300 dead across Nepal. At least 18 people including an American, an executive at Google, were killed when an avalanche triggered by the quake struck near the base camp at Everest. Snow and low clouds are currently keeping rescue aircraft from reaching wounded hikers.

According to Creech’s wife Jill, the two men arrived near the mountain earlier this week. She explained that the two men are adventurers that set out on a trip of a lifetime.

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Ama Dablam, a mountain near Everest

She wrote in a message (she didn’t want to tie up her phone line as she waited anxiously for word of how the two men are doing,) that “both Dave & Neal are kind of extreme kind of guys.” She said the two “got the idea in their heads, and then it became a bucket list thing.” The men never planned on climbing to the top of Everest though instead they intended to explore the nearby area.

Jill Creech wrote, “Most [tourists] just go to base camp which has an elevation of 17,700 +/- …for most people that is high enough. Altitude sickness is a real situation…at that elevation.”

The two men arrived at the Mount Everest base camp on Tuesday and spent the night there. Then they “trekked to another peak called Kala Patthar which is on the same trail as base camp,” wrote Creech.

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The two local men stayed in this base camp on Tuesday.

Jill Creech believes, though she doesn’t know, that the two men were “hiking the trail to the Lukla airport when the quake hit.” This, she writes, would put the men between the villages of Namche and Lukla. Both men could be assisting with the emergency, she says. (Creech is  a collision repair man and Carnam is an engineer.)

Jill Creech says she and Carnam’s wife “believe they are helping out and then they will find their way home from that small airport, which is hopefully still open.”

According to a post on International Mountain Guides, “There are a number of helicopters on standby in Lukla ready to fly as soon as the weather improves, hopefully first thing in the morning tomorrow.”

Jill Creech believes she will hear from her husband and their friend soon. “Hopefully they will have more adventures to tell us when we hear from them,” she wrote.

We’ll keep in touch with what is happening and update this page as soon as more is known about the two men.

UPDATE 4:40 p.m.: Jill Creech reports that the guide company that her husband dealt with has had contact with him. She hopes to hear from him soon.

 

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Ford Prefect
Guest
Ford Prefect
8 years ago

My thoughts are with you and yours, Jill, and with the people of Nepal.
I wish there was a way to upload this video — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd9mbU2z77o — the song’s ringing in my heart, and my heart’s in Kathmandu.

Deanna Boynton
Guest
8 years ago

Jill my thoughts and prayers are with you now as you await word on Dave, as is my prayers with all family’s of this tragedy.

mahma
Guest
mahma
8 years ago

http://earthquaketrack.com/

Amazing amount of earthquakes in that region within the last 17 hours. Thoughts prayers and blessings to that area and to the families involved. Hoping our local guys are ok.

HumHappy
Guest
HumHappy
8 years ago

We shall hope for good news.

emma
Guest
emma
8 years ago

We also have family in the Lukla area on a everest trek.
Carey Molloy, Joshua Molloy, David Skenerton and David Skenerton.
We had a brief phone call last night, they are uninjured.

Harriet
Guest
Harriet
8 years ago
Reply to  emma

Great news Emma. I am trying to trace Mark Skennerton who was originally born in Chelmsford, listed as missing on Red Cross website – do you know if this is the same Mark Skennerton?

emma
Guest
emma
8 years ago

Last heard to be near Lukla –
this is them at base camp 3 days ago
Carey Molloy
Joshua Molloy
David Skennerton
Mark Skennerton

friend
Guest
friend
8 years ago

I heard that they are OK.

nines
Guest
8 years ago

Whew.

Hannah Robey
Guest
Hannah Robey
8 years ago

My father John robey and friend russell morey are there. They have made contact and are safe as well. They were just below base camp when the earthquake hit.

Nirupa Ramkissoon
Guest
Nirupa Ramkissoon
8 years ago
Reply to  Hannah Robey

My husband Rajan & son Kolausch Ramkissoon (SA) should be in Dingboche en route to base camp Kala Pattar when the earthquake happened. Does anyone know if the South African group are safe and ok. Please let me know [email protected]

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[…] the area around Mount Everest when a 7.8 quake struck.  Family here anxiously awaited news (see this post here for more information) for hours until just recently when Creech and his partner were able to contact them and let them […]

Matthew Owen
Guest
Matthew Owen
8 years ago

Dave Creech just posted on Facebook that he and Neal are both alive and well.

Their worst problem is finding a flight to get out of Nepal.

Stephen Walker
Guest
Stephen Walker
8 years ago

My heart & thoughts to both families & I hope they hear from them both soon

Sally Clifton
Guest
Sally Clifton
8 years ago

Praise God they are safe. I’ll pray to God for those who are not. What a blessing to have the opportunity to check a box off of bucket list. Though it hasn’t turned out as they imagined, God puts us where we need to be. I’m sure those two wonderful men are helping a devastated country that needs all the help and prayers possible. God speed

Julie Brochard DeArmond
Guest
Julie Brochard DeArmond
8 years ago

So thankful that both men are ok and hopefully will home where they belong. Remember Dave from high school. Praying for a quick return.

Daniel Hristov
Guest
Daniel Hristov
8 years ago

The peak on the second photo is Ama Dablam and not Everest, please correct.

Steve
Guest
Steve
8 years ago

The Google man was a US citizens, not an American. There are no “American” citizens. The US is IN America.

Mike
Guest
Mike
8 years ago

To my knowledge the base camp is about 5,300, not 17,000. Mt. Everest is only 8,000 + so the base camp can’t be higher.

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