Our News

Share this:

Everest and Everything In Between: A Journey Back to Nepal

August 11, 2025

Earlier this year I received the opportunity of a lifetime. Through connections I made as a Corporate Responsibility Specialist at Alnylam, I was invited to join the Timmerman Traverse, an experience that pushed me in every way—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  

For those unfamiliar, the Timmerman Traverse is a campaign that combines fundraising with mountaineering and rallies the biotech community to support important causes. To date, the Timmerman Traverse has raised more than $13 million to help those suffering from cancer, poverty, and sickle cell disease. Led by biotech journalist Luke Timmerman, each year, life sciences leaders are challenged to raise funds and join an expedition to some of the most challenging mountains in the world.  

This year, the Timmerman Traverse sent me and 15 other biopharma professionals to Nepal to take on the challenge of hiking to Mt. Everest Base Camp. As part of the experience, we also collectively raised over $800,000 for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, which funds bold, early-career cancer researchers.  

For me, this was more than just a challenging hike. Not only did this bring together my love of hiking and passion for serving the community, but it was also an opportunity to return home. I was born and raised in Nepal and returning to my homeland for something so meaningful, a cause rooted in human health and future breakthroughs, was emotional in a way I wasn’t prepared for.  

The Timmerman Traverse team at Kala Patthar, elevation ~18k feet

The Ascent: Physical Challenge and Mental Clarity

I spent months preparing for the hike—cardio, strength training, rucking—just to make sure my body was ready. I trained in the cold, the rain, and on tired legs. Little did I know that no matter how much I trained, nothing would prepare me for the altitude.  

At 17,600 feet, Everest Base Camp is perched on a glacier, surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the world. It’s truly a sight to behold. For nine days we hiked between five and seven hours, slowly gaining elevation. At first, the pace felt doable, but as we climbed higher, above 14,000 feet, then 16,000, things got much harder. Headaches, nausea, breathlessness and other symptoms of altitude sickness ensued. It was hard to eat, and sleep became elusive.  

Despite the discomfort, the climb created space for quiet reflection and a kind of emotional clarity I hadn’t felt in a long time. With no emails, no news, no digital distractions, we had uninterrupted time to think. I reflected on my life, my values and my place in the world. The higher we went, the smaller I felt, and I mean that in the best way.  

Among the towering peaks of the Himalayas, the "small stuff"—deadlines, emails, little frustrations—they faded away, revealing what really matters most. What really matters most is the people we love, finding purpose, and the moments that make us feel fully alive. 

The team on the way to Loubche, elevation ~15k feet

A Bridge Between Two Worlds: Culture, Camaraderie, Connection 

One of the most meaningful parts of this journey was being able to serve as a cultural bridge by translating conversations, explaining customs, and sharing local context. It gave me a chance to show my teammates a side of Nepal beyond the trail: the warmth, the humor, the strength of the people who live there. It made me feel proud to represent my country in this way. 

We trekked alongside an incredible team of Sherpas and porters, who moved through rugged terrain with quiet determination and grace. Watching them carry loads that seemed physically impossible, often smiling, always steady, was humbling. There’s no Everest expedition without them! 

And then there was the group I was with. Spending two weeks disconnected from the outside world, with people I’d never met, brought us closer than I expected. By day, many of them are executives, investors, scientists, and biotech leaders. But on the trail, we were stripped of titles and technologies, just hikers with shared goals and sore legs. The conversations were real and refreshing, ranging from family stories and big career questions to deep talks about purpose and change.  

Me with a monk at Namche Bazar Buddhist Monastery 

The Destination: A New Perspective  

We climbed past tree lines and through valleys, over ice, rock, and ancient paths. We reached Gorakshep, our penultimate stop, and watched the sun rise from Kala Patthar, with Mount Everest glowing in the distance. Though we were already incredibly high in the Himalayas, Everest still loomed far above us and served as a humbling reminder of its vastness. 

Finally, we made it to Everest Base Camp, a temporary city on top of a moving glacier, surrounded by mountains, snow, sky, and silence. I felt a flood of emotions all at once. Relief, pride, awe—but also something deeper that’s hard to put into words. I had dreamed of this place my whole life. It was surreal, powerful, and emotional, and made possible by the teamwork, toughness, and resilience of everyone involved.  

Day 1, on the way to Monjo with a Buddhist mani stone

The Journey Home: What I’m Taking With Me 

After the trek, I stayed in Nepal for a while to spend time with family. Those quiet moments—tea with my grandparents, stories with cousins, walking familiar streets—helped me process everything. I was reminded why this journey mattered so much to me, and why the cause we were supporting is so important. 

I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and couldn’t be prouder to work for a company like Alnylam. I have a newfound appreciation for the work that we’re doing to advance innovative science to help millions of patients around the world without losing sight of our responsibility to give back to society beyond the medicines we make.  

Every dollar we raised for this initiative will help fund early-career cancer researchers. Real people working to give hope to patients in need of treatment. Work that could lead to new therapies and a real impact for people around the world. And knowing that this trek, this painful, beautiful, and at times overwhelming trek, contributed to that is something I’ll carry with me forever. 

The experience changed me. It slowed me down, stretched me in ways I didn’t expect, and it gave me a renewed sense of purpose. 

When I finally arrived home after my long adventure, I felt grateful, grounded, and more committed than ever to being a force for good in the world, through my work, my relationships, and my community.