You know you're in trouble when the Dalai Lama is praying for you...
As a child, JeanDavid Blanc always dreamt of flying. A successful entrepreneur, he took up power-paragliding as soon as he had the means; at the drop of a hat, he would head off to experience the unique sensation of floating over the most remote and breathtaking scenery in the world.
In January 2011, he left Paris for Nepal for an expedition across the Himalayas. During the course of his flight, the weather suddenly turned and, amid a thick cloud cover, he crashed into the face of a mountain.
Holding on to little more than a bush, he realized his position was precarious, but—fortunately—the fog prevented him from seeing just how steep and sheer the drop beneath him was. He sent an SOS back to camp with his GPS coordinates, but the weather was going to make any rescue attempt difficult. As he waited for help and tried to adjust to his perilous situation, he began to receive text messages on his cell phone from unsuspecting friends back in Paris. Not wanting to alarm his family, he sent back casually cryptic (and in hindsight very funny) replies.
Valérie: ... can't wait for you to be back
JeanDavid: Same here ;) Not for the same reason
Valérie: Lol! Probably on your paramotor... in total tranquility... by yourself... what bliss!
JeanDavid: You don't know how right you are...Valérie: Ok... but please get back soon
JeanDavid: I'm trying...
After a few interminable hours, JeanDavid realized that help wouldn't get to him before it would be too late. The temperature was dropping and he would soon risk freezing to death. He hoisted himself onto the ledge of the mountain and began crawling back to civilization. By then, the batteries in his radio and his telephone had both run out. He had nothing to drink and his food supplies amounted to three squares of chocolate. Cut off from the world, he didn't have a clue which direction to go or how to begin to fend for himself in this wild terrain.
What gives you the strength to keep going when you have nothing left? What do you say in your last text message to your daughter?
Three Days in Nepal is by turns thrilling, moving, nail-biting, and humorous—the tale of a man who was hanging over a precipice, facing death in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and was determined, against all odds, to survive and return home.
