Gareth is now 31 years old and he is our eldest son.  He has a brother, Adam, who was 28 in August.  We have not seen Gareth since the 20^th of February 2004 and we all miss him very much.

Gareth has been a fan of the out doors since he joined the Scouting Movement at the age of 8.  He had just become a Warranted Leader of one of the local Scout Groups, before leaving for Nepal.

When he had a week end free, he would often take himself off to Snowdonia or the Peak District, hiking to improve his fitness.  As a Scout Leader he was helping some of the youngsters with their Duke of Edinburgh Award by running with them twice a week, pushing them further each time.

Gareth is a quiet person but, he carries within, a strong and stubborn determination.  He cannot be pushed into doing something; he will do it in his own way, in his own time.

He is not reckless and therefore, the opportunity to Trek in Nepal, although being very exciting, meant that Gareth spent 9 months reading everything he could get his hands on about the region, about people’s experiences of Everest and studying maps to see where he would be going.

Gareth has been working in retail, but his real ambition is to work in the outdoors.  He wants to be involved with Mountain Rescue.  He has many books on the subject and, the hiking he has been doing has been working towards applying for a Mountain Leadership course.

It is because of this interest that we know Gareth was well prepared for the trip. He made sure that he collected all the necessary equipment and medical supplies that he might need.

He would not take unnecessary risks and had told Ian that he did not want to walk in the region where Maoist activity was reported.

So, when he left home on Friday 20^th February, he was fit and healthy, very excited and confident that he knew where he and Ian, his travelling companion, where heading.

People have suggested to us that Gareth may have decided to go off and ‘Find Himself’.  Well, this is not the Gareth that we know.  He had too many other things planned in his diary.  He was due to speak to the Scouts and tell them about his adventures.  He had booked to go on the annual Summer Camp and was talking about a climbing trip in Europe later in the year, with colleagues from work. 

This web site is therefore dedicated to Gareth and our desire to have him safely home.

Gill Koch

17 July 2004

Updated 26 July 2007

Updated 18 April 2009

Updated 25 October 2009

Updated 19 April 2010