Sunridge teacher went to Nepal for recreation, but experienced a revolution
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, September 16th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Matt Baty almost made a dream come true. Fascinated with Mt. Everest since he was a boy, Baty traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal on Sept. 7. The plan was to fly 30 minutes to the town of Lukla and trek to the Mt. Everest Base Camp, returning home on Sept. 21.
Bit by bit, that plan fell apart.
“I realized how different this trip was going to be,” Baty wrote in his journal. “You can immediately notice how underdeveloped everything is; and you can basically come to a conclusion that your mindset needs to adapt very quickly.”
As he walked out side of the airport the street was crowded with people, searching for the customers they were there to guide. Baty connected with his guide’s brother, Mingma, who was holding a picture of Baty’s passport. They then walked to the hotel where the teacher would spend the night.
He woke up at 4:30 a.m. and walked back to the airport to be close to first in line for the flight to Lukla at 6 a.m. A weather delay was in effect.
“We sat in the airport all day with the other trekking companies, waiting for a break in the clouds, but it never happened,” Baty said.
He needed to find another hotel and wanted to pick up souvenirs for his family. That’s when he entered a taxi.
“Driving in Kathmandu is one of the most uncomfortable and intense experiences in a car I’ve ever had,” he said. “There are no rules besides the painted lines on the street, and the horn is honked every 20 seconds. In order to get where you’re going, you have to insert yourself within inches of other cars and hope that you don’t get hit.”
Baty took a long nap after his harrowing ride and awoke to an even more terrifying experience. What began as a nonviolent protest turned ugly and government troops responded with force, shooting live rounds into the crowds. When he went to dinner people told him that 15 were dead and over 300 were injured. He was told that most of the fatalities were people between the ages of 14 and 30.
The next morning, the protests continued but Baty said he was touched by the people he met and their treatment of him. A resident he met, Mukama, took him souvenir shopping and to visit a monastery.
“The people of Kathmandu are the nicest and most kind and generous people that I’ve ever met,” he said. “When we left the monastery, Mukama was immediately alerted. Mukama can’t walk very well, but he told me we needed to run. When I asked why, he said that everything was starting again and it’s not safe for me.”
Baty told Mukama that he would walk with him because his friend needed help to walk fast.
“As I helped Mukama, there were hundreds of people riding by on their motorcycles with sticks and riot gear … and rifles strapped on their back,” he said. “They all stared at me as they rode by, but they were not aggressive to me as Mukama and I tried to hurry back to the place I was staying.”
Baty said as he got to his room he could hear gunshots and screaming. He went to the roof to get a better view and realized that the area was surrounded by chaos. He watched buildings including two hotels and the prime minister’s home be consumed by flames.
“The hotels were attacked because they were owned by the prime minister and it was part of the corruption they (the protestors) were fighting,” he said. “It was the most raw experience of what I would describe as a revolution. I never wanted the social experience. I just wanted to trek to the mountain I had loved since I was young and saw in books and on TV. To be in this situation, I had a crippling anxiety that was mainly tied around getting home to see my family again.”
On Sept. 10 the prime minister and president fled the country after resigning. The government was overthrown, but the airport remained closed. It opened the next day and Baty was able to leave the country.
“I just want to highlight again that the people of Kathmandu are some of the kindest, bravest, and most passionate people I have ever met,” Baty said. “They are beautiful people and although I don’t agree with their methods, I hope the best for them and their new direction because they deserve it after they fought so bravely for it.”
Reunited with his sons Noah, 7, and Guy, 3, and the rest of his family; Baty is ready to resume teaching seventh and eighth grade science and a fisheries and wildlife elective at Sunridge Middle School.
Will he go back to attempt the trek to the Mt. Everest Base Camp?
“As of right now, it’s a hard ‘no’ to go back because this trip put so much on my family,” he said. “I’ll stick to the Cascade Range for a while and see if I ever get the itch again.”
All photos contributed by Matt Baty
Above: Baty at the airport in Kathmandu
Below: (1) Smoke from the beginning of the demonstration as seen from Baty’s hotel (2) The Hilton Hotel in Kathmandu in flames
