Spokane adventurers safe in Nepal after earthquake

Two well-known Spokane adventurers in Nepal reported Monday they are unharmed as earthquakes continued to rumble and cause widespread havoc and death in the Himalayan country.

Jess Roskelley, who’s on a filming expedition to climb Annapurna, the 10th-highest peak in the world, has contacted friends and family by satellite phone and said he’s safe.

Allison Spencer, Roskelley’s fiancée in Spokane, said the group is in good shape at base camp and waiting until conditions stabilize.

“They’re unsure on next steps; their hearts are with everyone affected by the damage on Everest and in Nepal,” she said.

Hazen Audel, a former Ferris High School biology teacher, is in Nepal for filming his starring role in the series “Surviving the Tribe” for the National Geographic Channel. He’d just arrived in Kathmandu as the earthquakes were taking their toll.

“Everyone in the city is pretty on edge and disturbed,” he reported to friends Monday on Facebook. “But everyone is helping everyone in every way they can. Some places have been really hit harder than others.

“I am safe with my Nepali family. We are camping outside in the yard for most safety. There have been over 42 significant earthquakes happening over the last two days. We think most aftershocks are over.

“If all goes right, I get to get on a plane home can’t wait to see long awaited Spokane spring. I want to see my family, friends, my cat, lilacs, arrowleaf balsam root and the Spokane River.”