On Tuesday 23rd February, at around 1:30pm, I was standing at Everest Base Camp. I had achieved an old secret dream of mine.

The plane landed at Lukla airport early morning on the 18th February and we were welcomed with clear skies and warm weather. I was accompanied by a small but strong team including our guide and sahti Tenzing Sherpa, Lale our porter and Ricky Shortis, my Aussie brother.
The next few days involved waking up at 0650, breakfast by 0700 so we were ready to leave at 0730. I wouldn’t call myself a morning person and I’m sure no one would disagree with me on that. This meant that the mornings were slow starting but hey, I was in trekking in the Himalayas! Trekking in Nepal simply cannot be explained. The happiness it brings, the views it shows and the memories it leaves makes it a truly special place.
Having previously spent time in the Annapurna mountains, I assumed I would have acclimatized well and wouldn’t feel the altitude. Turns out, I was wrong.

The first 3-4 days we had kept a strong pace which resulted in us arriving to our overnight stays early. This also gave us time to acclimatize so we chose not to take any rest days.
On the 4th day we reached a small settlement called Dingboche which was 4400 meters above sea level. This was the highest I had ever been and that night I started to feel the altitude. I didn’t get much sleep that night but I have become accustomed to a very strange sleeping pattern.
We still kept a strong pace the next couple of days but I was starting to struggle. Burning quads, throbbing headache, slight dizziness and vomiting made it a constant challenge. Worst of all, I had lost my appetite. Those of you who know me would know how much I love my food! The lack of food meant I had little energy and my pace had become much slower.
Nonetheless I carried on and morale was kept high with the help of Tenzing playing some Justin Bieber.

By the 6th day, I reached Everest Base Camp. Words cannot describe my happiness, pride and every other emotion that flowed through my weak body. I was mentally, emotionally and physically drained. The trek up to EBC gave me plenty of time to think, but all those thoughts dissolved at 5380 meters above sea level. At that moment nothing else mattered. It was just me and the mountains, an unbreakable bond. All the mental and physical pain I endured on the trek had only pushed me further and I was now rewarded. I will remember all that happened: the views of Everest and her neighbours, the sense of pride, the urge to throw up garlic soup, the fellow trekkers I met along the way and pure happiness of living life in the mountains. This has been the best experience of my Nepal story so far and one I will cherish forever. It also made me realise the difficulty and true talent it takes to summit Everest, she is no easy mountain to climb! I have huge respect for anyone who has climbed or even attempted to reach the remarkable 8848 meter summit.

This adventure has also encouraged me be one of those people to summit Everest. One day, I will be standing on top of the world.

“Pain is temporary, pride is forever”

Stay tuned,

KP