Summer of 2018 I returned to Nepal for a 6-week adventure. The aim: see old friends, take part in a Buddhist monastery retreat, and climb a 6000 meter mountain. This article describes the climb.

Mera Peak. 6476 meters high.

My previous experience in Nepal saw me reach Everest Base Camp (5300m) twice, Annapurna base camp (4300m) twice and Island Peak Base Camp (5087m). These were challenging and amazing treks, but I wanted to summit a Himalayan mountain. I wanted to reach the top.

I chose Mera Peak because it looked achievable yet challenging…also it was all I could afford.

The starting point: Lukla. Unfortunately, my guide and I couldn’t even get there due to extremely poor weather conditions and were stuck in Kathmandu. Being the 4^th most dangerous airport in the world, Lukla is not an airport you want to take your chances! With cancellations all day, I took a 10 hour jeep ride to a village near Lukla. This jeep ride was deadly. A look out the side window saw a 50ft drop off a cliff; a look out the windscreen saw a beaten up, single lane track with the sun quickly disappearing. It was reported that a jeep had gone off the cliff a day or two after I had travelled, no survivors. The Himalayas are not to be explored without caution.

Days 1-8: Tshering (my guide) and I would trek between 5-7 hours a day. We would arrive at our overnight stop in the early afternoon to allow for acclimatisation. This also allowed me time to read. The only issue: I brought 1 book and finished it within 3 days. Instead I ended up drawing in the book to pass time.

I had missed the ideal climbing season due to being at university. This brought 1 benefit and 1 drawback; empty trekking paths and tranquil environments, the start of monsoon season and poor weather. I’ll let you decide which I preferred. The trek so far had involved wading through roaring rivers and hiking up towards a village called Khare. Sitting at 5050 meters, Khare is the changeover period of the expedition. From here, we will ice climb, camp at Mera Peak High Camp, and make a push for the summit the following morning. That was the plan.

This was my first experience of ice climbing. Using crampons, ropes, an ice axe and stepping along glacier terrain was exciting but extremely tough work! Due to the altitude and temperature, 10 steps felt like a hundred, 100 meters felt like a thousand. My legs continued climbing and besides difficulty breathing, my head felt good. Altitude sickness can affect 50% of people above 3000m and is way more serious than people think. Lack of oxygen to the brain causes serious psychological and physical affects, and causes many deaths in mountaineering.

Day 10 of the trek and my climbing guide and I had reached Mera Peak High Camp (5900m). Being at extreme altitude, cold and hungry, we still had to set up camp, cook dinner and finally settle into bed. Tomorrow morning we would push for the summit.

As arranged, we woke at 0230 and I could not have been more devastated. Overnight, a snowstorm had hit the mountain. With fresh snow covering possible crevasses and visibility being only a couple of feet, I was told the summit could not be reached.

I didn’t take this news well and suggested we wait out the storm, camp another night and summit tomorrow. I was told if we wait until tomorrow “we would not be able to get up the mountain safely, nor could we go down”. I had no option but to listen to the experienced guide (who had summited Everest multiple times) and start the descent.

The climb down to Khare felt heart-breaking and heart throbbing. I was truly gutted to have not reached the summit. I was also wary that we were still in a whiteout and couldn’t see much of our route down the mountain! My legs gave way a couple of times and smashed through the ice, but after 32 long and tiring hours, we were back in Khare.

The following couple of days back to Lukla, I had time to reflect on my experience. I was gutted to have missed the summit. I had raised money for Andys Man Club, a charity that provides mens mental health support groups, and felt I had let down my friends and family. The 6000m mountain is still yet to be ticked off the bucket list. However, my head and body felt good even when camping close to 6000m. I knew in my heart that I was physically capable to summit. Any activity in the Himalayas is to be taken with caution and being safe was the best option. Having arrived at Lukla and seen flights were delayed, I realised the best option now was to visit the Irish Pub!

This is a long blog already so I won’t talk too much more. The night involved playing pool with fellow brits, drinking with Australian air stewardesses, and a nasty hangover! I was fortunate to catch a flight the next day. I wouldn’t say too fortunate, Lukla airport isn’t the most comforting landing strips.

Day 15: I arrived back in Kathmandu still with mixed emotions but with plenty of future plans. One of which being a 10 day meditation retreat at a Buddhist monastery…

Cheers for reading,

KP