MEETING THE ROOF OF THE WORLD
At the start of the year I made a goal to climb to Mt Everest Base Camp. Without much prior planning or training I was on a plane to Nepal.
My journey began in the crazy chaotic streets of Kathmandu and before I knew it, I was en-route to see the highest mountain in the world.
After surviving what’s known as the ‘deadliest flight in the world’ to Lukla in Nepal, the next couple of days seemed to be a breeze.
We hiked beside a flowing, glacial river and got sore necks from constantly looking up to the mountains.
Passing donkeys, yaks and sherpas all carrying weights far beyond their strength, it seemed pathetic to complain about the weight of our small day packs.
As we trekked higher, the landscape changed from green to grey and the trees that couldn’t survive the high altitude were replaced by more hardy shrubs.
The thin air started to take a toll and every step was that little bit harder.
Prayer wheels and flags adorned the trail and locals went about their daily life as we passed.
I made friends with every dog, donkey and yak along the way.
The inner country girl in me felt a sting of pain at their ribs poking out as they pained to carry their heavy loads.
By Lobuche at 4910 metres above sea level, the area was desolate.
It was like we’d stepped on another planet, just a cluster of houses and millions of monochrome coloured pebbles and ice.
The rocky trail made for an ankle-breaking walk but provided a more dramatic and unique view than the forest we’d been hiking through previously.
As we hiked on, dwarfed by the looming snow-capped mountains, it suddenly felt very real.
Here I was, high in the Himalayas, feeling like an amateur compared to past climbers who had gone beyond base camp to reach the roof of the world.
Finally eight days later, base camp day came.
A two hour hike down towards the Khumbu Glacier and we were there.
A colourful splatter of prayer flags on an icy rock was all to show of our efforts.
It was surreal to think we’d walked this far just to see this.
Mt Everest sat behind two mountains but her peak was hidden by cloud.
Not to be dismayed, we still had one more chance to see a clear view of Mt Everest.
The following morning we started hiking at 4am in hope of reaching the top of Kala Patthar by sunrise.
The thin air, icy temperature and early start made every step a huge effort but as dawn washed away the night sky and the dark silhouette of Mt Everest came into view, a wave of energy pushed me to the top.
At 5612 metres above sea level we looked down as the morning light filled the valley below us, the view nothing short of Himalayan perfection.
I stood with my fellow trekkers in awe of the mountains before me, very proud at what we’d achieved yet humbled by the enormity of the mountain range looking down at us.
Hiking to Everest Base Camp had been tough and testing, but worth every step.
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