MARK ELLISON
Mountains for the Mind supporter
“Everest Base Camp is a trip of a lifetime for any hiker, of course, but after booking on to it I felt like I’d made the wrong decision. You see, the longest I’ve ever been away from home is 4 days and this trip was 18 days. How was I going to cope with being away from my comfort zone for that long? This was a big challenge for me mentally, but it was a challenge I couldn’t wait to take on.
“The flight over to Nepal was filled with excitement, worry, fear, apprehension, and pride that I had taken the first step and got on one plane to start my journey. Our first day was spent in Kathmandu, exploring and taking in the sights of one beautiful but crazy city.
“The next 2 days involved a long bus journey from Kathmandu to Ramechhap, where we boarded our flight to Lukla. I’d heard its reputation for being one of the most dangerous airports in the world, which made me apprehensive.
But the landing wasn’t as bad as I thought. It was a great experience.
“Now the trek had finally started, we spent our next two days walking to Namche Bazaar, where we expected a rest day. But this actually consisted of an acclimatisation walk to help us to adjust to the altitude. This was also our first view of Everest! The walks after this became much harder. The climbs were higher, the paths steeper, and the air thinner.
“Over the next few days we had overnight stays at Deboche and Dingboche, where we had another acclimatisation walk up to 4650m. The following day we made our way to Lobuche, where we spent the final night before our push to EBC.
“This was one point where my mental health took a hit due to the reality of being so far from home, on the other side of the world, in the middle of nowhere. I was cold, tired and hungry, and it triggered my anxiety. I phoned my girlfriend crying, telling her I wanted to come home, that I couldn’t do it. That I couldn’t make it to Base Camp.
“The following morning, I woke to a message from my daughter: “Hi Daddy. I miss you lots and I believe that you can make it. Even if it is impossible, I believe in you. Me, Mummy and Logan love you lots.” That message gave me the final I pushed I needed.
“Later that day, stood on the rock at Base Camp, looking up at Everest, I felt so proud of myself. For how far out of my comfort zone I’d come, to achieve
something I’d always wanted to do.
“Walking with such a supportive team was a great experience. I honestly believe that without them I wouldn’t have made it. Everyone supported each other in their time of need and helped motivate each other.
“My advice to anyone thinking of taking on a challenge like this would simply be – do it. The sense of achievement completely outweighs any worries you may have before you go.”