Its 5.30am, pitch black, -2 degrees and today was our 8th day trekking to Everest Base Camp. We were awoken to a knock on the door and our morning ritual ‘bed tea’. As I changed and layered myself in down clothing, I knew today was going to be another hard slog! By now every part of my body ached, but I knew I had to find the energy and push through as today would be our final leg of our ascent to Everest Base Camp!
To be honest, I wasn’t jumping out of my skin that morning, I was physically and mentally exhausted, weak from loss of appetite due to the altitude and was mostly concerned with the amount of ground we had to cover before sun down. Wearing my 5 layers of clothing and still feeling the bitter cold of winter, I was relieved to know I was only hours away from reaching my goal, Everest Base Camp! Keep reading for my unforgettably wild, brutal and eye-opening experience.
Our trek started at home on the Gold Coast, which for me meant time to get into shape, because fitness really isn’t my thing… My dad and I completed the trek together and trained together. Every Sunday we would find a new path to trek and build up our leg strength for what was to come. Our group consisted of 10 amazing, inspiring, motivating and encouraging people from Australia. In a situation like this having people around you that lift you up and encourage you along the way can be what makes or breaks you. I cannot thank my group enough for their encouragement during the journey.
Our Nepalese team consisted of 13 guides, porters, sherpas, cooks, kitchen hands and yak drivers. I learnt a lot from these beautiful people about their region and culture. You can learn a lot from the Nepalese; patience, respect, kindness and living a positive way of life.
We hadn’t met anyone from the group except for our incredible guide, Mike Groom. We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to trek to EBC with one of Australia’s leading Mountaineers who himself has sumitted Mt Everest twice (once without oxygen)! If trekking and climbing is your thing, I strongly encourage you to read Mikes story of triumph and personal determination in his book ‘Sheer Will‘ – if his book doesn’t give you inspiration to get out there and chase your dreams then I don’t know what will!
Our Journey began at Brisbane Airport with a stop over in Bangkok and onwards to Kathmandu, Nepal. What did I know about Nepal? To be honest, not a whole lot. All I knew was it was home to the most brutal and challenging mountains that the natural world had on offer. The flight into Kathmandu is pretty amazing in itself! If you’re lucky enough to be sitting on the right side of the aircraft you’ll get a full view of the Himalayas out your window.
Kathmandu is one of the most busiest, exciting and unbelievably wild cities I have ever been too. We spent 2 days in Kathmandu at Hotel Marshyangdi in Thamel. This place had everything you could need, a hot shower and a comfy bed (which is heaven upon your return). Our days in Kathmandu consisted of us collecting any extra gear we may have forgotten, collecting our sleeping bags and down jackets, exploring the streets and enjoying local cuisine!
The morning came for our departure from Kathmandu to Lukla with Goma Air. The only way to travel to the EBC trek is via light aircraft. Weather plays a MAJOR role in aviation in Kathmandu. The aircraft that take you up into the mountains require line of sight so if there’s cloud cover at your destination, you’re going to have to wait until it clears. We were very lucky to be the first aircraft out that morning and the short 30 minute flight was smooth. We watched the sunrise over the Himalayas and caught our first glimpse of what was to come. Did you know that the Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla has been rated as one of the TOP 10 most dangerous airports in the world.. hmm… thats a piece of information that isn’t on the flyer!
The Trek
Lukla (2,680m) – Phakding (2,610m) – Namche Bazar (3,440m) – Debuche (3,910m) – Pingbouche (4,240m) – Lobuche (4,910m) – Everest Base Camp (5,365m) – Gorakshap (5,180m) – Lobuche (4,910m) – Debouche (3,910m) – Namche Bazar (3,440m) – Lukla (2,680m)
So what have I signed myself up for? The EBC trek was a total of 12 days, (8 days up and 4 days back), we trekked during the ‘quieter months’ of December. Which for us was ideal even though the days were colder (-2 degrees celsius in our bedroom at night) but the skies were clearer. The EBC Trek has been regarded as a ‘medium level trek’ but for me it was a long slog both physically and mentally demanding. But don’t be discouraged, anyone can complete the trek with preparation! We reached a maximum altitude of 5,365m (17,600ft) and covered a total distance of approximately 160km.
Our trek started out of Lukla with a decline down into the village of Phakding (pronounced as ‘f**k..ding’ which dad found incredibly amusing), it was a nice day to ease into what was to come. You could feel the excitement radiating from each and everyone of us as our first day came to an end. Our first teahouse known as the ‘Mountain Resort’ was the newest in town and even offered the comfort of a shower (which was much too cold to use).
Day two was a shock to the system. If anyone has done the EBC trek they know it cannot be completed without conquering the Namche Hill. I soon learned the meaning of “slowly slowly” – one step and one day at a time is the only way I was going to get through this! After I moved on from the thought that it was going to be normality for every bone and muscle in my body to hurt for the next 12 days, I focused on my surroundings and took in everything that I could.
As we walked further and further into Himalayan country, the change to the surrounding vegetation became prominent. The lush towering forests slowly turned into sparing shrubs, the villages became further and further apart and the teahouses grew smaller and smaller, the shrubs turned into rocks and the landscape turned into barren glaciers with mountains that towered over you.
Then today was the day! It was a pre dawn start, carbs for breakfast and we were off from Lobuche – Gorakshep – EBC – Gorakshep. Today was going to be a massive day! We would have to make it to EBC and back to Gorakshep (the last village before EBC) prior to dark. Bright eyed and ready to accomplish what we came here for, we were off. We reached Gorakshep around 11am and after a quick break it was another 2.5 hours to EBC. I had been feeling the altitude for the past day, walking became harder, breathing became heavy and I had started to lose my appetite but no headaches. Dad was starting to feel the effects of unhygienic toilets and Nepalese belly, but he pushed through.
Making it to EBC was an accomplishment I never thought I would achieve. Following in the footsteps of the mountaineering legends who came before us was humbling, whilst at the same time creating memories and moments with my dad is something I will be forever grateful for. Once you make it to EBC you’re surrounded by the most scenically beautiful mountains that you will ever see. The image most etched in my mind is the white piercing snow against the bright colours of the prayer flags that bring safety and hope to all who walk the path to EBC.
BUT the journey didn’t end here, we still had 4 days to cover the same distance we did in 8. So now began the walk back to Lukla. The trek back down the mountain was just as physically hard on the body as going up. For me the hardest day was our final day trekking from Namche Bazar to Lukla. My body was screaming to stop, I was mentally drained and the thought of taking another step brought tears to my eyes (literally). But those final steps UP into Lukla were the worst! (remember when I said the first day was a nice decline into Phakding, hmm now I wish it wasn’t an incline to the finish line!).
Tears, accomplishment, happiness, exhaustion, tired, excited, proud – these are just a few of the emotions I felt walking into Lukla that late afternoon! The Everest Base Camp Trek was everything I imagined it to be and more. Even after all the highs and lows, I cannot explain how proud of myself I was to make it to the end!
