Aiming for the almost impossible

There are 14 mountains on our beautiful planet which soar over 8,000m into the sky. To put that into perspective, imagine walking for five miles and then putting that distance vertically into the sky. These mountains are higher than that.

In September 2025, I hope to climb one of these majestic peaks. There are two that I think are on the very edge of my capabilities, although significantly beyond my comfort zone. One is Cho Oyu, which sits on the border of Nepal and Tibet, and one is Manaslu, which I flew past on the helicopter ride back to Kathmandu from Himlung Himal last October. Both are known as the 8,000m peaks which are the most straightforward technically. My plan is to attempt to climb Cho Oyu as I’d love to visit Tibet for the first time and learn about another culture and country. This will, however, be dependent on whether the mountain is open to foreigners - it wasn’t for the Spring climbing season this year so I’ll need to wait until nearer the time to finalise this. If it isn’t open, I’ll aim to climb Manaslu.

Being above 8,000m is known as the death zone because our bodies are not meant to be at that altitude. In fact, every minute we’re there, they are dying. For me, who is a slow climber, this is a particular challenge as I need to be quicker to allow me to be at this altitude for the least time possible.

As well as the challenge of the altitude, my fears of exposure and drops remain, I struggle coping with the cold and I find being away from my wonderful husband for extended periods difficult. So, when people kindly ask me what my next adventure plan is and I tell them, they often ask the understandable question of why I want to do this.

I’ve tried to explain before why I want to put myself in these situations and, the more I challenge myself, the harder it becomes to explain. The beauty is indescribable, the simplicity of the life I lead for the time I’m away is blissful, pushing myself physically and emotionally to the point where I feel I can do no more and then finding something extra is incredibly rewarding and raising money for a charity that means a lot to me are all reasons. But the truth is I can’t imagine not doing it. Challenging myself to achieve things that previously felt impossible is what I love to do. As I get older - I celebrate 50 years in our beautiful world later this year - I know there will become a time when my adventures will need to be less extreme but I want to keep pushing until that point comes. When my husband and I got back from climbing Kilimanjaro in 2012 - my first mountain expedition - my wonderful mum and dad gave us a home made card which is still pinned to our fridge 12 years later. It had a picture of Kili and a message that said that life was for living huge adventures. I suspect that my parents, at times when I’m up a mountain, wish it didn’t, but it inspires me every day.

When I came back from Himlung Himal, I had learnt a lot of lessons. In particular, I knew I needed to be physically stronger, I needed to build my confidence coming down steep slopes and I needed to find a way to be able to eat and drink at altitude when my body didn’t want to.

I’m working with a personal trainer who specialises in the type of strength I need and I’m slowly improving. Twice a week, I head to the local gym where I’m often the oldest and least experienced person by some way! I follow the programme that my trainer has created and come out exhausted but elated. Seeing small improvements is incredibly satisfying. I’ve finally built the confidence to move from the top floor of the gym, where it feels calmer, to the ground floor which is full of people lifting very heavy weights! I’m still using the low weights but I feel comfortable and no-one looks at me oddly - in fact, it is a very supportive environment which has been brilliant for me.

The downhills are still a huge challenge for me. Seeing where I’m going and how steep it is causes my mind to think I’m going to slip and then I get very nervous. I’ve been practicing on steep (for the SE of England!) slopes on Box Hill which is near to where we live. I signed up for an ultra marathon in the Brecon Beacons to drive me forward. I knew this would be hilly, with steep sections. I would need to run this on my own and so cope with the steepness without a guide or my wonderfully supportive husband. In May, I stood on the start line with 34 miles and 2,500m ascent (and descent!) ahead of me. There were cut off times at each check point which I wasn’t sure I would make, due to the steep downhills. I had only two aims for the day - to get up and down the steep sections on my own without fuss (not speedily, but without any major wobbles - both physical ones and mental ones!) and to make all of the cut off times.

I loved the day! It was very hard - running that distance with that amount of ascent was never going to be straightforward. I was doing well and coping with the steepness over the first 22 miles. I was hiking hard up the steep hills and then running the flat sections and downhills. Much of the flat parts were on ridges with drops on one side so I was delighted I was managing this. I made the first two cut off points with plenty of time to spare. I then hit the longest climb of the day - up to the summit of Pen y Fan. The climb up was ok, although the final section which involved a little scrambling was hard on very tired legs. I was elated to reach the top, walked across the summit and saw the arrow to continue the run. It literally looked like it went over an edge! I looked over and saw it needed a little scramble down and there was then a very steep slope that seemed to go downwards? forever! I swore under my breath but didn’t squeal (progress in my book!) and slowly, very slowly, went down. People that I had passed on the way up came past me on the way down but I slowly made my way down, on my own, without fear. I can’t say I enjoyed it but I felt immense satisfaction. After that achievement, the final 9 miles were hard - on the map it looked like it would be a gentle downhill. It wasn’t! It involved ups and downs, lots (and lots!) of bogs, mud slopes and an unwelcome stile at exactly mile 30 (another swear word, this one out loud to myself as there was not another soul in sight!). But I made the penultimate check point within the cut off time and knew I could then finish under the final cut off time. I messaged my husband (who’d run a brilliant half distance and was kindly coming to meet me) and he was waiting to cheer me in at the finish which made my day.

I need to do a lot more to build my confidence but it’s getting better and that’s all I can ask for.

On the food front, I’m trying out freeze dried foods to see what works best for me. This isn’t fun but probably better than coming down steep slopes!

I have 15 months until I head to Nepal and I want to make sure I’m as ready as I can be. I know I’m hugely privileged to be able to follow this dream and I don’t want to waste the opportunity. There will be many times on the expedition when I know I will question my ability to do what I need to. I want to know I’ve prepared as well as I can do, alongside a career I love, and without sacrificing the things that matter to my husband, family and friends.

I have always thought that we should follow dreams that set our soul on fire and so I’ll keep taking small steps that I hope one day in September 2025 will lead me to 8,000m. Thank you everyone for all your support - it genuinely means the world to me.