Dreaming big and creating the perfect moment

In four months time I will be leaving the UK to travel to the very special country of Nepal with the aim of climbing a beautiful, remote mountain called Himlung Himal. This mountain, which is just over 7,100m high, was first climbed just over 30 years ago, fairly recently by Himalayan standards due to the remoteness of its location, and there have only been a small number of UK summits to date. The expedition will involve what looks to be a stunning (but no doubt very hard!) trek to base camp, visiting Nepalese villages and monasteries, followed by rotations on the mountain as we become acclimatised to the lack of oxygen in the air before our summit attempt.?

I am feeling a mix of emotions at the moment. I feel incredibly privileged and blessed to have the opportunity to do something again which I know I will love and will bring my soul alive. I also feel daunted about what lies ahead. Before I go, I am daunted by the hard and relentless training over the coming months and the technical skills that I need to learn. I am also daunted by what I will experience when I am away - the terrain which will include exposure which I know will, at times, terrify me, the cold (reports say that it is a particularly cold mountain), the altitude, the loads I will need to carry and the feeling of being away from my loved ones. Despite these worries, the emotion winning at the moment is one of excitement!?

There will be some things on the mountain that I can’t control such as the weather, the snow conditions and the way my body reacts to the high altitude. I am therefore focused now on the things I can control, to help me prepare as best I can.?

As those who know me well will appreciate, the kit purchasing is something that I am enjoying! Extra thick down mitts, down slippers for the camps and a mountaineering harness have all arrived at the house, as a change from the usual work clothes!?

I am also focused on my training. I am continuing to run to build my fitness and I’m once again walking with my rucksack filled with weights to build my endurance. I’m doing strength work in the gym and visiting the climbing wall to try and overcome my fear of drops. In August and September, I’ll be spending time on an altitude machine to help acclimatise my body to the higher altitudes (sounding, according to my husband, like Darth Vader!). And I’ll be privileged to visit Snowdonia and Chamonix, in the French Alps, to spend time with guides who are building my confidence and skills.?

Finally, I have prepared a list of all the other tasks I need to arrange before I go, such as visas, vaccinations and special travel insurance.?

It is a lot to focus on but I want to know that I have done everything possible to put myself in the best position on the mountain. My last mountain expedition was two years ago to Peak Lenin in Kyrgyzstan. As I’ve written about before, it was a beautiful, challenging, brutal and, ultimately, tragic three weeks and has impacted me probably more than I realise. I knew on my return from that trip that I wanted to go back to the high mountains but I also knew that I needed to be better prepared and to do my next expedition in a way that suited my skills and my approach to life. Whilst the high mountains can be a dangerous place, I wanted to be as prepared as I could be and surrounded by people who would help me to feel safe and supported.

In planning this expedition, I therefore thought hard about where I wanted to go and who I wanted to go with. Himlung Himal was on my short list for my last expedition but I was put off by the remoteness and the cold (I feel the cold a lot as anyone who has seen me in work wrapped in a blanket style shawl will know!). It is, however, in a country that loves and respects its mountains, which is full of people who are so caring and kind and one that has very special memories for me. It was therefore an easy decision to go back to Nepal and this mountain is at the easier end of the technical spectrum, suiting my skills.

In terms of who to go with, I made the decision that I wanted to go with a guide who would be able to positively coach me throughout the expedition, allowing me to learn as I went and not feel isolated. I don’t have a lot of time to get to the mountains and I fell in love with mountaineering later in life, meaning that my skills are still fairly basic. On my last expedition, I was always the one at the back of the group and felt that I wasn’t in an environment which was positive or in which I was able to learn. I feel really happy to have found a guide who challenges me to push myself but is supportive, positive and caring.?

Those who know about my plans have asked why? Why am I going back? Why do I want to push myself so hard? And why do I want to put myself in a risky environment? These are questions that I ask myself and I’m not sure that I have the full answer yet. But I know that I feel strongly that:?

• We should dream and we should dream big
• Life is far too short to wait for the perfect moment, we need to take the moment and make it perfect, and?
• Our world is so beautiful and we should enjoy it to the full.?

I have always believed that we should dream. And that we should dream big. It is often easier to be focused on the day to day and the things that need to be done. Sometimes this is essential because of things that are impacting our personal lives. But when we can dream, and work to turn those dreams into plans and then into reality, we can push ourselves to do far more than we ever imagined we could.?

Whilst I worry about aspects of what lies ahead, I would worry far more if I didn’t push myself, if I didn’t dream. I know it will be hard, I know there will be moments during the training and on the expedition where I feel it is impossible but I also know that there will be moments of pure joy and I believe it will make me a better person. So yes, I’m dreaming big.?

We can always think of reasons not to do things or to delay doing things. I could wait another year, to improve my skills further, or to train more. But there is unlikely to ever be a perfect moment to do things. The last few years have taught me that life is far too short. We are so lucky to be able to have time in our wonderful world and we should maximise that to the full. Everyone has their own view of the life they want to lead and part of my dream life is being in the mountains. So, I’m going to take the chances that I’m very lucky to have and make the perfect moment.

And it is impossible to describe just how beautiful our world is, seen from high up in the skies. It takes my breath away every time. And I can’t wait to be back there.?

One final motivation for me is to raise money for Cancer Research. This has been a charity close to my heart since the mum of one of my close friends sadly died from Cancer when we were much younger. Since my last mountain expedition, two people that I’m close to have been diagnosed with Cancer and are courageously fighting the cruel disease. I have been in awe of their bravery. I will therefore be fundraising again this time to help fund support for those suffering and to help find a cure so that others don’t have to suffer in the future. I will be immensely grateful for anyone who is able and kind enough to sponsor me.?

Thank you so much for all of your support - it means the world to me and I couldn’t do this without it. I’ll keep you all updated over the coming months!?