My experiments: What I learnt climbing Everest Base Camp

Yes it was crazy! I decided to kick off my two month sabbatical from work by climbing the Mount Everest Base Camp (EBC), knowing fully I had never been on a real trek before. The 8 days of climb up from Lukla in Nepal to Base camp at the height of 17,598 feet (5364 meters) wasn’t easy but was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had to date.?

As I reflect on this adventure, few things stand out which I summarize here as what I learnt about myself and the way I now perceive things in my world:?

Go back to basics: More than ever before life feels complicated - endless priorities, ever-growing expectations and exceeding daily stress levels. Being in the mountains taught me to pause, to go back to the basics. The best way to make it to the top without suffering from acute mountain sickness is take one step, one breath and one sip of water at a time.

Slicing and not stocking your work into smaller steps will get you through it faster. There is eternity and peace in every breath - if we could only slow down and listen more to our body when we feel uncomfortable. And being constantly hydrated goes such a long way to stay physically and mentally agile. It’s bringing our attention back to these basics that will help us tide over some of our most trying times.?

Celebrate how far you have come: Many a time it may seem daunting to achieve a big hairy audacious goal. It’s so far away. The best advice I got was from a passenger on my flight to Kathmandu - turn back and see how far you have come instead of worrying about how far you need to go. And when I did that and saw the now tiny village miles away in the valley that we crossed the previous day, the feeling I was left with was “Wow! I did that”. It gave me the mental strength that I could conquer anything.

When you are down and tired, take a moment to reflect on how far you have come and the challenges you already conquered to get there. Will give you the much needed battery recharge.

Lean in to learn from diverse perspectives: Connecting to unfamiliar people doesn’t come naturally to me. I promised myself to be intentional this time on my trek and boy was that big learning! I connected with all kind of folks. A nurse from Canada who inspired me with her brave story of working in rural India not knowing anything about the culture and context of the place. A couple from Japan who were in the middle of their year long honeymoon (the wife quit her job to do this). A mother searching meaning in her life, reliving memories of her lost child. My Sherpa guide who lost his father to the mountains many moons ago but yearned every time to get up back there. It was an humbling experience.

Through their stories I had the opportunity to reflect on the space I have given (or not) to my own relationships, to how I reason and to what I attach meaning and purpose. Small chats and big perspectives - Priceless!?

Laud the load bearers: My trek was?possible thanks to the Nepali porters who helped carry our heavy bags. It’s unbelievable how they do it - all with a smile, a sense of genuine care for how you are doing, with a helping hand that immediately went out whenever they saw me miss my footing. They reminded me of all the other load bearers I have in my life who I need to be grateful for. My project managers who pull in their weight to make me look good, my support teams who are always there to help, my assistant who goes out of her way to ensure my logistics are managed and so many more.

We all can do more to give back to our load bearers, starting with a simple smile and a genuine thank you.??

See more to Seek more: Going to EBC was an experiment for me to learn about myself - to understand more about what I yearn for in life (sign of aging/another mid life crisis perhaps?). I thought being away in the mountains may give me some answers. It did but in ways that surprised me. I desperately missed the warmth of my family’s hug, the sip of my morning tea, the comfort of my own bed, and many such little things that I was blind to in the flow of my everyday.

I saw that what I was seeking was already with(in) me. I only needed to look at my existing world with a new pair of eyes. “A traveler goes around the world looking for something and comes back home to find it” goes an old quote. So true!?

Make nature your teacher: Nature in its most pristine form is magical. There is so much to learn from it. When I stared at the mighty mountains I realized the insignificance of my being and more so of the little worries that play big on my mind. When I saw the beautiful blooming rhododendrons (Gurans as they are called among the locals; national flower of Nepal) high up in the mountains, I learnt how beauty and bounty can be found even in the most difficult of situations. Every time our paths crossed the Dudh Koshi river, I imagined the power of relentless flow that can even cut through mountains. I was reminded that it is action and not unnecessary deliberation that is key to crack tough nuts.

“What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare” said the poet W H Davies. Make time and space to spend with mother nature, the ultimate teacher. Trust me you will never be disappointed.

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I’m on a journey to run experiments in my life and to learn from them. I’m grateful for the experiment that EBC was and to my family and friends who encouraged me to make it possible. Thank you for engaging with my story.?