A NEW VENTURE CALLED “EBC TREK”

Friends,

Around a year back, I decided to take a break from routine life and wanted to do something different.

While searching for “different “, I fell in love with Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek.

Though I decided to do? the mother of all treks but available capital with me for this new venture was very limited, namely,

1) few leisure trips in Himalaya in recent past.

2) one real trek in Himalaya about 25 years back.

3) Few small treks in nearby mountains (Sahyadri ranges)

4) evening strolls with wife for shortest possible distance when I couldn’t?avoid?it.

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With this minuscule and non-existent capital, I started this new journey. My initial additional investment was regular training in Gym. This investment was giving good returns and I felt that I was in good position to reap dividends and go to EBC trek. BUT I was not aware of an impending storm. One fine evening, I collapsed in the gym and was transported to nearby hospital in a cardiac ambulance with blaring siren and flashing lights. Thankfully it was neither heart attack nor stroke but a severe attack of vertigo. However, results were certainly disastrous, forget about going for EBC trek, I was not even allowed to drive for few meters. Was I disappointed, YES, did I give up, ABSOLUTELY NO.

I restarted from scratch.

Evening stroll with wife, small walks alone, longer walks, small treks in nearby mountains with live location sharing, cycling etc. No more gym training, it’s outdoors?or?nothing.

Slowly, it was business as usual.??? Long brisk walks during weekdays and regular mountain treks during weekends became a regular habit. There were few success stories (Deo Tibba base trek near Manali and acclimatisation check during Leh backpacking tour) and few failures (bicycle accident resulting in few stitches and walking into a glass partition resulting into swollen lip and bruised ego). Walking in glass partition was really embarrassing, I really know how to walk, I also know that I need to keep my eyes open. I just missed to clean my glasses off rain drops. Moreover, it was maid’s mistake, she had cleaned the glass partition very thoroughly?that?day.

Then came the D day, time to commit, time to test water, to be or not to be. Past experience was still raw, though a blip in mirror but record was certainly not clean, images of laying on gym floor were still etched in brain. However, I decided to take cautious plunge, i.e. all investments, fee payments, purchases were deferred till last moment, outdoor training and weekend treks continued. I was doing around 8km walk per day.? Speed was about 9 min per km on flat road and about 10.5 min per km on off-road terrain near my home. Sometimes you could have squeezed out a glass of sweat from my T-shirt (though I didn’t try that, my wife would have thrown out that glass?along?with?me).

It’s 13 Oct, time to Go-live, launch the product, no turning back now. It’s time to fly to Kathmandu and turning myself over to the trek leader there. It’s now or later (I was mentally ready to give my best shot to succeed but was also prepared for some debacle, after all, I truly believe in "Arise, awake and stop not till the goal?is?reached".

Same night we drove down to Ramechhap in a rickety bus on a long potholed road. Original short and paved road was washed down by recent floods in Nepal. Perhaps, it was a reminder by nature gods that “ I am THE boss”. A fellow traveller’s head kept on banging my shoulder and I kept on thinking about the distance between a cup and a lip. In the morning, we reached Ramechhap and there came first shocker “all the flights to Lukla are cancelled till weather improves “. At about 2 pm, it became clear that there will be no flight today. We were to go to a nearby resort to take rest and may be take dip in its swimming pool. Same story was repeated next day also. That day airline didn’t even bother to open booking window. Was nature taking its revenge when I needed it most? Did someone said “Karma is a bitch”? Am I repaying for all the damages done by me to the nature? By now, everyone in the group was desperate, few people were thinking about changing destination to Annapurna Base Camp, few people were thinking about a longer and more torturous road to Lukla (my back and shoulder were protesting it) and few (including me) were thinking of looking for helicopter option at?a?higher?price.

We all went to bed after a series of discussions & heated arguments. Actually, we were dreading next morning and none of us were sure about next action. It reminded me of a corporate meeting where some testing failure had happened near product launch and everyone was loudly presenting a hypothesis and solution for that failure, whereas chief designer was sitting quietly in a corner with worried looks and failed components?in?his?hands.

Next morning, our Sherpa guide simply mentioned “it will fly today “. No reason or logic was given for this optimism, similar to the chief designer who quietly gave the solution and started implementing it.

That day nature gods smiled on us and all of us flew to Lukla in two batches. I was in the second batch. Later we were told that ours was the last flight to flew from Ramechhap that day (and two days hence). Maybe I was on the threshold of my sins towards nature but yet to cross it. Maybe I was forgiven this time with light rap on knuckles and a?stern?warning.

Next few days were a blur of eat-walk-eat-walk-eat-sleep-repeat. This may sound easy but slowly we were gaining altitude. Shrubs were replacing tall trees and barren land was replacing shrubs. Each step was more excruciating than the last one. Everyone was trying to spread positivity by smiles and gestures but at the same time was fighting a personal battle. One of our friends lost the battle and was ordered by mountain gods to start descending. She accepted the defeat with humility and flew down to Kathmandu. In Kathmandu, mountain gods once again smiled at her and she was reported to be in good health. As someone mentioned, “mountains are guardians as well?as?merciless?“. (I would love to travel with her in next outings for all her gracefulness).

It’s 23rd Oct, our summit day, time for all stars to fall in one line, time to call-in all markers. I started from Lobuche in morning after breakfast (we were in a group but it was an individual battle). Plan was to have lunch at Gorakshep and proceed to EBC for photo-op and be back to Gorakshep for evening tea & dinner. Sounds simple, right? Did I mention about winds or altitude or cold or lack of oxygen or terrain or fatigue or?lonely?battles.

Yes sirrrr, all of above were there and I only had my determination and a wish to erase the gym image from my mind. Somewhere along the way to EBC, I almost gave up, I was searching for a corner with least wind so as to hunker down for some time and walk back to Gorakshep ‘there is always a next time’. But a group member walked by and said “come on, keep walking “. It seems those words nudged the last star into that straight line. I started walking again with new energy. If a camel is given some encouragement, then maybe that last straw will never be able to break its back. Few steps or few hundred steps later EBC was visible and my straight line of stars just got extended. Victory was in sight. I just kept on creeping forward and hugged the victory. A photo op on THE STONE, a photo op with tricolor, shared smiles with fellow travellers, wiping of few hidden tears completed the celebrations. Return journey to Gorakshep somehow felt shorter. Everyone in our group paid their respects to sacred site?of?trekking.

Next day was planned differently for different people, few wanted to visit Kala pathar for better pictures of Everest at sunrise, few wanted to fly down to Kathmandu. For me it was mission accomplished. My aim was to walk down to Lukla to conclude the deal. I did it in next?three?days.

Though every stone during this journey had a story to tell and every individual had a lesson to teach. Few important lessons can be summarized below

1)???? Find your own pace and rhythm in life. There is always someone ahead or behind you.

2)???? Enjoy your own company.

3)???? A stranger is a biggest secret keeper. There is no danger of being judged or manipulated.

4)???? sharing few kind words with strangers motivates them as well as you. Keep on spreading those smiles.

5)???? it’s not about destination, it’s all about journey.

6)???? Life is your battle and you only need to fight it.

7)???? World keeps on moving in your absence.

8)???? Though age is just a number but listen to your body and take corrective measures.

9)???? Be aware of the environment. when nature decides to hit back, human being is helpless.

10)? Stop being an?internet?junky.

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As per me, this entire deal can be summarized

with below parameters.

Initial Capital: mix of serious and leisure trekking in Himalaya and Sahyadri ranges.

Systematic Regular Investment: discipline, determination and stop-not attitude.

Duration: one year.

Final Net Worth: one certificate, few new photos, one debt extinguished i.e. one image erased.

Terminal Bonus: Lots of life lessons.

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In my opinion it was very profitable deal with very high return on investments.

What’s your?opinion????

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--- Mukul Karnik ?