What my trek to Everest Base Camp taught me

This article first appeared in Impact magazine

This April completes two years to my trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC). I first read about it on a blog written by a single mom who trekked it with her nine-year-old. Yeah, how’s that for inspiration. Till then my infrequent weekend treks were limited to Sahyadris of Maharashtra during the rains. Don’t get me wrong, as I am a big believer of adventurous sports. They open up my mind and challenge me in ways I can’t imagine. Not only are these treks exhilarating but also fill me up with unforgettable stories for life!

I researched about trek companies and signed up with one whose founder had scaled EBC nine times. The best way for me to commit to this trek was by paying the full amount upfront and book non-refundable tickets to Kathmandu. Of course, it was only later on when I read more that I realised what I had signed up for!

We took a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla that is better known for having the world’s scariest airport, as it’s the first link on Google. And you feel every bit of it when the 15-seater turbo prop planes land on a tiny piece of the only tarmacked road - the airstrip. It will be 12 days from here to EBC and back

From Lukla, we started our 65 km trek to EBC. It’s critical to bear in mind that you start scaling up altitude pretty quickly, so the pace of climbing has to be deliberately quite slow for the body to acclimatise. The last thing you want is to go down with AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) that will leave you with splitting headaches (much worse than your boss would have ever given you).

There are 3 things that one should keep in mind during the trek:

1.    Drink loads and loads of water. Water gets very expensive as you climb up every day but don’t hesitate to spend because you will need to keep yourself extremely hydrated. Set reminders for drinking it because the cold climate wouldn’t build the need to have it. 

2.    Eat basic food like Dal-Chawal and Ginger soup. Don’t get tempted with Pizzas and Chinese (yes, that’s available at tea houses for first 4-5 days of the trek). You don’t want an upset stomach or use more of those namesake teahouses loos at higher altitude.

3.    Breathe! If there is one thing that is going to stop you from breaking down (And believe me, you will in some way or the other) is deep breathing. It is very good idea to include yoga and meditation in your fitness routine prior to the climb

My break down moment came on day 7 when we were trekking towards Lobuche (nearly 5,000 m or 16,000+ feet). The climb had left me totally exhausted and with every passing hour, it was getting windy and cold. And that’s a very bad sign. However, we didn’t stop and continued walking at a slow pace till we reached the teahouse by 5 pm! It is an unforgettable realisation knowing how much you can push yourself on a given day

Also like in an adventure activity, enjoy what you are doing. This is not a task list that you have to tick off at the end of the day. It is ME time. Make the most of it. The Himalayas are unbelievably gorgeous with flora that you will perhaps not spot in most parts of the world. Take breaks. Click pictures. Admire snow-clad peaks. Play music. Joke with fellow trekkers. This is what is eventually going to get you to the top.

What this trek made me realise is just how tiny and inconsequential we all are in the larger scheme of things. We should stop taking our lives so seriously. I could witness the might of Mother Nature in full spectre. The tall peaks, the open arid vastness, the bitter cold, gusty strong winds – you don’t conquer these things. You have to be thankful to ‘Sagarmata’ (Nepalese name for Mount Everest) for permitting you to complete this breathtaking journey!