I don’t think the word “adventure” can possibly describe my hike to Mount Everest Base Camp. How can that one simple word describe my 20-day journey? This was more than an adventure. It was a globetrotting journey just to get to Lukla, Nepal, at the base of Mount Everest. I traveled to foreign lands I never imagined seeing in my lifetime. Hong Kong and Kathmandu were exotic and fascinating. After all, they are located on the exact opposite side of the world.
This Hike Took Everything I Had
It will take a while to process the reality that I hiked to Mount Everest Base Camp and then hiked back down the mountain. Mount Everest tested my physical fitness and mental toughness more than any other trip, including summiting Machu Picchu, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the 14ers in Colorado. The Mount Everest hike took everything I had. I traveled four days just to reach Nepal at the base of Mount Everest, but the adventure was just beginning. Now came the hard part – the climb.
Climbing to Mount Everest Base Camp
My home in Wisconsin is located at 696 feet above sea level, and our team of six climbed up to Base Camp at 18,000 feet. Although I fantasized about hiking to the summit at 29,000 feet, I decided that Base Camp was enough of a challenge. I was right!
At high elevation, the air is so thin. When I was breathing only 50 percent oxygen, I got tired just putting on my hiking boots. When hiking, I set a rhythm that was both simple and exhausting. One breath. One or two steps.
Mount Everest is a never-ending staircase. Our team of six, plus two sherpa guides, hiked eight long, grueling days up the steep and rocky trail. We gained elevation quickly, sometimes almost 3,000 feet in a day. Some days, we only hiked one mile an hour. That may not seem like a long distance, but we hiked up to 7-8 miles a day, so we were on the trail for 5-8 hours.
Unbelievable Sights on the Mountain
The landscape was so different from home. I’d look around to see snow-capped mountains towering beyond me. Who knew that rock and snow could be so beautiful? The suspension bridges were another unbelievable sight. The bridges were long and high above the valley floor. Although the bridges were sturdy enough for a pack of yaks to cross, they still swayed and bobbed as we walked across.
The porters, yaks and horses carried packs up and down the mountain trail, and I could hear them coming from a distance because of the bells around their necks. I was actually happy to hear those bells because that meant I had to step off the trail and take a break while they went by.
The Cold Weather Tested My Spirit
We were exhausted after a day of hiking, but sleeping in unheated bunkhouses was another test of fortitude. Some mornings, I would have to break the ice on the top of the basin of water to wash up. I am so thankful for my two rechargeable hand warmers. They were a wonderful source of heat inside my sleeping bag.
A warm sleeping bag was a godsend. When morning came, getting out of the sleeping bag in the cold was a shock to the senses. At times like these, it made me wonder if this trip was worth it. But then I would walk outside the bunkhouse and look at the mountain ranges all around. What an amazing view! The view made the trip worthwhile.
Everything I Imagined in a Mountain Climb
Traveling to Kathmandu and climbing to Mount Everest Base Camp was everything I imagined it would be and more. I filled my head with so many wonderful experiences, memories, and sights. There were so many times when I would say to myself, “I’ll never see anything like that again!”
Thanks to my wife, Joan, for her love and support, my mountain guide Ricardo Pena of Alpine Adventures, and the Packerland Websites team for keeping the office running while I was away. It was an incredible adventure and the most challenging trek of my life.
