trek n.1. a long difficult journey, esp. on foot 2. a journey or stage, esp by ox wagon 3. make a trek – trekker
In September 2015 my husband and I flew to Nepal to trek to Everest Base Camp. At the departure hall at Melbourne Airport saying goodbyes to our adult daughters, the eldest hugged her father and said
“Dad, go easy on Mum remember it’s her holiday too.” She turned to me and said “Mum, ….man up.”
And with that sage advice…
Continue readingI made it. I climbed to Kala Patthar the highlight of the Everest Base Camp trek. The video of me reaching the top, breathless and exhausted.
You don’t have to be seasoned hiker either. For many people who trek to Base Camp it is their first experience of anything like this. I know because I was one of these people.
Training before you go is highly recommended. Your training is part of the bigger journey. It certainly was part of mine. The Trainer kept reminding me, you know the quote, the journey is not just about the destination. Oh and the question of age. I’m in my fifties and there were plenty of people older than me on the trail.
If you are healthy, have trained and mentally prepared Everest Base Camp is possible. Continue reading
The Trainer always the watchful eye in the background
Hello I’m Louise
In 2013 the Trainer and I trekked the Main Mount Everest Base Camp Trail. It was the Trainer’s idea not mine. I really didn’t want to go to Everest Base Camp. I was worried about an endless list of things – getting robbed, murdered, lost, breaking an ankle, the trek being too difficult, getting sick, getting altitude sickness, freezing, oh and being tipped off a mountain by a yak. But I didn’t want to be left behind to worry about the Trainer either. Given I met him on a felucca on the Nile and he later dragged me across the Sahara when all I wanted was to relax on a Thai beach, well, after 30 years I should expect these things.
The optimistic Trainer had been to the Annapurna area in Nepal years ago and saw no problems with trekking to EBC. But I wanted to be reassured by someone else. Talking to a few people helped. YouTubes helped get a sense of the trail experience. But I really wanted to hear from a woman like myself – in her fifties and not a veteran trekker, who had been there. I searched for a blog but at the time I couldn’t find any.
The time came to decide to go or not. I didn’t want the Trainer to go by himself. We flew out in late November 2013 and we nearly made it to Everest Base Camp. Could have and should have. But didn’t. We were disappointed and it felt like unfinished business and amazingly I was hooked. Addicted to thriving on the challenge and the place. Yes that’s me standing there, almost at Namche Bazaar with just a couple of steep hills to go.
Almost there! The infamous climb to Namche Bazaar almost finished.
We returned to Australia and I wanted to tell everyone how special the trail to EBC is and how alive and incredibly fit I felt from the experience. I was the fittest I had been. Ever. I wanted to tell everyone that a not particularly fit middle aged woman, with training, could trek to Everest Base Camp and love the experience. We planned to try again and this time get there. I decided to share my training journey and the experience of Main Everest Base Camp trail in a blog.
We trained and trained, me and the tireless Trainer. We bought our flights to Kathmandu early 2015. Two weeks later Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. That changed everything. The following months the Trainer researched, trained and was optimistic. Me, I trained and well of course, worried. Finally we agreed to believe the reports the EBC Trail was ready, it was business as usual and we flew to Kathmandu in late September. And on 2nd October 2015 the Trainer and I, with our porter made it to Everest Base Camp.
I discovered that the important thing was, it wasn’t just about getting to Base Camp it was about the whole journey. The training journey was big lifestyle change for me. It was a fitness first. 2013 was also the year I touched my toes for the first time. Ever.
I’m the fourth one down. the one without the 100 kilo load. The porters are something else.
Week 1…Walk to park 5km; Treadmill 5.8km no incline; Treadmill incline 5, 2.44 km, 5 min bike, stretches; stretches Week 2…Trail walk & treadmill 6.5 km 400 vft.; Walk to Rosanna park one lap. Week 3…Treadmill 5.1km, 1hour, 900vft.; Treadmill 15 mins, 1.2 km, 74vft ; Walk to park, half a lap Week4…Treadmill 3 km, 33.5 mins, 415 vft; walk to park 1 hour 20 mins; Bike ride 11km Heidelberg to East Ivanhoe.
Week 1…Treadmill 5.423km, 1 hour 20 mins, walk/ run 413 vft ; Treadmill 7 incline, 626 vft, 2.578 km, 30 mins; Bike 12 km Templestowe to Petty’s Orchard Week 2…Treadmill 30 min walk on 2 incline, 20 min run on 2 incline, 20 min on 6 incline; Walk /run at Rosanna Park 1 hour 20 mins Week 3…Bike at river Mountain Trail Bike path Week 4…Run 4 kids, incidental walking as support team; Treadmill incline 30 mins, 2.512km,8 incline 510vft; 1 hour 20 min hill walks and “off piste” terrain Week 5…Bike Odyssey House to Petty’s Orchard (Pedal for Parkinson’s); Treadmill 10 minutes; Bike to Fairfield boathouse, 1 hour 15 min12 – 13 k, Treadmill 10 min 7 incline 11min 1 km…April… Treadmill 4 km, 47 min,15 min on 7.5 incline; Fast walk to Fairfield Boat House along Main Yarra Trail to Studley Park boathouse and back; Walk 9 – 10 km, Fairfield to Gipps Street bridge / Yarra Bend.
Week 2…Walk to Rosanna; Walk back of Templestowe (Boot Camp 6); Walk to Rosanna park and some jogging 59 mins: Walk Week 3…Bike Ride 13km, Heidelberg to Odyssey House and the alpaca; Templestowe hill trail with trekking poles, 7 km, 2 hours; Treadmill 4 km run and 1 km on incline Week 4…Treadmill 2km, 7 incline, 27:25 min, 462 vft; Walk 7 km, 2 hours Plenty River Trail, Treadmill 3km, 27 min, 1.5 incline; Treadmill 1 hour, 4.808 km, 6 step incline, 927 vft; Treadmill 5km, 2km on 8 step incline, 3km on 1 step incline, 599 vft. Week 5…Walk Plenty River Trail, 1 hour, 4km; treadmill run, 1.5 incline, 200 vft. 4km in 31min; Treadmill 30 min ”Central Park” 28 mins, 20 min walking on 6 incline, two lots on incline training.
Is all the training and the tedious list necessary? I trekked all the way to Gorak Shep without a blister and with very little in the way of aches and pains thanks to our training. Put “Trek to Everest Base Camp” as your Fitness Challenge or on your bucket list. You won’t regret it and it maybe it will be one the best things you do. Chances are you will do it again. Trekking in Nepal is addictive.
Are you considering an Everest Base Camp Trek? Want to know more? Here is the last place you will sleep on the trail….. The Last Lodges at Gorak Shep
The Year I Touched My Toes 