Walking Among Giants: My Everest Base Camp Trek with Adventure Consultants - Part 1 - Preparation
It has been three years now since I embarked on the biggest adventure I’ve taken, to date; the awe-inspiring trek to Mount Everest’s Base Camp. Yes, I’m just now able to write about it, and yes, some aspect of the trek surfaces in my mind daily. Travel changes us (which is one of the reasons I became a travel agent, to help others experience the awesome power of travel). This trek changed me.
I guess in some way I have always been intrigued by Mount Everest. For me, it was unattainable, it was distant, isolated in a far-off land that I barely knew about…and TALL. I grew up with both feet firmly planted on ground near sea level. I enjoyed vising the mountains of NC and see how lush and green it was, feeling the cool mountain air on my face, but it was hardly at altitude. But over time I realized that I was wrong. It WAS attainable. I COULD make the trip. This was something I could actually do. And then I saw the movie Everest, and I was obsessed. I started researching the mountain, learning as much as I could, consuming information on the subject like a person finding water after being stranded in the desert.
The peak of Mount Everest
And then it happened; after researching companies that could make it possible, I asked my then-girlfriend (now my wife) if she would be interested in taking a journey with me to the base camp of the world’s tallest mountain. She said “sure, why not?” She already knew that I was crazy, having set out to run the Abbott World Marathon Majors (and at this point had already run 4 of them). Neither of us actually knew the repercussions of that agreement, but here we were, two people getting ready to set off on the adventure of a lifetime. We were insane.
After watching Everest and doing my research, I decided that Adventure Consultants would be the company to take us there. Yes, it may seem a bit perverse to make that decision after watching such a movie, but the horrible tragedy that unfolded 30 years ago now on the mountain in 1996 was NOT the fault of anyone within the company or even any person at all. My heart hurts thinking of the lives lost and the permanent emotional toll that such a tragedy takes on anyone who did survive it. It was nature versus human…and nature will surely win each time. The tragedy was real, but this company…the people…are the best in the industry and the best at what they do. I knew I could trust them to get me up there and back down safely. That was what was most important. And note, this blog is not in any way sponsored by anyone.
After making that decision, we booked our trek in late 2022 for a trek beginning April 2023. What were we thinking? Hailing from Florida, an ant hill is considered to be “elevation.” Outside of going skiing and some small-time hiking, I had never been on a real “mountain.” Was I going to be able to breathe? Could we really afford this? How do you even GET to Nepal? How were we going to train for this and prepare ourselves for this? Would we be allowed into the country? There was a global pandemic going on! We needed to find out answers.
I chose this specific trek timing for a very particular reason; this trek group accompanied the climbers who would be making their ascent up to base camp in preparation for their extended stay to summit Mount Everest in May. I wanted to be in the presence of some amazing mountaineers who were on their way to realize their own dreams (as we were to a lesser extent), who had sacrificed so much and worked so hard and had such ambition to achieve their goals; and as we would find out in the weeks to come, we would meet some most absolutely amazing people who would also become life-long friends all over the globe, who we miss dearly.
Shortly after paying out deposits and filling out the registration materials we received our initial contacts from the incredibly helpful staff at Adventure Consultants with a plethora of additional information, including itineraries, directions, packing lists, equipment lists, etc. All was explained to us and expectations were set. Boots, jackets, bags, hiking clothes, specific sunglasses, person items…all were detailed out in our documentation. Vaccinations. Medications. Physical examinations. It was all spelled out for us. We went to our local REI with glimmer and excitement in our eyes and our hearts as we began to acquire all that was needed. In the end a great majority of the things we purchased ended up coming from Amazon (as sad as I am to admit it), as it was most convenient for us living in Florida as our options otherwise were limited due to our geographical location.
Our first visit into REI was to purchase probably the most important and pivotal piece of equipment for an 18-day trek through the Himalaya Mountains; our boots. I remember the associate was so excited when we told her where we were going. Again, being in a location so far removed from anything “mountain” related, it was difficult to find the experience level we needed in helping us find the perfect pair of boots, but she tried hard and kept running into the backroom to ask other associates for advice to share with us.
With gear in hand, it was time to start narrowing down the particulars like vaccinations, health checkups and other aspects of the travel portion of the trek. Adventure Consultants provided a list of recommended vaccinations, and I also relied on the CDC website for recommended vaccinations for the area. Fortunately enough, the insurance provided through my employer covered the costs associated with all, but I know many others may not be as fortunate. I also scheduled a visit with a doctor specializing in altitude, sports medicine and international travel who helped guide me through recommendations and prescriptions that were suggested for vising Nepal and climbing to altitude like treatments for digestive ailments and for altitude sickness, but more coming on that as we go. With clean bills of health, the last major pre-trek hurdle checked off the list.
But, as the world is always ready to test us and see how we handle it, fate it would seem had a curveball.
As I mentioned earlier, I had been on my own personal mission to run and complete in the 6 Abbott World Marathon Majors (the Chicago, NYC, Boston, Tokyo, London and Berlin marathons). Months prior, on a whim, I put my name in a lottery for an entry into the 2023 Tokyo Marathon. There was only around a 3% chance that I would get selected for the general lottery for the race, so I figured it wouldn’t happen and we’d just focus on finish the preparation for our Nepal trip. Well, one morning, I woke and checked my email and there it was; an email from the Tokyo Marathon congratulating me on my selection. I was stunned. “What?!” I walked out and told my significant other, “Well, we’re going to Tokyo.”
Why is this relevant to a story about a trek to Everest Base Camp? The Tokyo Marathon takes place the first weekend in March. We were scheduled to leave our home for Nepal at the end of March. So not only did I find myself planning an 18-day trip to Nepal, I now needed to plan a whirlwind 4-day trip to Tokyo for the marathon! Spoiler alert, it was a success. See my blog about that experience
We got our final details provided to us and registered for our Nepal visa’s online and were cleared for travel. The Nepalese visa was a simple application online. We registered for the 30-day visitor’s visa which at that time was $50, payable in cash (US Currency) when you landed in Nepal. Filling out our visa applications online saved us so much time when we arrived.
Flight options from Florida to Nepal were limited as only a couple of large international carriers operate daily flights to Kathmandu. Being a Oneworld Alliance elite member, I opted for booking through American Airlines with the long-haul flights operated by Qatar Airways…and wow. This was our first experience on Qatar Airways, or rather any Middle East carrier, and I am now hooked. We booked business class due to the length of flights from the US and so we could be sure we were comfortable and refreshed upon arrival in Kathmandu. With our flights booked and our bags packed, travel day was upon us.
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