By Namya Aggarwal
Why did I want to do this? Just for the heck of it. I was not aspiring to scale some mountain after this but I did it simply because I wanted to and I could. On a much deeper level, I thought of the Everest Base Camp Trek as a challenge to myself. To prove to myself my capacity and ability to do hard things. I had had enough of ‘Monte Carlo’ eurotrip kind of vacations. 2024 summer was one to remember and the only solution? Let’s go to the bottom of the top of the world! And so I said no to Europe and yes to Everest. Turns out wherever I was to go, my parents were to follow. Trekking up to 5300m had now been converted to a family vacation.
The entire itinerary and logistics were handled by OpenSkiez. The founders having been part of hectic, hard-core corporate life wished to share their love of the outdoors and nature with the new generation as well as adults. Its via their initiative and encouragement that my journey from sea level to 5364m commenced. Vikas Uncle, an Everest and Lobuche summitter as well as one of the three co-founders of OpenSkiez was our team captain. Having such professional team captains, set the bar high — and support too.
Day 00 — Kathmandu and Ramechhap
Stay at Kathmandu mainly involved sightseeing at Pashupatinath and tons of shopping for the trek. Technical equipment (trekking sticks, headlamps, 35, 40, 45l backpacks, sherpa caps, etc.) and other essentials such as down jackets are much cheaper in Nepal compared to more commercial cities like Bombay.
At 2am, we left for Ramechhap airport, which was a 4 hour drive from Kathmandu. The usual routine would be to catch a flight directly from Kathmandu to Lukhla. However, due to weather conditions, there were no outgoing flights to Lukhla and we had to resort to plan B.
We boarded a crunched-up flight that would transport no more than 15 people at a time. A thin, dusty dark blue curtain separated the passengers from the cockpit containing two pilots. Despite there being barely any space to walk in aisles we were served with complimentary cotton buds and toffees by a hostess holding a perpetual sweet smile on her face. (I wonder how considering the space constriction)
Valleys and flower-adorned hilltops receded, and runway number 24 came into view. The plane tipped down, now preparing for landing, and as its wheels touched the surface in a bumpy and rocky manner, all passengers felt the reverberations through their bodies. We finally arrived at Lukhla! I was giddy with excitement and was eager to see whatever adventure waited before us.
Day 01 — Lukhla to Phakding
from 2860m to 2610m
Having been on other treks before, I had realised the advantageous outcomes of being the first in the line or at least in the initial five. From getting more time to rest and looking at the view around to experiencing the triumph of reaching before everyone, there were nothing but benefits for me in keeping this mindset. Therefore, it was essential for me to maintain momentum and set a certain reputation for myself for the rest of the days.
We headed towards Hikers Lodge for breakfast before setting out for Phakding. It turned out that toast and omelette was a staple breakfast of trekkers in Nepal and several plates of the same were ordered and devoured. Along with this, ginger lemon tea is a popular beverage as well.
Here we were introduced to our team of 5 guides — Ashish bhaia, Rasila didi, Girmin, Mingma bhaia, and Furpa dai.
Today the terrain served in our favour by being mainly plain, excluding some minor uphill points. Nepali flat is a mixture of alternative ascending and descending climbs. Journey to Phakding was mainly composed of this. I was in the front with my newfound friends, Shreya, Shaurya and Girmin. Shreya and Shaurya are twins and have just entered 10th grade. Girmin is 18 and is preparing for his 11th boards.
I learnt that normally in Nepal, a high school student must give boards for three consecutive years — 10th, 11th and 12th grades. Its also normal for them to be 18 years of age while still in 10th or 11th as they have to go through 2 additional years of nursery.
Our conversations explored topics such as that of Nirmal Purja or Nims Dai, our reasons for coming to this trek, aspirations and goals, cricket and formula 1, friendships, relationships, how the prospective next days would be, etcetera.
For lunch, we had our first taste of ‘daal-bhaat’ which is simply a portion of rice with black lentils and leafy greens.
The day served as a good warmup as well as a consolation about the rest of the trip. However, this was short-lived considering that my sinuses had been acting up towards the end of the day’s climb. Post reaching our lodge, I started experiencing headache and extreme fatigue. Recovering for an hour or so, I feasted on some pizza and played a game of cards with the group. As I sat on the wooden teak table holding a bunch of aces and clubs and spades, I was drained mentally and physically. My mind went to the following day, the formidable trek to Namche and the challenges that it may bring.
Day 02 — Phakding to Namche
from 2610m to 3440m
As I yanked the blanket from over me and allowed my body to adjust and adapt to the new environment, I got my first taste of inconveniently piercing Nepali morning weather. The first task was to change into our trekking clothes and fill our bottles up to the brim with ‘tato pani’ or warm water. Gobbling down yet another plate of toast and steaming ginger-lemon tea, sticks were gathered and bags were fastened and the treak was commenced. Mentally, I was uncertain regarding the day’s events and obstacles. But like my training, I decided to ignore this feeling and march on.
In the initial run of the trek, we met Khalid, also attempting the base camp trek, a Pakistani man who had been residing in the States for almost a quarter of a century. He had embarked on this journey as a hope of spending quality time with his daughter and son-in-law.
The second day is said to be one of the toughest days of the entire trek due to its steep, upward climb wherein trekkers end up gaining around 800 meters in a single day. I was mentally prepared for the hike up after lunch, but I wasn’t ready for the severe physical exhaustion that hit me immediately after. Acidity, mild headache and nausea assimilated to give me extremely low energy levels and a hesitation to move any further. Every step felt like an exertion, something I wasn’t interested in doing. As I kept one foot before another, I was thinking of a future where I would have had to retreat from this adventure without completing even half of it. I envisioned my dream tearing off into pieces of failure and pain that were tethered to the main goals by a mere string of want and desire. The disappointment on the faces of all those I cared about flashed.
The following hours were one of the most mentally and physically demanding, pressurizing and challenging ones. Nothing ever compared and I don’t think anything ever will. They were spent in semi-consciousness and an almost sublime, spiritual state.
Looking back the only emotionally comforting and fond memories of the day were Ashish Bhaia narrating fun anecdotes from either his life or the experiences of his friends. He very cleverly reassured me that our destination was a mere 10…20…30 minutes for off however little did I know that he would continue saying that for the next 360 minutes. It was as if he possessed a basket of tricks that he would pull out occasionally to encourage me in any way possible.
The sun started setting down and gloominess and a pitch-black shade covered the sky above us. Visibility decreased but the outline of rocks and trees could be seen. It felt like an episode of man versus wild except I was not nearly as comfortable eating crickets. It appeared as if we were walking into nothingness and would continue to do so for several centuries. I tried to decipher shapes and their sizes but I was at my actual limit. Giving up felt too scary and walking forward too impossible. It was dark, decapitated, a piercing, nightmarish cold. The perfect setting for a Hunger Games movie.
As the sky went invisible and we were compelled to switch on our head-torches, I cursed myself internally for ever thinking that I could pull this off. We had walked and walked and walked with unfulfilled and false promises of reaching and I was consumed with my irritation, anger, and frustration at anything and everything. And then we saw the lights. The wooden huts and the unspoken signals of civilization. I saw Vikas Uncle and immediately a sense of relief washed over me. He had come with a bottle of Coke. Gratitude is a small, small word for what I felt in that moment. Forty bucks of sugar and caffeine had never felt or tasted so good, so fulfilling. From Mingma Bhaia’s silent but unwavering, unproblematic presence to Ashish Bhaia’s perpetual motivation and belief to Vikas Uncle’s thoughtfulness of coming all the way down simply to meet me and acknowledge the feat accomplished, I realised I had been surrounded with an extremely conducive and nurturing environment. If not for them, I would probably have been stuck in that petrifying of a never-ending forest.
Day 03 — Acclimatization
I woke up to a busy room, constant pop-ins by our guides and our group lead to check my parents and mine’s oxygen and SpO2 levels. Ashish Dai and Vikas Uncle interrogated me on my health — how I was feeling and also encouraged and appreciated me for the previous day’s achievement. To be very real, I did not consider yesterday worthy of praise and positive acknowledgement. According to me, it had been 12 hours of being weak, pushing myself only because I could not have slept in the middle of the Sagarmatha forest and doubting my decision to come here. It has been a humiliating and humbling experience for me. Painful in all aspects.
The day’s main activity included going up to Everest View Hotel for a short acclimatization trek. I had absolutely no amount of energy left in me to do so. Even as I climbed the stairs from my room to the dinning area, I was gasping for air. Those 2 minutes felt like torture to my body and sanity. Within 10 minutes of the trek, I gave up. I had to rest. Exhaustion had completely consumed my body and mind. My parents and I descended and slept for a few hours. I made sure to gulp several sips of water occasionally.
stone inscriptions — one must always walk from its left side as Buddhist religion dictates so
Water, at this altitude, is like the cure to literally everything that is physically wrong with you. Usually, if one is experiencing mild headache or loss of breath or extreme fatigue, he or she is advised to drink water. But why? As you know, water contains oxygen. When your respiratory system falls short, drinking water serves as an extra and abundant source of oxygen. The more oxygen in your body, the better you feel. You should aim to increase water content as you ascend up. The higher the altitude, lesser the volume of oxygen. So simple deep breathing doesn’t cut it. You will get tired out. Take a target of finishing at least 3–4 litres of water in a single day. It is hard and water has basically no taste but getting a chance to avoid altitude sickness and any other issues should be incentive and motivation enough for you to develop this habit.
While loitering around the dining reception, watching the newest release on Netflix by Bhansali — Heeramandi — I met Rigel and Paul. Two friends who were originally from Scotland but had settled in Australia 20 years back. In an interesting tete-e-tete with them, I learnt that Rigel had pursued the EBC trek as a tribute to his late father who had always wanted to come here. Paul was also doing the same thing but for a dear friend of his. Stories like this make me realize how sentimental people continue to be, caring for those who cared for them. Even when age isn’t on their side, they have no hesitation to go to any lengths to respect and serve those who were there by their sides.
In the evening, I ended up playing Free Fire with Girmin. The adrenaline rush when we were scrambling for enemies and the pure ecstasy when I would shoot someone down made the entire experience unforgettable.
Day 04 — Namche to Deboche
from 3440m to 3820m
Today was when my 10th board results were to be released. Of course, I didn’t let my mother know that because I was sure that after seeing my grades, she wouldn’t let me go back to India. I hoped that the declaration form confirming the release of marks was simply a sick April Fool’s joke made by someone severely lacking in punctuality.
*Spoiler alert this was the best day of the entire trek, succeeding even the day I completed EBC because of its awesomeness value*
I had some apprehension in the morning regarding my performance, especially on upward slopes. Thankfully I didn’t have to face much of that. I even met Khalid on the trail up to the teahouse where we took our morning tea break.
My mother started screaming at me because she couldn’t see my Unique ID and other details on the photo of my admit card. I had deliberately taken a blurry photo so that I wouldn’t have to look at my marks and start having a breakdown in the middle of the trip. She accused me of not caring about my studies, which was entirely true in the given scenario. I thought there was absolutely no way she could log in because there was no connection, but she had talked to her brother and advised him to log in on our behalf. They indeed say where there’s a will, there’s a way. As I walked and deliberated on what was to be done with myself, I heard my mother running towards me from afar screaming ‘Namya! Namya!’. A wide smile adorned her face so much so that I could see dimples. She basically personified ‘beaming’. Above 90%, thankfully, one of the first remarks she awarded me was ‘thank god, I will not be embarrassed before the entire family’.
After lunch, we began our two-hour completely uphill journey. Girmin was tagging along with me the entire way. We talked and we stopped and admired the view. We sang songs with all the wrong lyrics and laughed. This was probably the highlight of the entire day. What made this day so special was that I could do exactly what I came here for — disconnect. Sure, there were hard patches where I had to put in more effort to walk however being able to learn about the culture and values of the citizens of another country, being able to truly connect, is what makes it so memorable. And after a bunch of really hard days, I could finally walk without an annoying headache or fatigue.
Just before reaching our lodge, near the monastery, I developed a headache and nausea. I felt a sudden rise in altitude and a deterioration in my health. I threw up like two or three times before reaching my lodge. Simultaneously I slipped from the stairs and twisted my ankle. All of this was pretty fun because things got a little plain towards the end. I showed my face in the tea house which held everyone from my group and then pleaded my mother to tuck me into bed.
Day 05 and 06 — Deboche to Dingboche + Acclimatization
from 3820m to 4410m
We were promised rainfall as well as snowfall to some extent on this day. It was a relatively short trek however the weather made it come to par with the others. Temperatures were much lower than usual and most of us were wrapped like human burritos into several layers of fleece followed by a down jacket above which came a rain cover topped with warm, ear-covering caps, polaroid glasses and goody old gloves. The multi-layered, war-resembling outfits themselves made it difficult to walk and the decreasing levels of oxygen didn’t help. This is probably where I had to start consciously deep breathing.
Nearing Dingboche, I developed a terrible brain fog and started rambling about my distress in several languages. This day and the one following it were spent in absolute idealness and tomfoolery i.e. watching Heeramandi or anything I had downloaded.
One of the many observations I made was the sheer simplicity of the Nepalese guides. There are people who have successfully completed the EBC trek more than 5 times not exempting the 10kgs backpacks they are supposed to carry. The quality that stood out to me was the high level of ‘service mentality’ and hospitality offered by each and every guide who I had the pleasure of meeting along the way. To avoid confusion and chaos its customary for the guides to take breakfast, lunch and dinner orders. They happily and selflessly bring food from the kitchen to the table. At Lobuche having had a shortage of rooms and alternative lodges, they laid down mattresses and slept in the dining rooms itself. Despite being such skilled professionals they are relatable and common people such as me can easily spend hours talking to them and sense nothing but humbleness. They spend 3 months of their life in rough terrains and adverse circumstances, but all of them do it with a smile on their face and a good heart. Its truly amazing how safe and secure the Nepalese community makes outsiders feel.
Day 07 and Day 08 — Dingboche to Tukhla to Pheriche
from 4410m to 4371m
The morning on which we were supposed to leave for Lobuche, my oxygen was below threshold levels. Remaining somewhere near 62 whereas the minimum required was 70 plus, I was lurking near dangerous territory. Vikas Uncle laid my two options before the entire family — either I descend down to Pheriche or give a promise to follow the ‘SOP’s’ — performing deep breathing on a perpetual basis and keep gulping water — I could climb up to Tukhla where my SO2 levels will be taken again. This seemed like one of those sentimental moments in a movie wherein the protagonist had to make a hard decision — put their foot down, be practical but not forget what their mission was. At this point I didn’t care what could happen to me but what would happen if I didn’t go back to India with a picture near base camp. This was the last stretch. I had spent 15 years of my life being okay with not following through on projects, giving up on things when they became hard, but not this time. And so, being mentally poised to undertake this I told my mother to wipe her tears and give her consent.
Turns out motivation is all well and good but if physical readiness of your body fails you and nature wishes that you don’t proceed further, you simply don’t. Even though I brought my oxygen up to 90 after literally gasping for air when the oximeter was planted in my finger, my body was not prepared. Physically, there was zero energy left. Looking at the slope up to the Everest memorial and seeing how s truly daunting it was, going back down seemed pretty good. I broke down when I realized that there was a chance that I might not be able to reach base camp. In terms of emotional turmoil, this day surpassed Namche. My mother started weeping again. Vikas Uncle and Ashish Dai kept adding their professional advice to the conversation. Mingma Bhaia, one of the guides, later becomes a catalyst to the story, stayed back as well. The rest of the group trudged forward. In this moment, I truly felt abandoned. I couldn’t do the hit-and-trial method. I had to decide if I was in the capacity to endure an hours worth of rocky and cold upward climb and another hour to our lodge. I wasn’t. And so we hugged, promised to meet each other where the water is shaped into icicles and yellow and green tents adorn the white snow.
My dad, Mingma Bhaia, one porter and I went down to Pheriche. I can still remember the stinging annoyance I would feel whenever I would turn around and see my dad clicking pictures of a yak’s child. He was the proud owner of 2000+ photographs all shot in a very short time span of 11 mere days. One needs true talent to do that.
Day 10 and Day 11 — Pheriche to Lobuche to Everest Base Camp
from 4371m to 4940m to 5364m
As we made our way through the flats of Pheriche Valley under a fortunate cover of warm sunlight, my thoughts took me back to yesterday’s comforts.
The luxury of sipping a cosy, sugary cup of cappuccino with beautiful coffee art, chatting up with my friend after several days and updating her about my whereabouts, and sending thoughts and prayers to our group attempting base camp the very day. The previous morning we met Kaamya and Karthik Karthikeyan. They were a duo of daughter and father attempting Everest. Kaamya is all over the news for being the youngest girl to summit Everest from the Nepal side and the second youngest in the world to reach the top of the world. There they were sitting on the breakfast table opposite ours in the Himalayan Lodge. We met them right when we were about to let Mingma Bhaia that we would not be proceeding further with the climb. I lacked the confidence and the energy to reach base camp. It seemed like a destination too far off and after the entire Tukhla drama, I was petrified to have my oxygen fall again and having to descend back to a lower altitude all over again. But it was Kaamya and Karthik Uncle who encouraged me to take it one step at a time. Karthik Uncle’s sage advice — ‘When you think you can’t walk anymore, put one foot before another and keep going’ — is one of the things I cherish most and continue to apply it to my life back in Bombay.
Post reaching the Everest memorial, I realized that my dad had pulled a nerve in his back and was going through a light back spasm. We were of course concerned but retreating was not an option as that would worsen the situation. Later I realised that my dad had been an unsung hero for the past couple of days. He constantly reminded me to consume water and breathe. He came back with me when he didn’t have to. It takes a selfless man to take a U-turn when your goal is 8 kilometres away. When 3 months of training are just about to materialize into what you have wanted, crisis strikes. It turned out that he was not in a physical shape to move forward from Lobuche to Gorakshep and further on considering the rocky terrain thereon.
views from Tukhla
My mother, father and I sat holding hot cups of water and ginger lemon tea in our hands. Lobuche, I had finally made it, but at what cost? We caught our mom with the rest of the group while going back to Pheriche after reaching base camp. Our group of 16 people had dwindled down to 6 people, including guides. It was like the sight of a village where life and joy flourished but now a sad reality of just a couple huts remained. Most of our group had gone back by choppers due to extreme tiredness. Finally, it was decided that my mother would accompany me to base camp. This would be her second time doing it. I saw her semi-closed eyes, attempting to remain open, huddled up into herself to avoid shivering but still making practical sense in the conversation, she was a picture of exhaustion.
We were doing this by hook or crook.
me and my mother India at base camp
Several green, yellow and red tents adorned the snow-filled base camp. There were two toilets for use by base campers attempting Everest. Faeces and all other defecation processes were collected in aluminium tins and carried back to lower levels where they would be environmentally disposed. Due to sub-zero temperatures and glaciers present at 5300m human waste cannot be decomposed properly thus leading to pollution.
As I stood there and saw the white and grey palette, I didn’t feel particularly achieved or some unexplainable amount of ecstasy. I was happy that I followed through with this project. This was a testament to me that my mind is stronger than my body. As they say, the journey matters more than the destination, it proved true that day. But it was also a reminder that the road to success is never easy. I didn’t follow the SOPs and essentials and faced the music. I reached there less by individual effort but more by the support and unwavering faith of those around me. And my deepest gratitude to each and every one of them. To Ashish Bhaia for getting me through the dreadful path to Namche, to Vikas Uncle for never stopping to believe in me and continuing to encourage me throughout and most importantly to my parents, who supported me before and through the trek. Last but not the least, a big gracious thank you to the entire team of OpenSkiez for getting me there safely. They were there whenever we called, and provided both emotional and technical support. Kudos to another successful adventure!
I vividly remember the flight back from Lukhla to Ramechhap. As the plane glided down runway 24 again and ramped up in speed and ‘End of Beginning by Djo’ blasted in my earphones, nostalgia wrapped me in its warm, wistful embrace. The past 15 days replayed in my head as if they were stored in a film roll, 360 hours shortened to a 2-minute reel. I bore with me a suitcase full of memories — the days, the nights, the laughter, the madness and the friendships — that I could never forget (that might also be the reason we had to pay extra for heavy check-in bags)
Something I realised is that while trekking one goes through great physical and mental exertion however getting to share that experience with a fellow climber develops into lovely relationships that last a lifetime. That is ironically what makes it such a therapeutic, almost spiritual moment for so many. The pain, the physical agony, the mental tyranny and the paradox of life and death — this is a shared familiarity, participated in by several and uncountable and it is a binding thread so strong that I feel like I have a second family back in Nepal and one here, those with whom I have shared this wonderful, unforgettable memory.
It had been a difficult journey but damn it, I would do it all over again. I would gladly repeat every second I spent in that country and on the trail. I recently came across this American proverb — ‘Climbing is three-fourths hell and one-fourths beauty’ and I cannot prove it to be more true.
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