Touchdown – How I Touched the Base of Mount Everest – Everest Basecamp 2019

Eyes wide open, arms stretched out to their extreme, I took a deep breath and let in whatever air I could gasp, and stood still till Shakti and DJ came and wrapped their arms around me with the loudest cheer I’ve ever heard. It felt like a dream to be at the base of the tallest mountain in the world, only it was real, and that we were, in fact, standing at the foot of these mammoth peaks. It took us a while to let those mixed feelings of joy, happiness, anxiety, and excitement to sink in with emotions beaming out from every part of our body. The adrenaline rush at the same time left us confused, and it seemed like we had lost control of our body and mind for a while. Getting back to our senses wasn’t easy enough.

For a moment it felt that it was sheer luck that we could stand where not many have been able to. It’s impossible to not think about the palpable energy of all those who came before and lost their lives in these mountains. The wave of emotions – respect, reverence, appreciation washed over us as we took in the prayer flags and yellow domed tents of basecamp. Our constant belief in our abilities and determination to keep moving was so powerful that we could ultimately make it to the base of the mighty, mighty Mt. Everest, called Everest Base Camp.

This was the early evening of Sunday, 23rd May 2019, when we reached Everest Basecamp, more popularly known as EBC in the trekking community, and I believe this will remain intact in our memories for a very long time.

I would say there is so much magic in these mountains. They represent an adventure in the grandest form and in a language of their own. As excited and energetic as we were to climb Mount Everest, the feat was far from easy. But detailing the journey and its own sweet challenges makes me feel as if it was just yesterday that we traversed through Nepal’s terrain in pursuit of the base of the world’s tallest mountain. But I have tried to describe each moment so vividly for anyone who dreams or has plans to summit Everest, you can learn from my experience and take notes to prepare for the same.

How it all started

Not very long ago before the Everest trek, I was accompanied by my friend Shakti for a hike to Sajjangarh, also known as Monsoon Palace, a famous tourist spot in Udaipur (Rajasthan), my hometown. I remember, he had jokingly mentioned that this little over 1,100 feet doesn’t curb our appetite for hiking but makes us hungrier to climb higher peaks. We are cut out for something bigger, he said, as big as Mount Everest may be, and are merely wasting our time hiking Sajjangarh. Soon enough we made a call to our friend Dhananjay (or DJ as we call him) to concrete our plan and convert our dream into an achievement of a lifetime! That day we couldn’t recall who first summited Mount Everest, and neither did we realize that we will one day conquer the Everest Base camp. Just to give you a glimpse of the altitude I am talking about, EBC sits close to 17,500 feet above Mean Sea Level (MSL) while Delhi sits at just 700 feet above MSL. And the peak of Mt. Everest, which is another 12,000 feet above the base camp, is very much on our list now.

The Challenges

Although it is said that breathing is a vital key in the fight against altitude sickness, I felt that it’s not just breathing at high altitude that is difficult but staying hydrated and nourished is another challenge in itself. As you climb higher, you feel the oxygen level going down day by day. It’s essentially like a long, deep inhale and a sharp, forceful exhale like you’re blowing out a candle across the room. To open up your lungs, allowing as much oxygen to fill in, as we trekked the Himalayas from 10,400ft-16,000ft-18,000ft, this particular technique was essential in propelling us forward.

Our Preparation

Shakti and I are founders of the Mewari Runners club in Udaipur. Shakti is an active runner and trekker. While Dhananjay is a runner in Gurugram, involved in regular cross-training sessions. I am a long-distance cyclist and founding member of the Udaipur Cycling Club. So running and cycling is a part of our daily routine. Our first thought was we should be able to achieve this feat as we are involved in so many outdoor activities, but at the back of our minds, there still was a little fear that asked us to prepare even more. As a part of our planning, we started climbing Neemach Mata temple located near Lake Fatehsagar. The temple sits on a hilltop at a height of 900m from the base with close to 2 km distance (including uphill & downhill). Initially, 2 to 3 rounds daily seemed like a good start towards our preparation for the Everest expedition. We also practiced aerobics and Yoga at home for around 2 weeks to increase the flexibility and agility of our body. On weekends, we hiked some nearby hills in the Aravali range such as Sajjangarh, and occasionally a few steep ones near Kavita village. Dhananjay made cross-training and yoga an everyday affair to keep himself on his toes.

These preparatory activities continued for around 2 months until we felt we were better equipped than before for our newest adventure to Mt. Everest. Our journey was far more interesting and challenging than what could be put into words. But sharing each and every moment like an anecdote makes me revisit and relive those unforgettable moments and feels like walking down memory lane. Experience with me the enthralling and captivating journey, that’s summiting Everest!

Day 1: Trek briefing in Kathmandu

Our journey began at the Kathmandu Lodge, where we spent some leisure time in the market before the trekking day.

We met with a few Asian trekking people and the rest of our teammates who came from different parts of India. Our lead guide gave us a briefing on all the aspects of our trek.

Day 2: Flight to Lukla

Before our flight, we had a 4-hour drive to Ramche Airport, Mathli, Nepal. We were informed by our trekking company that Tribhuvan International Airport is not operating any Lukla flights due to maintenance. After the drive, we reached Ramche Airport at around 8 am in morning.

I would say it was not our day, as our Lukla flight had been canceled due to bad weather conditions in Lukla and the airport was closed until the next day. You wouldn’t believe that we had to wait for another 8 hours at Ramche Airport! Finally, at 3 pm, our trekking agency was able to arrange for a helicopter with an additional $400 charge. At 3:30 pm, we boarded the Heli for Lukla. Once we were in the air we looked out the window to take a glimpse of the foothills below. The foothills soon turned into mountains, which then turned into jagged, soaring peaks.

Then came the landing part. It appeared as if we were heading straight into the hillside – kamikaze style.

Finally, came the moment when we could see the world’s most dangerous airport, not termed so for nothing!

When the pilot did a helicopter emergency landing on a mountain farm!

It was just the first day of our expedition and it was off to an unimaginable, dangerous, and adventurous start! The helicopter ride to reach Lukla wasn’t a forgettable one. Within 10 minutes of helicopter take-off, it started to rain cats and dogs and our pilot did not have proper visibility due to cloud cover and heavy pouring. The only feasible thing at that moment seemed to go for an emergency landing on a mountain farm. All of the 5 passengers including myself, were really scared of this landing. But the pilot cleared the Heli’s windshield after staying at the farm for 2-3 minutes and flew again.

Lukla to Phakding

We met our guides and porters and immediately started trekking from Lukla. We began walking through the beautiful Himalayan countryside. It was a 4-hour walk as per our guide, but it took only 2 ½ hours to reach our destination called Phakding. It seemed quite easy to walk in the beginning contrary to our expectations. A few of us clearly hadn’t had enough and to keep our trekking legs going, we took the opportunity to head up the hillside along a track that led to a beautiful little monastery. There was a lot of construction work going on, as it was nearly destroyed by the earthquake in 2015.

Distance: 10km
Altitude: 8,563 ft
Walk time: 4-5 hours

Day 3: Phakding to Namche Bazaar

The trek to Namche Bazaar takes around 7 to 8 hours, and almost all of the walking is uphill. It was a difficult trek as compared to our start and the climb seemed really steep at times.

That day, the weather was very supportive despite being above 9,000 ft altitude. At 20ºC, we just wore the dry-fit t-shirt and in hindsight, shorts. There was no need for a fleece jacket or down jacket. Though sometimes it got windy, we used woolen caps to prevent the cold from entering our ears.

Namche is quite a busy route, not just for trekkers, but also for porters, donkeys, yaks, and even the odd horse. While reaching Namche, we crossed almost 5-6 suspension bridges. One of the bridges was more than 500 ft above a river flowing below. Interestingly, not everyone, they say, dares to walk on the bridge and look at the river flowing beneath the bridge.

Distance: 11km
Altitude: 11,289 ft
Walk time: 6-7 hours

Day 4: Namche Bazaar – Acclimatization Day

We were instructed that we would spend 2 extra days to acclimatize our body to high altitude.

This was our first acclimatization day, which is really important. Altitude is a sneakily dangerous thing; you have no idea as to how your body will react until you get there – regardless of your level of fitness – symptoms can accelerate into dangerous or even life-threatening real quickly. The best method is to trek to a higher altitude during the day and then come back downhill to sleep at night, giving your body a chance to adjust.

The next day, we ascended to a Sagarmatha National Park with a statue to Tenzing Norgay and a museum named after Sir Edmund Hillary – the first mere mortals to summit Everest – although, the people of this region seemed to view them as far more than that.

We also got our first sneak-peek of Mount Everest from here. Photo-bombing over Lhotse’s shoulder (the 4th highest mountain in the world), we saw the 8,848 meter-high peak of Everest.

Day 5: Trek Namche to Tengboche

After spending 2 nights in Namche, we seemed better prepared for higher altitude which goes above 12,600 ft.

Tengboche is a village in Khumbu located at 12,687 ft altitude. In the village is an important Buddhist monastery, Tengboche Monastery. Shakti and Dhananjay (DJ, as we call him) spent an hour in meditation at the monastery.

Distance: 10km
Altitude: 12,664 ft
Walk time: 5-6 hours

Day 6: Trek Tengboche to Dingboche

The trek from Tengboche to Dingboche is a long day of hiking but with mesmerizing views of Ama Dablam, it’s a rewarding hike. When we stopped at various tea houses along the route, we received hot towels, which seemed the perfect welcome with a sweet hot cup of tea to follow.

Our staple was lemon-honey-ginger tea or, in descending order of quantity, honey-ginger-lemon tea. Their generosity with the quantity of honey was greatly appreciated.

A little tip: It’s much better in value to get big flasks and share the tea as a group, rather than ordering by the glass. But, make sure you give that tea flask a good shake to spread the honey and ginger around.

Distance: 11km
Altitude: 14,468 ft
Walk time: 6-8 hours

Day 7: Dingboche – Acclimatization Day

This was our second acclimatization day. Also, the day we felt the trek started getting serious. This was the first time we were trekking at a whopping height of 14,000ft (4,400m) altitude. Shortness of breath was far more palpable now and breaks were a welcome relief. The views, however, were totally worth it.

In the afternoon, we paid 600 rupees for a gas-powered shower. I was surprised to find a trickle of luke-warm water, as opposed to the towel of hot/cleansing water I’d been expecting. Regardless, it was worth every drop. Those wet wipes just weren’t going to cut it after 6 days on the trail!

Day 8: Trek to Lobuche

With blue skies and thin clouds caressing the mountain tops, today we really felt those acclimatization efforts coming into effect. Breathing at 16,000ft (4,900m) didn’t feel as difficult anywhere near as we imagined it to be. As for me, I was definitely feeling the effects of altitude, which was worsened by a bad case of sniffles.

When we climbed the mount later that afternoon, we came to realize it was a force far greater than any man-made project. It was the Khumbu Glacier, fed by Everest and the nearby mountains, literally carving out a valley over a glacial timeframe.

As the clouds rolled in that afternoon, it was time for tea and a game of Yak bell (known to most as Shithead). Just our luck, the clouds parted to reveal the peak of Nuptse in the last light of the day.

After reaching the lodge, I felt a severe headache. I immediately informed my Sherpa, he checked my oxygen level and pulse rate which was fine. He checked all the symptoms and I was relieved to know that everything was normal. It was quite obvious when you are at a high altitude, these symptoms are very common. He prescribed certain medicines. I was feeling better the next day.

Distance: 11km
Altitude: 16,100 ft
Walk time: 6-7 hours

Day 9: Everest Base Camp

We’re definitely reaching alien territory now.

Looking across the landscape, strewn with boulders, rocks, and towering mountains all around definitely plays with your sense of perspective. You can’t estimate the size of things properly. What looks like 650ft (200 meters), turns out to be well over half a mile (1 km). What looks like a little rock, turns out to be a boulder the size of a house, once you spot a trekker walking beside it.

There it is, Everest Base Camp.

We clicked photos with prayer flags and EBC famous rock for our memories which I will cherish for the next few years until I set a new milestone.

Mountaineers, however, live in this temporary tent city for a couple of months acclimatizing and getting ready for summit day. We got there at a time when the climbing season was coming to an end, so the route to Base Camp was alive with activity. Porters and helicopters were buzzing around, cleaning up after months of activity.

On average, the entire climb takes 6 to 9 weeks – compared to our 14-day trek. During the first week, mountaineers arrive at Base Camp, either trekking from Lukla to climb the south face, or a drive from Kathmandu or Lhasa to climb the north face of Everest. The next 3 to 4 weeks are spent rotating up and down the mountain to establish camps with food, fuel, and oxygen. The average time it takes to reach the summit is 40 days – and this process cannot be rushed.

Distance: 15km
Altitude:
– Lobuche to Gorakshep 16,906 ft
– Gorakshep to Base Camp 17,598 ft
Walk time: 9-10 hours

Day 10: Kala Patthar & Descent to Pangboche

I got up at 4.30am and geared up for the climb to Kala Patthar in time for sunrise. This tough, 1 ½ to 2-hour hike would take us to the highest altitude we’d reach on this trek, 18,000ft, but the views proved to be unlike any other we’d seen.

Most people don’t know this, but despite being so close to Everest, you actually can’t see the mountain along the route to Everest Base Camp. In fact, you can’t even see the peak from Base Camp because Nuptse gets in the way. Hiking to Kala Patthar gave us the chance to look over the shoulder of Nuptse, and get a good glimpse of the highest peak in the world.

We descended to the tea house in time for breakfast and packed our bags before heading back down to Pangboche.

Distance: 21km
Altitude: 18,192 ft
Walk time: 8-9 hours

Day 11: Descent Trek to Namche

Trekking back to Lukla after reaching Base Camp happens at a serious pace. It takes half the time to get back, as it does going up.

Here I am, descending back, through rhododendron forests, along rivers, crossing suspension bridges

Back to green fields of potatoes and vegetables

Back to seeing lowland livestock, like donkeys and cows

Finally, back to civilization!

Distance: 16km
Walk time: 8-9 hours

Day 12: Descent Trek to Lukla

Today was a long day, which we could have covered the previous afternoon in one serious push.

We were now on the Lukla–Namche route, with larger herds, and watching porters carry far greater loads. One man effortlessly walked by me carrying a refrigerator on his back. One tiny man, one huge refrigerator. Walking uphill in nothing but a pair of sneakers, with a Bluetooth speaker playing high-pitched Nepali music to take his mind off the load.

That afternoon in Lukla, a few of us ventured into town. We stopped by the imitation Starbucks to have a coffee and sat among a group of mountaineers who’d just hopped in after summiting Everest. It’s easy to tell who’s returned from a summit attempt, just look for ragged beards, purple cheeks, and dirty jackets.

Distance: 25km
Walk time: 10-11 hours

Day 13: Fly to Kathmandu

We faced one last hurdle: the flight back to Kathmandu.

We were lucky that we boarded the flight on time. After reaching Ramache airport, the pilot told us that Lukla airport was closed again. If we were stuck in Lukla again then we would have missed our flight back to India.

With the monsoon season looming, there were concerns that there’d be too much cloud cover for our flight to arrive. But luckily everything went well at the end and we arrived back in Udaipur as scheduled. By late morning I’d acclimatized to modern life.

I won’t lie, I didn’t return a mountain man, but I will definitely visit again with a new plan.

Dhananjay Kumar and Shakti Singh Dulawat were my pillars in the entire journey. We kept motivating each other whenever we felt that something was challenging our abilities far more than expected. I also met some of the most amazing people on my expedition. Hailing from different cities in India, Kiran, Amit, Shrikant, and Jaydeip sir – you guys are awesome and the trek turned out to be trouble-free because of our readiness to help each other in any kind of situation. We all had a great time with each other and shared some memorable and remarkable moments together. I would like to thank you all for your love and support throughout the trek.

I would also like to thank our guides “Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa” and “Chiri”, and Asian Trekking for all the arrangements and support. You guys are the best and would highly recommend it to others. To add, it was great meeting the Asian Trekking MD “Dawa Steven” in the base camp. I never thought that we would get a chance to go in the base camp tents. But it was another superb experience with all the Sherpas who were living in the base camp for climbers who were attempting the Mount Everest summit.