Everest Base Camp Trek

A walk amongst giants

Written by African Ascents Guide Schaniela Wright

When Julian first approached me about helping to assist an all Kenyan women’s trek to Everest Base Camp I was overwhelmed with excitement and a little anxious. Kenyans, especially female Kenyans, are strong women who when challenged sure do give it their all, and I couldn’t have been more right.

The Everest Base camp trek is, I believe, one of the world’s most spectacular treks. It takes you though the ever changing Khumbu Valley with the worlds giants on either side of you, and the end goal of seeing Everest at the tip of the valley.

Although Everest is magnificent as she stands at 8848m, the highest point on earth and definitely one of the highlights, it is what is around Everest that personally steals my heart. The humble culture of the Sherpa to the jagged mountains approaching some of the worlds wonders are equally as spectacular.

When meeting our team I was ecstatic; the group looked strong and healthy. They made me cry with laughter within the first few hours of knowing them all, and that didn’t change for the entire trip!

Day one involved a culture day in Kathmandu. We were able to visit the ancient and historical side of this busy city that is so highly compacted into this valley. It was a different way to live compared to what we see in Kenya but we were humbled to see just how people can adapt to their own environments and live with such ease and happiness. I believe it humbled my entire team and set the scene to expect anything, but also to be exceptionally grateful for being where we were with such an incredible culture among us.

The day had come to fly to the infamous Lukla airport, tucked in the foothills of the Khumbu Valley. This plane journey is known as one of the most dangerous flights in the world due to its location. On this specific day the weather was not in our favour - storms and low cloud were predicted. On arriving at the airport it seemed all flights to Lukla were cancelled for the foreseeable future, or until a weather window opened up. This would mean delaying our trip and with the nature of the trek it would mean a late return date which none of the team could afford due to return flights to Kenya. We did have one other alternative option however... that would be to fly in by helicopter. It wouldn’t be a guarantee but it was the best chance to wiggle through the cloud and get to Lukla.

Our team was willing to chopper in so as our grounds team rushed around to organise the helicopters, Julian and I frantically tried to think of other options if the helicopters were unable to fly. Luckily there was a break in the cloud and that was enough for the helicopters to take off. 3 helicopters were chartered to get us to Lukla and our team was split up into 3 and off we flew.

Myself and 3 others were in one helicopter and the pilot was beyond incredible. The knowledge it takes to fly these things was beyond comprehension. As one of the ladies described a helicopter - ‘a million different bits of metal all trying to escape from each other!’

It sure was an eventful flight, we had to land in a rice paddy and await cloud to lift to get further up towards Lukla. We all got there safely and after some lunch and chatter about our eventful flight we were finally ready to begin our trek, and trek amongst the giants.

As we began the walk the heavens opened and it rained and rained until we got to Phakding our first night’s accommodation. We didn’t see many people at all due to the lack of flights flying and that went for the entire trek. We were so lucky to be able to walk the trail and only really see locals and horses and donkeys continuing with their daily lives and barely any other foreigners.

Once we were dry and cosy the team enjoyed a well deserved Nepali dish called ‘Dal Bhat’, a delicious traditional meal that the Sherpa people swear by as the best and most nutritious meal they can eat before and after big days out.

As the days went on the team thrived - constant chatter, laughter and clicks as the cameras took hundreds of pictures. The rains subsided after about 4 days but still we had not seen the giants around us, which also meant there were still no flights flying into Lukla. Although the peaks were tucked behind huge cumulonimbus clouds it still gave each of us butterflies to think we were amongst the beasts that were looking down at us.

When arriving at Namche Bazaar, the last big mountain town before the trail sneaks its way further upwards, we were able to enjoy a rest day. We explored the ancient town and visited the museum filled with information about the first ever expeditions to the wonderful culture of the Sherpa. It is near enough impossible to think what the first explorers would have had to go through to reach Base Camp and further the summit of Everest.

It was a further 4 days to Basecamp from Namche and the team were strong and energy levels were high. A few of the team had caught the infamous Khumbu cough, a dry hack which later turns into a loose fluorescent coloured cough.

By this point in the trek the clouds were still low and we still hadn’t seen any of the summits, and it began to cross my mind that we potentially might not see Everest or any of the 8000m peaks if the weather didn’t clear.

With that lurking on my mind, we continued higher and embraced all that was around us...

Everest Base Camp - not a tent in sight as everyone had retreated home as the winter was fast approaching. There had been so much snowfall the last few weeks that you could see giant scars in the snow as avalanches released, occasionally hearing a rumble from the glacier or a crash from an avalanche on the beasts around. Although safe where we stood, you couldn’t help but feel very small and insignificant in such a beautiful and untamed environment.

The team had all reached their goal as we all stood high up on Kala Patthar. Just before all hope was lost that we would see Everest’s summit, the cloud cleared and in all her glory the highest point on earth stood what seemed so close. But what lay between us and the summit of Everest was some of the most untamed environment only few risk to walk through.

I couldn’t have been more proud of the team and their own personal achievements. It is a tough challenge to be pushing our bodies in such a different environment for each person in their own way but they all did it, and the giggles never ceased. I can’t thank them enough for being not only an incredible team, but for being so flexible which is such a key attribute. I believe every team venturing into the mountains must have this, as the mountains and environment are constantly changing and with that, often a set plan doesn’t work.

Nepal Trekking