Winter Trekking in Nepal….The Preparation Begins

I have 35 ish days to go before I make the 24+ hour journey to Nepal for a 2.5 week trek to the Everest Base Camp (~18,000) with REI Adventures. Sleeping in a tent for 15 days is going to be cold-as-hell and will test my mental toughness on a daily basis (I am confident there will be a few tears).  I have a -20 degree sleeping bag, a fleece liner and a whole slew of hand, foot, and body warmers to keep me warm and toasty. I understand from the REI trip lead, there are 11 other crazy souls taking on this trek in the dead of winter.  My hubby Greg is sitting this one out, so I will have a tent all to myself!  I will miss my very own personal sherpa on this trip :-(.

For the first time in my history of planning a trek like this, there is a little bit of stress boiling up inside.  Mostly because I feel pitifully out of shape.  I have about 35 days to get it together.  I don’t know about you, but feeling forced to work out is not my idea of fun.  Running shoes will be glued to my body while working in Houston during the week and weekends in Colorado will be spent trudging up steep hiking trails to acclimate to higher altitudes – Rain, snow or shine.  If it sounds like I am behind in my training, I am – hence the stress.  A 2 week bout with the flu has not helped this situation.

Thankfully, I am a gear hound and with the exception of snow goggles, I have it covered.   I will, however, continue to test different layering options as I complete my winter training in the Colorado mountains.   For instance, this past weekend in Vail, CO, I was painfully reminded I need an additional layer of warmth on my legs just in case the wind decides to kick up to 20 – 25 MPH and create a white-out situation.  I have not been that cold in a LONG time.  My face was also in incredible pain from the exposure – it literally looked and felt like a cherry popsicle.

On a positive note – not only will I fulfill a bucket list item by having an up close and personal view of Mt. Everest, I will be flying the new United Airlines Dreamliner 787 from Tokyo to San Francisco – VERY excited about that.  So much, that I plan on writing a separate blog post on the Dreamliner itself!

Wish me luck while I prepare for this once in a lifetime adventure!  It will be amazing and one I look forward to sharing with you in the coming months!

17 thoughts on “Winter Trekking in Nepal….The Preparation Begins

  1. Pearl

    I will be praying for you for a safe trip and a safe return. I will sooooo look forward to hearing your stories. We should do dinner when you get back and have settled back into your routine.
    Pearl

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  2. Les Petits Pas de Juls

    I wish you luck and I want to hear about it all when you come back! I definitely want to trek Nepal, maybe not so much up to Base Camp but, why not, if I’m in shape by then. Now living at sea level, I would need much more time to acclimatize than during the trip when I could hike up without a problem. I’m hooked by your next hike! Let us knoz everything! 😉

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