Tag Archives: mountains

The Indescribable Adventure to the Everest Base Camp

14 Replies

Hello from the Life Bus!! After about a month of being away, FastPam is slowly getting back into the swing of daily life.  Had no flippin idea how much of a life change it would be after spending 3 weeks in a 3rd world country in the middle of no-where with a bum tooth.  I went from focusing on peaceful daily survival in the middle of the Himalayas to planning weekly business trips with a client in distress and scheduling a root canal.  Where do I start? I have gone round and round with how to describe this completely AMAZING adventure and for me, the best way to share the trip is through the images I produced.  In a nutshell, I spent 3 days exploring Thamel, Kathmandu and about 15 days on the main trail up to the first Mt Everest Base Camp (17,500 feet) – Into Thin Air actually means something to me now.  If you have not read the book, I highly recommend it. There were 12 strangers who hiked over 60 miles, climbed ~9,000k feet and came out in one piece with a greater appreciation for life and for each other.

An amazing group of people, bluebird-sunny days, minimal shower opportunities, shoddy power, no TVs, constant black fingernails and boogers, sherpa squat toilets, frozen underwear and socks, yak dung fires, blankets that smelled like bellybutton lint, a helicopter evacuation, and views of the most amazing mountains in the world contributed to one of the greatest adventures I will most likely ever experience in this lifetime!   I hope you enjoy viewing the adventure through my eyes.  As you can see, my favorite part of the trip, were the people we encountered along the way.  Thanks to REI Adventures for a trip of a life time.  If you are interested in the detailed trip itinerary, take a look on the Travel with REI section of the REI website.

Winter Trekking in Nepal….The Preparation Begins

17 Replies

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!