Everest Base Camp: An Experience Of Adventure And Amazement

We landed in Kathmandu. I didn’t move, even though everyone around me jumped off their seats as if they all caught a glimpse of the vanishing hitchhiker. I had to sit for a while and take it all in, I was in Kathmandu, Nepal. The land of the Himalayas, where world’s most towering mountain lay. Nepal is one of the most magnificent places I have travelled to. The country is an abode for trekkers and mountaineers seeking adventures and so was I seeking an escapade as I landed in Kathmandu to trek to the base of Mount Everest and come back covered in Himalayan experience with a fresh mind and bathed soul. The trek entails around 15 days hike from Lukla to the base camp and back. With absolute isolation from the world that includes vehicles and amenities, the way took me through jade rugged hills severed by the ghastly rapid and choppy river to the patella of Everest. The variegated prayer flags were with me wherever I went, lilting and swaying in the breezy environ.

The summary of my journey was

Kathmandu- Lukla- Phakding- Namche Bazaar- Tengboche- Dingboche-Lobuche- Gorakshep- Base camp- Pheriche- Namche- Lukla- Kathmandu

I went around late march when the weather was mildly chilly compared to the winters, with the occasional showers. A close friend of mine, counselled me about the trek, saying that this will take your everything, mentally and physically. Indubitably, that applied for me as I wasn’t a consistent trekker and terribly out of shape. Notwithstanding, I went ahead with it and it turned out to be the most memorable experience of my life. The trek from Lukla to Phakding was a plain sailing. It was downhill for most part and the weather was in a really good mood; not too cold and weepy. The next day, trekking to Namche seriously challenged my will and determination to finish the trek. I was panting and exhausted like never before, halting every five minutes after dragging myself up for hardly two minutes. Namche seemed like it refused to appear. For a long time, it was just me dragging at the uphill track only to find it extended above and higher. Finally, when Namche decided to show up, it was like Christmas in March. It’s the biggest town in Khumbu region and an important acclimatization point for trekkers to carry ahead. Namche was also the point where I could catch my first glimpse of Mount Everest standing mighty and tall with the peak besieged in the clouds.The journey ahead was similar, however, less intense. It was like a surreal dream with alpine mountains enveloping me all around. I would never be able to express the feeling of finally reaching the base camp, for there is no word for it. It is too strong to be anything. The trek exhausted me to my core, especially because I wasn’t fit for it. But the panorama is the most refreshing sight at the end. I realized the value of the quote, ‘The best view comes after the hardest climb’. In conclusion I would like to say Everest Base camp is a trek of a lifetime with picturesque views and some really deep epiphanies and a must try experience.