Trekking is one of those things that truly brings me joy.
Being on top of world near the mountains, streams, and valleys where I can see and feel the clouds; is a feeling worth experiencing.
My parents got me into trekking when I was 7. I have completed a total of 6 treks so far and plan on doing many more. This year we decided that we would do one of the most popular treks there is, Everest base camp. This trek was 12 days long, the longest we have ever planned. Everest base camp is a trek/landmark in Nepal. It stands tall at the elevation of 5,364m above sea level, making it just 3,400m below Mt Everest. The total distance that we would have to cover was 130km. We left for Kathmandu on 12th October and before we knew it, the 13th arrived and our trek had begun. We started walking from a village called Lukla, its airport is known as one of the most dangerous ones in the world. The plane ride to Lukla was an amazing experience where I sat in an 18-seater plane. This trek is considered very hard due to its altitude. Many people get AMS (acute mountain sickness) which makes it almost impossible for anyone with AMS to continue walking.
On our third day, we stayed in a beautiful and popular village called Namche, where we were lucky enough to be a part of a movie being filmed. From Namche the route got a little more challenging, more uphill climbs, higher altitude and colder. We also crossed multiple suspension bridges, and came across one of the most famous - the double bridges. Along the way we met up with a few other groups who kept us company throughout the trek. We played cards together, talked and helped boost each other’s morale, which was very much necessary. Unfortunately, it started raining in Kathmandu on our 6th day, which meant snowfall, and rain for us. We had to walk in the heavy snowfall and it was not exactly fun. We each carried around 7-8kgs of weight in our bags and essentials such as water, some snacks, jackets. Therefore, that made it even harder to walk uphill. Luckily, on the day when we were going to Everest base camp the weather became clear and sunny unlike the other days. The view was breath taking and I cannot begin to explain how incredible it felt to finally be there. We took MANY pictures and danced a lot. The way back was extremely tiring but we did it, arriving safely. After that we had to walk another 18kms a day for the next two days of our descent, but that didn’t matter because we had done it. We had successfully finished our trek and it was the most astounding and extraordinary experience ever.
-Anvi Y9D
