Back from being out of the office

It can’t have escaped your notice that here we are in December, what happened to the year? Where did November go? For my regular followers, where did my blog entries go during the last month? I know exactly where, up a mountain! I just got back from trekking to Everest Base Camp and it was the most extreme thing I have ever done, or am likely to do for a while, at least. It was extreme, it was harder than I thought, more dangerous, more stunningly beautiful, more amazing and much more of an emotional journey.

It sounds quite a cliché to say it, but it also really shone a light on who I am as a person. I suffer with asthma, two of the major triggers of which are going uphill and the cold air. So it was a long, hard slog each day for me as my breathing kept going out of control and I had to stop, regroup and start again. Walking alongside and trekking across the Kumbu glacier above 5000 metres was pretty challenging for our whole group as humans shouldn’t really be at that altitude, and it wasn’t kind for my asthma at all. I also have a real fear of heights so going over 6 suspension bridges was hard too – especially the one at 80m off the valley floor. When the medic measured my pulse after that one, it was 148! And trekking 2000 feet up and down the ridgeline on an acclimatisation day suffering with an upset stomach was a whole new challenge! But I amazed myself and it was an emotional moment when I stepped onto Base Camp.

It was such an extreme experience, it’s been a bit surreal getting back into the daily routine. In my head it should be September as I’m just back from holiday and in Nepal it’s the year 2070 – it’s no wonder I’m confused and Christmas seems like it should be months away yet!