Everest Base Camp

In September 2007 Andy Brown, the Chairman of the 4th Kenilworth Scout Group, decided to start training for a trek to Everest Base Camp. At the time he received very sad news from Dave Smith, a work colleague and friend of nearly twenty years. His son Adam had tragically taken his own life at the age of 20. Andy took the decision to carry out the climb in memory of Adam, and also to raise funds for Young Minds, a charity that deals with stress issues in young people.

Just before setting off on the trek, it was suggested by the 4th Kenilworth that it might be a nice idea to take a necker, signed by all the boys, girls, leaders and members of the management committee, and take it up to Everest Base Camp. It would also provide some publicity for the Group in their local paper. The pressure was really on now – Andy had to get a photo of the necker in front of Mt Everest, which meant failure was not an option.

Joining Andy was a friend and work colleague, Steve Moody. On 7 November 2008 the two of them, together with 17 other hopefuls, met at Heathrow prior to the long flight to Kathmandu. From there they would fly to Lukla airport, a postage stamp of an airfield set on the side of a mountain in the Himalaya. Lukla is at 9380` altitude, is a mere 527m long, 20m wide, and has an eye-watering gradient of 12%. There are no landing aids, and there is a 2000` drop at one end of the runway and a stone wall at the other end. Naturally one lands uphill and takes off downhill. During the flight Andy and Steve notice that the radio altimeter, a device that uses radio signals to measure their height directly, indicates less than 400` as it flies through the mountains – the pilots seem to be enjoying themselves. The landing is indeed dramatic, with what looks like far too steep an approach, followed by a squeal as the wheels touch down and a long burst of reverse prop to slow down. Slow down insufficiently, and you hit the stone wall at the end of the runway. Slow down too much, and you probably start to roll backwards down the hill and off the edge. I discover later that there have been 4 incidents/accidents since 2004. Glad I didn’t know about that beforehand. Check out ‘Lukla Airport’on YouTube. It does not fail to entertain.

From Lukla is the start of the trek. The weather is beautifully warm, with blue skies and a bright sun. You could almost imagine you are on a Greek island in the summer. The expedition follows ancient paths that yak and man have followed for thousands of years. They are the only paths into the Himalaya, and everything is carried on yaks or on the backs of porters. As the expedition treks higher, so the effects of altitude start to take their toll. The ‘teccies’ in the group have hand held GPS, as well as hand held altimeters and pressure gauges. As they go ever higher towards Base Camp, the pressure drops to 515mb – half the pressure of the air at sea level. Lungs feel as if they are bursting as they try to breathe in air that has barely half the oxygen content at sea level. Hearts beat twice as fast to compensate for the lack of oxygen that the blood can hold. It is not unusual to have a resting heart beat of over 100 bpm, and work rates of 160+ bpm. Several of the expedition divulges they wake up in a panic because they cannot seem to get enough air when asleep.

The temperature also drops markedly as the expedition climbs higher. The author sleeps with 4 layers of clothes, a balaclava and a woolly hat, and still feels cold. Dust is everywhere. The first time you notice is in the reflected light of the head-torches. There is a phosphorescent effect and you realise you are constantly breathing in the dust. We pay for this later. Seventeen of the group suffer severe vomiting or the runs, including the expedition doctor. The sickness is put down to airborne pathogens carried on the dust. The only two people who are fit, including the author, live in fear that they too will suffer.

It is 4 am and someone is trying to wake me up…. it’s the wake up call for the attempt on Everest Base Camp. Only 13 out of 19 are allowed to make the attempt – the others are too sick. The 13 ‘lucky’ ones have one hour to break camp – difficult at the best of times but doubly so at an altitude of 17,000` and in the dark. Eventually they get going, and trek for 3 hours to Gorak Shep, the last settlement before yet another 3 hours to Base Camp. Here there is breakfast, and the leader watches everyone to ensure they eat. The orders are strictly obeyed – no breakfast means you don’t climb. There is one further imperative – start climbing by 10am, and turn back by 2.30pm, whether or not the objective is achieved. This is vital, since to walk back in the dark is incredibly dangerous. The group set off in good spirits. This is what they are here for, and they are doing this for their sponsors and their chosen charities. The going is hard, and the group thins slightly as the faster ones get ahead. The walk-in is like a giant building site, where the glacier has moved aside millions of tons of rubble and boulders the size of houses. Suddenly there is an archway of prayer flags, and the whole group staggers in to Everest Base Camp. There is much rejoicing, though it appears incongruous in such a desolate and god-forsaken place. November is definitely not the time to be climbing Everest, and Base Camp is completely deserted. It will get busier in May, when the climbing season starts.

The celebrations are interrupted by a commotion from another group. An older man is struggling. He cannot walk properly and he has trouble speaking. These are classic symptoms of High Altitude Cerebral Oedema, a potentially life threatening condition caused by a swelling of the brain in the high altitude conditions. He is carried back to Gorak Shep by his colleagues, arriving just before dark. The following day he is carried further down the mountain where a helicopter takes him to hospital. We hear later that he had been advised not to attempt Everest Base Camp. It reminds us just how dangerous this place can be.

The next day just eight of the expedition are left to climb Mt Kala Patthar, a mountain almost the height of Mt Kilimanjaro, the biggest mountain on the African continent, but a mere pimple amongst the mountains of the Himalaya. It is a 3 hour climb, and the views of Everest, just 5 miles away, are stunning. The size of this huge and majestic mountain is indescribable as it rises 2 miles higher above our heads, though it feels as if you can almost touch it. It is a most wonderful experience, and worth all the effort. I tie the necker to the prayer flags on top of the mountain, which is in full view of Mt Everest, and take lots of photographs to remind me of such a wonderful day.

And so back home. I set out to raise 10p/foot, which works out at £1850 for the 18,500` climbed. By an amazing coincidence I calculate I have raised £1856 for Young Minds, the charity to which people donated at Adam’s funeral a year before. Although not well known, it is a very worthwhile charity which helps raise awareness of stress issues in young people. Such issues are often taboo and not discussed.

By Andy Brown