When I moved to Gisborne in 2014 I started walking again after a period of not being active for about 8 years due to illness.

In 2016 I started competing in sporting events again. Last year (2017) proved to be exceptional for my health fitness and general wellness. I finished all the races in the pictures below.

Decide Commit Succeed - YOU are your only limit. \240These became the motto I lived by.

My stats for this year: \240distance 5209 km (3236.7 miles), ascent 53630 m, duration 534 hours, 329232 kcal, 340 training sessions.

I am thankful to be alive and to be able to move in the environment. I’ve set high goals for 2018.

To start off I leave for Nepal to climb to Everest Base Camp in mid-January 2018. As I write this it is exactly a week before I fly off to begin a year of living life to the fullest. Bring on 2018!

The trek to Everest Base Camp goes over two weeks of hard trekking. \240Here is the map of our planned journey.

Came to Auckland Airport and checked in. First time I flew with China Southern Airlines. They upgraded me to premium and I had a pleasant flight to Guangzhou.

They needed a doctor on board for a passenger with gastro. He was very ill but I stept up and we got to Guangzhou. I was amazed at how big that airport was! We arrived at 5am and it was still dark when we drove with a bus from the airplane to the terminal. It took about 20 minutes for the bus to get to the terminal. The buildings of the airport looked intimidating that time of the day. Could feel we’re not in a full democracy.

I made some friends while waiting for the connecting flight to Nepal. We had to go through customs at Guangzhou. First time I got a full body scan and a thorough pat down. I was glad to get out of Guangzhou. We were on a much smaller plane to Kathmandu - a 5 hour flight with strict Chinese air hostesses who were very autocratic. Didn’t take nonsense from anyone. In front of me was a couple with a young daughter who just could not sit still. Was a noisy one. We arrived in Kathmandu. Very chaotic at the airport but somehow organised. Eventually I connected with my Kathmandu crew.

After nearly getting sucked into a mob having to pay tips we left the airport and drove what felt like for hours through Kathmandu to the hotel. Amazing journey with no road code and the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu.

We arrived at my hotel where I sleep over tonight before joining the crew tomorrow for a briefing before we leave for Lukla on Wednesday. My hotel is amazing and has a very colonial feel to it. Amazing views across Kathmandu.

A very stately set up and traditional Nepal-colonial building with a huge veranda. \240I sat down has a drink and connected with Juanita and my son Sione. Was great hearing their voices and to feel their support.

I had my first dinner in Nepal. I forgot it’s Indian country but soon remembered when they brought out the beautiful achar and curry. Unbelievable meal with the curry so hot it literally made me tear and sweat.

I had a last relaxing moment on the veranda. It was after dinner that I realised my right foot is now so painful I have serious pain just using the foot. I hurt it when I overcompensated for my left calf while out doing the half marathon last Sunday back home in Gisborne. I’ve been nursing it hoping it would be all settled by now. But tonight the right foot is thumping. I retire to my beautiful turned down room, had a great shower and put my plantar fasciitis sock on the right foot. I’ve had paracetamol brufen and tramadol. Feet up while I retire. I know this is going to be a challenge while I’m climbing. But there is no ways I’m pulling out! I did it in the 50 km Taupo Ultra and I can do it again. I’m not letting the foot get the better of me.

Just about to switch off the light and there’s a knock on my door. Just a complementary cake from the hotel to say goodnight. Nepal is turning out to have a lot of hidden secrets and surprises.

I woke early had a healthy breakfast of steak salmon eggs and vegetables. Sat around sorted out the money (carrying US$ and Nepalese Rupee) struggling to track the values in my mind. Never been a money guy. Packed my gears for the journey - not much thinking it’s a two week journey. I’m so ready for this despite my right foot still bothering.

They picked me up from the Crowne Plaza and brought me over to The Addess Hotel. The way the driver negotiate through traffic (everything goes: cart, pedestrian, motorcycles, etc) is unbelievable. No traffic lights and very heavy bustling on the streets. Had to walk a little to get to the Address and I’m optimistic about my right foot. I think all it needs is a good hikoi! Next the briefing. The smell of incense and curry with a lot of people talking fills the air.

The Address Hotel. \240There is obviously a big team of different businesses working together and profiting out of these trekking expeditions. \240The Himalayan Wonders orchestrates the movement and bookings of the group with contacts for everything you need from exchanging money to buying gears.

The rest of my day turned out amazing. Met the group: Sirli a nutritionist originally from Estonia but now living in Mexico, Ethan a student from Wellington, New Zealand and Eva a civil engineer from Canada. The other two guys are from Himalayan Wonders, our organising trek company. At our briefing/meet-up we all clicked well. Similar in ideology and minds. Was great meeting people that are so similar to myself.

After last minute gear shopping and money exchange me and Eva connected over a beer. \240I bought two trekking pants and the customised alterations was done at the shop while I waited. Customer service is a high priority to assist you with setting you up for a great trek and service in general here in Kathmandu.

What an amazing woman she is and we are similar in the way we think and the way we do things. She might come over next year for support of my 100 miles in February 2019 and we’ll do a Tonga and Fiji island hop together. We promised to revisit after our Everest trek to leave options open. \240Due to her input I’ve also now added a hiking trip for the end when back in Kathmandu after the Everest Base Camp. \240A hike through the temples in Kathmandu. \240Looking forward to it the day before my flight back home.

Kathmandu is an amazing place with what seems to be an unorganised chaotic hustle. I quickly realised that there is an underlying utmost respect for human life and a strong free spirit that prevails underneath that western organisation and thought failed to produce.

I’m off to bed now getting ready for a 3 am start tomorrow. We’re off to the airport at 5 am for our flight to Lukla - the most dangerous airport in the world: Tenzing-Hillary Airport. \240Gear packed traveling lite and will only have one shower in the next two weeks. \240Better get to try to get some sleep.

For the next two weeks my earthly belongings has been reduced to a duffle bag and a back pack. It’s actually amazing with how little you can get by and in our modern lives it’s easy to lose track of this. Quality of life doesn’t require a lot!

After another adventurous drive we arrived at the airport. Thanks to Himalayan Wonders our transition into the departure hall went smoothly. Everyone doing something for you need a tip and our combined extra 15 kg cost us NR 500 (USD 5). They confiscated lighters and as soon as we entered the departure hall you can buy them from the shop again. Now we wait for our flight to Lukla as soon as the fog lifts we are away.

We jump on a bus that took us across the tarmac to our plane. With temperatures freezing we boarded our plane. We took off from Kathmandu towards the Himalayas and soon the view below our plane became the beautiful landscape of massive mountains. Apart from a bit of turbulence the flight was unremarkable. We landed safely in Lukla at Tenzing-Hillary Airport. It was ice cold in Lukla - a cold like I haven’t experienced in a very long time. The thermometer measured 3 degrees Celsius where we were sitting inside having breakfast.

Lukla Airport, Everest Region, Nepal. One of the most dangerous airports in the world. It is the only aerial gateway to Mount Everest located at around 9500 feet or 2900 meters above sea level. It's runway is only 1500 feet or 460 meters!

Upon our arrival outside the airport building was our guide waiting for us. Nil will be our guide through the next 2 weeks of hiking. He was born and still stays in Lukla. He has a son of 8 and a daughter of 1 years old. He has been a guide for the last 4 years.

Our two Sherpa porters also came to greet us before they ushered our duffle bags on the back and took off for Phakding.

It’s unbelievable to see how the Sherpa carries these heavy loads on their backs. Being the mountainous area they are key to the economy of all the villages.

The trek through Chaurikharka was unbelievably beautiful and tranquil. We are here in the quietest time of the year. This means serenity and a quiet and quick trail. My right foot behaved just well and is much better. Have to keep it in mind to prevent stepping badly and hurting it again.

There are a lot of religious shrines along the route. Painting on rocks, stone tables, bells and flags is in abundance. Namaste is the standard greeting along the way.

Everyone shares the trail. Humans, donkeys and yaks with bells around their necks regularly comes past from the front. It leaves a terrible odour along the route but all part of the experience.

Two kilometres from our overnight tea house we had a break and the milk tea went down a treat. Then a view uphills and we arrived at our tea house.

After a nice hot chips and fried egg lunch we headed out for a short hikoi over the river. The hang bridges are a fixture on the trail and exciting to cross.

If you get nervous all you have to do is focus on the beautiful nature around you and you soon forget you’re swinging in the air.

The cold is setting in fast now. It’s 3.15 pm the sun is disappearing behind the huge mountains and you can feel the temperature is dropping fast. We are in for cold nights and early nights in the Himalayas.

Today was an easy relatively flat trek. When there were short climbs my heart rate went up to 145 quickly. Even with all the stamina training I can already feel the effects of high altitude.

Where we are now we’re at 79% oxygen and the higher we go the less the oxygen content of the air. The air is not as dense and I noted I was breathing much faster than usual.

I also noticed small mistakes like setting the camera wrong and also a longer reaction time. Combined with the cold it results in everything happening much slower than usual. I also I am increasingly yawning. I absolutely love this challenge!

The sights and sounds are different to what I’m used to. \240Seems everything happens outside in the morning and moves inside from around 2.30 pm. \240There is no rush and everyone is relaxed and friendly. \240The Sherpa keep fascinating me - they achieve the impossible with how much and what they can carry.

Only the first day and I’m inspired by the environment and the people of the land. I feel so blessed to be able to come in and for the local people to allow me to share in this beautiful and inspiring place.

Up again early today to pack up have breakfast and head out. \240We have a more challenging day ahead of us before our acclimatisation day tomorrow.

Got to get out of the warm sleeping bag to wash up with ice cold water and get ready. Looking forward to a great time trekking today.

We left Phakding and it was a pleasant mild incline till we got to our morning tea spot. This part of our journey has a lot of traffic, which again made me thankful we’re doing it in the quiet season. \240The incline became drastically more when we left the tea house after morning tea.

My drink at the moment is milk tea. Warm milk with teabags. \240It is interesting refreshing and I think the old body is enjoying the extra protein mixed with hydration.

We continued on to Jorsalle where we had lunch. I noticed that as the trek goes on My body becomes more lose and mobile. This was clear as the intensity of the trek got more I also enjoyed it more. Has Tabetian bread with honey (like a fried bread). It gave me the carbohydrates and fat that was so needed on the next part of our hikoi.

We left Jorselle and the hardest part of the whole adventure kicked in. \240By now we’ve crossed so many hang bridges so the ultra long one above the old Hillary bridge was easy to negotiate. \240But man that incline that followed was unbelievably hard and just kept going on forever. Halfway was the first time we saw Everest and it was food for the soul. \240We arrived at Namche Bazaar absolutely exhausted. \240The town is on the hill and the steps just kept coming till we got to our Sherpa Village.

A warm sunny room with a beautiful view awaited us. \240The others went straight to bed. \240I got a hot shower that heated me up and I felt refreshed and rejuvenated. \240Eventually we sat down for tea. \240I ordered a small pot of milk tea and it ended up a flask that gave me 5 cups. \240Had pizza and egg soup. \240Perfect kai to end a challenging day like today.

Now just setting in for a great sleep. Tomorrow we stay in Namche Bazaar from where we’ll do a day trek to different views of Everest. Sleep is close.

Just to review today’s trek. I have never burnt so much calories in a 10 km walk. I am pleased how my body is holding up. \240The foot is nearly fully recovered but the left calf was pulled again at the same spot I did on Titirangi the weekend before I left home. However we manage it well.

Just looking at the route makes me feel extremely pleased and blessed.

Many good conversations happening around the food table. \240This was on Jorselle.

This is a great picture to show how cold it is. \240Had to be careful of the ice at places not to slip.

The mega long hang bridge above the old Hillary bridge (not in use anymore to old).

This is a map of Namche Bazaar. The map misleading as to the incline in between the buildings. \240I had a hot shower here and felt a million dollars afterwards but took a while to heat up again. \240Was worthwhile though.

Halfway up the mountain a pleasant surprise with the first view of Everest.

The scale of these mountains are indescribable. Massive and majestic.

The working trail which is the main artery that provides for this region.

Just feeling so great tonight and thankful. 4 Years back I was in Wellington and could not walk far had to go back to the hotel room. \240And look how far I’ve come. Thankful and blessed are the words that comes to mind.

We stay in Namche Bazaar today doing local trekking around it. Will be hilly though but looking forward to the views.

The room here at Sherpa Village is great. Full sun sleeping block across from the tea house almost like a wharekai and wharenui but separate rooms on three levels. I have settled in well in my room. Full sun during the day. Amazing views from my window.

After breakfast we went for an acclimatisation hikoi. From the start it’s hard because of the stairway up through Numche Bazaar. \240We first went to the national park. \240Had a view history lessons wondering through the little museum there.

In the left middle photo is Echa who is one of our Sherpa porters. The photo on the right is me and our guide Nil and way down above our heads is the valley we can from yesterday and notably you cannot even see the bottom. We are high up and our own feet brought us here.

The photo also shows the boots that Tenzing wore going up Everest with Hillary and here they are in a photo together having tea. \240Amazing to know we are walking in their footsteps.

From the National Park we climbed a mountain to get a good view of the mountains around Everest. It was a very steep climb and the air is thin and has less oxygen. The exhaustion is unbelievable going up.

Once again it feels great knowing my own two feet got me up there. The reward was a great view over towards Everest.

Everest Base Camp is to the left. You can only see the top of Everest from this view. \240It is the little top to the left of my head in the photo below. Every mountain in this photograph has a name. \240How blessed I felt standing up there.

Here is another photo of the full view we had after our climb today.

When we came down me and Echa ran down. It was exhilarating knowing I’m doing a trail run down this mountain in the Himalayas. We took a selfie when we got to the bottom. \240We ran down in 15 minutes from a 390 m elevation.

The route we took today’s trek was the most I think I’ve ever burned in 4 km. \240The exhaustion was worthwhile.

About 45 minutes later the rest of our group arrived back. I was waiting for the already washed up change of clothes and shoes. I took this photo as they came around the corner. \240We are a great group of likeminded people could not have hoped for a better group.

How privileged we are to be able to move in our environment. \240To connect to the land which we will return to when we pass on. My connection with the land has brought me so far. \240It’s made me healthy in body mind and spirit.

Here is another photo of the valley we came from yesterday taken from the top of our climb today. Goodness we got here on our own steam!

Those little specks in the valley was our last checkpoint before we crossed Hillary bridge yesterday and this is what it looks like down there. \240Today we were on the top of the right brown summit under the branches of the tree.

We are in the remotest areas in the Himalayas. The village we are in now, Numche Bazaar is the last one we can use water purification tablets for our drinking water. From here upwards we need to buy bottled water and the further we go the more expensive it gets. Giving that I drink 4-5 litres a day this can get expensive.

Also wifi is available at a price and it is extremely slow. \240You can get your charger banks charged also at a fee. Till now I’ve been able to use only solar power that I carry around with me. The cold and altitude markedly taps the battery life also so only the essentials are on on the phone basically all the time on battery saving mode.

These things we take so for granted and when you have to start planning for these things you start to realise how dependent we’ve become on technology and how easy it has made life in the western world.

Last surprise before we retired after tea - our guide has now started checking out oxygen saturation to monitor us for altitude disease. \240It’s getting real when this sort of thing starts happening. \240Looking forward for tomorrow’s trek. \240My highlight will be visiting the monks at the monastery.

Last night Nil asked us if we would like to upgrade our hotel in Tengboche. Apparently it has electricity in the room and hot showers and electric blankets. It will cost us each an extra NR 2500 and we decided to do it. So I’m looking forward to a hot shower again later this afternoon.

I was ready at 8 am but everyone else was late of our group. \240I was stressing thinking about the hard climbing ahead and decided to go. \240I told Nil I’m off and Echa join me at the top of the hill. \240It was great walking with Echa today. \240First I took a photo of the Hillary bridge again showing this time how high we’ve climbed. \240Right in the valley below you can see the tiny specks of the bridges.

Next we reached the Hillary and Tenzing stupa. \240It’s Buddhism’s way of setting up a monument. \240Hillary and Tenzing didn’t do something specific here it just acknowledges them.

Onwards me and Echa went. \240He took son photos of me also. \240It was fun walking with him and I could see he enjoyed every moment also. \240It was like having my own Sherpa porter/guide all for myself.

That mountain in the photo above is Ama Dablam. \240It the Sherpa word for mother and you can see her son next to her. \240Us two arrived at the tea house where we had morning tea. \240About 30 minutes later the rest of the group arrived also.

Leaving morning tea we headed down the river bank. It was a steep watch-your-step down and after crossing the hang bridge we arrived at our lunch spot.

When we were way back up the top just past the Tenzing Hillary stupa Echa sowed me where we were going to have lunch. \240I took a photo from the top and again one from where we had lunch upwards. \240This gives a good idea of how high up we were and from where we came down.

After lunch we had another steep as climb for two kilometres. \240Again I left the group behind and me and Echa headed up. \240Today I was stressed about our climbs because I could feel it working on my body taking everything out when I climbed the stairs in Numche Bazaar. \240I was pleasantly surprised to see how well I climbed. \240And again me and Echa had heaps of fun climbing together.

Still blows my mind this skill the Sherpa porters have to carry all this weight. \240Yes this little man is carrying close to his own weight on his back. \240The views from our climb was amazing like just the Himalayas can provide.

And each time you go ahead on your journey you suddenly are rewarded with another peak around another corner. \240It is almost a game that this land is playing with you while you’re connecting with it.

We arrived at the monastery. Obviously very old. There were lots of stupa and prayer wheels around it.

We went inside after removing our dirty boots and inside the temple in the front were three massive statues of different gods. We sat on the sides. Two monks came in and started chanting while they were reading old manuscripts. The one was probably in his late fifties and the other couldn’t have been older than twenty. The younger one made me feel sad. They enter the monastery when they are two years old and stay there for life. That made me feel sad as neither had an actual choice in becoming monks. Also the younger one reminded me of Sione and I suddenly missed my son severely.

Leaving the monastery we headed down hill to our “upgraded” accommodation. We passed a glacier small but active. Yup it’s ice not a river.

The upgrade to our accommodation was worthwhile. \240A hot shower, electric blanket, electricity where we can charge our electronics, clean bedding no need for the sleeping bag. We had a great meal and then retired.

The views from here is breathtaking. \240Here are two photos minutes apart. Again only what you can find in the Himalayas. \240

Today I also woke with a chest infection. I coughed up heaps of yellow sputum and not feeling the greatest. Just what you don’t want while climbing in high altitude. However got my azithromycin in as soon as we arrived at our overnight lodging. Had a great meal of soup and potatoes and chocolate. And trust I’ll feel much better after a warm sleep.

Lastly today I’ll post the images of our trek. Unbelievable what the earth can do for you if you connect with it. Apart from the physical benefits mentally and spiritually it also has a very positive effect.

When we started off this morning the altitude was a real problem. \240It didn’t take much of an incline, even walking down was with effort. \240I just kept going until we arrived at our morning tea spot.

It was me and Echa that walked together. I struggle to slow my pace down to accommodate the other three in the group so it ended up me walking with Echa. Eventually the rest arrived for morning tea. \240Our guide Nil walks with the group at the back. \240What a great guy he is!

We left the morning tea spot and arrived at Pangboche for lunch. Me and Echa was there about 45 minutes before the rest of the group. \240We had lunch there. \240I had some lemon ginger & honey tea and boiled potatoes. Just couldn’t stomach anything else. I’ve tried to eat according to the heart rate levels I’m working in with honey bread and fried bread mainly as staples for lunch to carry me through the afternoon. \240Today I just couldn’t stomach more. \240We spent a bit of time fooling around there before we took on the final leg of our journey to Dingboche.

Our final leg of trekking today was through a traverse luckily dry. \240It was warm and the first half mainly down hill. \240When we came to the bridge things changed though.

After the bridge it was uphill all the way. \240It reminded me of the Tussock Traverse I did last year but more elevation. \240We worked hard to get to the top with the welcome view of Dingboche in the distance.

Arriving in one piece we clocked into our tea house - Hotel Good Luck. \240The rooms are elementary and basic but will suit Julia fine for the next two nights. Tomorrow is an acclimatisation day. We’re going to do a massive ascent to view Everest and the other mountains.

Tonight’s oxygen saturation and heart rate. \240I’m so thankful I’m fit to do this and that I’m healthy.

It’s now 6.55 pm I’m in bed ready to have a great long sleep. \240I’m so blessed and fulfilled on all levels. \240What an unbelievable experience!

Our statistics for today. Was a great day weather wise was challenging and just long enough!

We’re all tired at tea tonight ready to go to bed!

I feel so refreshed this morning but the high altitude is palpable. \240Today is an acclimatisation day.

We’re going to go for a climb up to a viewpoint and watch a documentary. The emphasis however is taking it easy. There is no wifi or cellphone reception here. I’m loving it but terribly missing chatting to Juanita and Sione. It was them that came into my mind so far every time the climb got challenging. Seeing their faces in my mind with them saying they’re proud of me gave me extra strength to keep going. \240Looking forward to see these little buggers again!

I cannot put into words my experience today. \240I’m actually very emotional laying here thinking of how I will write today up. \240After breakfast myself, Echa, Eva and Sirli started a trek up the mountain next to Dingboche.

I was not expecting the challenge that we were set. \240 We kept climbing for two hours. \240Layers started peeling off, sunglasses came out and water pouring down our throats. \240 Eva got diarrhoea, I started having several episodes of several dizziness, Sirli headaches because we were actually climbing to 5000 meters.

Unbelievable you climb for 2 meters and have to stop, put your head low, breathe deeply to recover and carry on. After a 10 meter rock climb we eventually reached the summit Nagarzo. It was unbelievable!

The views from the top was breathtaking. Two eagles circled us. We were on such a high. Today tops the degree of difficulty I’ve ever done physically. But it was my mental and spiritual strength that pulled me through (and also the voices of the two kids above that kept ringing in my mind). Truly you are your only limit!

After we came back to our base we had lunch although I could only stomach a mars bar and loads of water. We then went to a bakery/cafe with a big screen. I had a cinnamon roll and apple danish with real coffee. And we watched the movie Everest. The impact of that after today’s climb was quite emotional.

Here are some of the views from the summit I just can’t put into a collage.

On the sideline here is how water is boiled during the day when the sun is out.

Here are the stats of our climb. I am simply astounded at how much calories I burned with a two kilometre climb and two kilometre descent.

I’m packed ready to go. My usual first in the dining room. Warm cozy fire going in the stove that is all that’s keeping me company at the moment. Looking forward to a good trek today to clear my mind. Missing the kids terribly.

Had a good trek today. However tonight I’m totally spent. I struggle with the food they have on offer. The smell of everything fried is just making me feel sick. So the past few days I’ve been having tuna sandwiches only and boiled eggs. I’ve also been eating snickers bars for energy. Don’t need much carbohydrates as most of my energy needs has been in fat burn heart rate levels.

Today our trek went over amazing landscapes. I cannot collage them as you cannot see the real impact of the landscape so here goes all separately.

The track at the bottom in the valley is our return journey. \240We walked way up the mountain today.

This is Pheriche were we’ll sleep the third last night on our return.

Where there’s water there’s ice. \240The air is thin and the temperature cold. \240

This yak was not going to move for nothing. \240Echa tried to make him stand but not even a blink of an eyelash.

Pumari seen for the first time. There are so many peaks in the Himalayas and everyone has a name.

That’s where we had lunch today. \240Me and Echa was there over half an hour before the others. \240I was starting to freeze. \240

The dry river bed. \240 This makes distances shorter than summer as high water levels cause further climbing to get across.

I enjoyed walking with Echa and I’ve learned a lot from him on how to trek in mountains.

In summer the water level is over that bridge. \240Thanks winter for making our distances a bit shorter. \240

The lunch break from close by.

That white line going up the hill is the track we had to get up. \240It was quite a climb. Halfway up I realised I left my phone down the bottom where we had lunch. \240I was too focused on starting the climb. \240Luckily Nil took it for me.

Below is the stupas in remembrance of those who died on Everest. \240Sad some of those remembrance plaques mostly young motivated souls. \240“Died on the way down from Everest summit” “climbed 8 summits got shot while climbing a mountain in Pakistan” and so on and so forth.

Just after Nil gave me my phone back. \240Really going to miss him, Echa and Orna.

And then you just keep walking through this barren landscape. \240Lots of dust in the wind. \240Cold and windy.

Then you come around the corner and here lies Lobuche. \240Pleasant sight for sore legs.

The views around Lobuche.

Note Orna in the ice cold water washing his feet. \240

Just before tea at the fireplace. \240I could not keep my eyes open. \240

Our stats for today’s trek. \240Tomorrow is the big day - Everest Base Camp. \240 After all this climbing acclimatisation and efforts we will reach our goal tomorrow. \240Long day ahead. \240

Still no wifi. Miss Juanita and Sione a lot. \240He’s gone to Fiji today. \240I have not had any contact with either of them since the weekend. \240Love them to bits.

It has been a journey to get to this point and I’m looking forward to experience all the planning and efforts coming together.

How things can change suddenly up here. \240Over night all the water in our rooms froze. \240It was extremely cold.

After breakfast we started our trek to our final destination: \240Gorakshep (where we based for the night) and from there we planned to go to Everest Base Camp and back. \240This is our group starting off.

Soon into our trek the weather turned. It became very windy and even the water in my camelback froze.

The wind became worse and the clouds started coming in. \240The temperature dropped even more. At this stage I realised things could get serious at any moment for any of us. \240This is just as the weather turned.

We passed Khumbu glazier. \240But at this stage I started noticing that Ethen (the guy in orange in our group) was not responding normally.

Me and Echa and Orna arrived at Gorakshep first. \240It was unbelievably cold it was snowing with a blizzard. \240As I watched the others come in I noticed Nil carrying Ethan’s bag. \240Ethan came in and was in a bad state. \240To cut a long story short I think he has developed cerebral oedema due to the altitude. \240We are now 5180 m above sea level. \240After a bit of administrative processing the helicopter was cleared to come evacuate him.

However the weather is too bad in Lukla. \240We hoped the whole afternoon it would clear but it didn’t. \240Meantime I gave some meds I had and we also got a half a tank of oxygen. \240Now it looks like there will be no flights up here till the morning. \240That means basically no sleep for me. \240Now I’ve just been informed there’s another guy from another party up here that also needs evacuation. \240This emphasise how challenging this is.

That was just as they came in. \240After a bit of resuscitation Ethan only remembers from 3.15 pm. \240Everything including the walking he cannot remember. \240 Meanwhile the crew is all supportive.

The day started with no snow. \240This is the aftermath of the blizzard. \240

It was only a four kilometre trek. \240Just look at these stats.

Unbelievable! \240 I’ve had to turn the tea house into a makeshift hospital. \240Ethan’s helicopter could not fly in due to the weather. \240Then they called me to another tea house where there was another sick guy. \240A young Chinese man who is a solo climber with no support who another guide already organised a helicopter for him for evacuation but his flight was also cancelled. \240

This guy has altitude disease with possible pulmonary oedema. \240I moved him over to us also. \240He needs oxygen but cannot afford it. \240I had four Sherpa guides and locals discussing this and at the end the conclusion was only to use it if he is dying. \240His oxygen saturation dropped at one stage to 25% but subsequently is sitting around 60%. \240He is sleeping now.

Ethan took another turn for the worse but I stabilised him his oxygen went up to 100% and his neurological status also improved. \240

We’re all sleeping Marae styles in my makeshift hospital in the dining room of our tea house.

I’m going to be exhausted tomorrow when these choppers eventually arrive.

I was up at 6 am. The toilet and flushing water is solidly frozen. Awkward but sometimes a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.

At the end I had to keep Ethan’s oxygen running to keep him stable. Chinese guy’s oxygen remains low. Now 6.30 am hopefully the choppers will be here within an hour and a half. Then we can finish our trek to base camp and get the hell out of here.

Today’s itinerary was set like this.

I think we’ll just head over to Everest Base Camp then come back grab our stuff and head straight to Pheriche.

I did it! \240We left the tea house (without Nil who had to stay for the helicopter evacuations). \240Echa walked with the girls and Orna walked with me. \240It was an amazingly difficult two kilometres out to Everest Base Camp.

The landscape is so beautiful yet unforgiving. \240It was below zero and the terrain intense. \240Ice made fot dangerous negotiations which is you misjudged you’ll certainly end up in a crevice. And then suddenly it is. \240Everest Base Camp.

When we started our trek up to Everest Base Camp I couldn’t stop the emotions welling up. \240It was only me and Orna and he’s a choice fella who doesn’t say a lot. \240All my difficulties the past years suddenly felt like nothing compared to the greatness of my surroundings. \240It was like a healing force that took hold of me and erased all negative memories. \240I felt intensely greatful and blessed. \240The experience of a lifetime I would struggle to explain to others. \240Connecting to the environment has such power. \240

Then the rest of the group arrived and the cameras were in full swing.

The landscape around EBC is so majestic, dramatic and powerful.

The glacier going up to the right of the photos above, goes to Everest. There were a group based at EBC who has successfully summit Pumari and is now going to do Everest. This glacier is the start to camp one.

Even the smallest details are just breathtaking.

We returned to have lunch at our tea house and left to start our descent. \240We descended 1000 m today ina mega 12 km run/walk/jumping from rock to rock. \240Me and the boys stuck together and had heaps of fun.

Imagine running down this descent at full speed. \240I’ve learnt so much from the Sherpa and the porters. \240They don’t have a word for impossible in the Sherpa language!

We passed by the memorial stupa for those who’s lost their lives on Everest and associated mountains. \240The intensity of the feeling for these people was more intense today having done my climb to EBC. \240The plaques are heartfelt messages of motivated souls dying in what they loved doing.

So we continued on to our third last nights’ tea house. \240It is bitterly cold below zero. \240My water keeps freezing in the camelback. I’m going to go home but I’ll never leave this place!

Here’s our trek that we did today. Starting with EBC.

Up early packed and downstairs waiting for breakfast then head out further out descent. \240There’s a strap Hill to climb before we go down further, but I’ll just pretend it Kaiti Hill.

At this stage I’m looking forward to get back to Lukla and jump on the plane back to Kathmandu and to indulge in a bit of luxury at the Crowne.

What an amazing day it turned out to be. \240We walked we climbed for kilometres on end. \240 The feet are sore the body aches. \240

It was -12 in Pheriche this morning. \240Every thing was frozen. \240Eva was very tired this morning. \240After breakfast we headed out. Our first climb started.

The way back was totally different because of the snow and ice everywhere. \240It was beautiful though but made it more challenging.

We stopped for lunch and a chat. Everyone was in high spirits. The descent is so much more achievable because the oxygen in the air gets more you can literally breathe better and your stamina is more.

We went past the monastery again and man I could honestly not remember the climb up to the top from the other side. \240It came as a surprise but felt good getting to the top!

The weather turned it began to snow and it was bitterly cold. \240But we made it to Namche Bazaar in one piece. \240For the first time in days we had running water and mirrors. We were shocked to see what we looked like and it was quite funny also!

We appreciated the simple luxuries again. We each went into our own worlds. Zoned out so to say. What a journey we had! Bigger groups are going up now and I’m relieved that we were a small intimate group. It has made the experience so much more special and satisfying.

Tomorrow is our last trek back to Lukla where we’ll feast and have celebrations before we head out to Kathmandu the day after.

As for today we rocked it!

The Hillary bridge.

Had difficulty sleeping tonight too excited to get to Lukla. Got around 3 hours. The other groups were very noisy and again I’m feeling blessed that weeere a small group at the end only three. It made the experience more personal with lots of time to yourself.

We left Namche early at a steady pace. \240It has been a cold wet lots of snow day from beginning to the end. \240We got to Lukla and hopefully the weather will be fine for us to take off.

I forgot my phone at the checkpoint and Neel took it again. \240We had a bit of a laugh and took the selfie. \240

We stopped for tea and the others caught up. \240Eva took the wrong way and they ended up walking an extra 3 kilometres. \240Crack up.

This is a little hospital on the way. Apparently they do open heart surgery here.

Finished off our Himalayan adventure. \240What an experience this was! \240 Family forever!

The monkey god.

The palace in rebuilding. \240The earthquakes in Nepal left some devastating scars on the old cultural buildings. \240Currently they are being restored. \240

Below is the place where the Kumari and her family stays. A young girl without menarche is chosen as the god - until she has menarche then a new one is chosen. Men don’t want to marry her as they believe they’ll die sooner.

The monkey temple. \240Beautiful views from the top over Kathmandu. \240

These flags are all over Nepal and in the Himalayas. \240The five colours represent the elements: earth, water, fire, wind and wood. \240On each flag is a Buddhist prayer.

The organs from which the universe came. \240

The temple of Kama Sutra. \240

The compound where the “ghost” people stay and learn.

I also observed the thousand year ritual of cremation and Dipendra explained all the rituals and details with me. It was quite an experience and I smelled like cremation the rest of the day. \240There are no cemeteries in Nepal. \240All bodies gets cremated regardless of religion.

We went back into Kathmandu to the traditional markets. \240People here don’t speak English. \240The hustle and bustle of merchants doing their thing and a never ending stream of traffic all surrounded by buildings and alleys thousands of years old made it feel like I’ve stepped back in time.

After the cultural experience I went back to my hotel feeling satisfied that I’ve soaked up as much of the Nepalese way as I could. \240It has been an enriching experience on all levels. \240I’ve made unbelievable new friends and met heaps of new people and customs. \240I am going to miss this place and it’s people.