EBC – Background and Preparation

So, after almost 2 years of telling myself I need to get back on my blog and continually failing to listen, here it is…a new challenge…not what I originally envisaged, but something many people will have on their bucket list and possibly never achieve…

Having taken a “rest” in 2018 I was planning a similar long distance charity walk in the U.K. and had even started mapping it out and looking at dates. All this changed in November due to a simple Facebook post from an ex work-colleague, Jacek, announcing his mission to take on a series of challenges to raise money via a family foundation to support children in education in Africa. The first of these challenges was to be a trek the Himalayas in Nepal to Everest Base Camp in May 2019 and anyone interested could join the trek party…

No brainer? Well, my first thoughts were “interesting, not on my list, out of my comfort zone, but still maybe”.. So I consulted with the chief decision maker in the family and my rock of support aka Cath. Not only did she confirm that I should definitely do this challenge but also cut short my indecision by tagging me to Jacek’s post and the job was done and everything else is on the back burner. As it turns out, only Jacek’s brother Tomek and myself are joining the trek, hopefully 3 is not a crowd!

The preparation routine has been slightly different for this challenge – no detail route planning as we are with guides, but some searching on Google Earth nevertheless. Logistics has been essentially finalising dates and booking flights (I write this in Dubai Terminal 2 waiting for Jacek and Tomek to arrive for our flight to Kathmandu). As a result of this lack of detailed planning I feel less emotionally invested in the route itself, but it will be a journey of greater discovery and surprise because of that. In terms of physical preparation I took a less intense approach, trying to mix up gym based cardio and leg strength work with some rugged hill walking but not attempting to overdo distances. After a “year off”, it has been great to spend more time in the wild again and get the feeling of my body becoming fitter (skinnier in Cath’s opinion!). In Nepal we will not be walking more than 12 miles in any day, the challenge will be overcoming altitude acclimatisation and the terrain rather than the distance. We start at 2800m above sea level and will reach 5545m at the highest point of the trek.

The last 2 tangible pieces of the preparation jigsaw are acquiring new equipment and most importantly “the cause”. In terms of gear, there were a few things I had to get, mainly a down jacket suitable for high altitude, a proper size 30l daypack and ice spikes. I resolved the footwear dilemma by having my trusty Altberg JOGLE boots resoled – they will take the brunt of the workload again (incidentally I was cleaning them just 2 days ago and discovered an external tear on the upper ankle seam, immediately Cath to the rescue with a visit to a shoe repairer and some Gorilla glue just in case!)

As mentioned above, Jacek and Tomek are trekking to raise money via their family foundation to support children in education in Africa. Following my experiences of the Pennine Way in 2014 and JOGLE in 2017, I decided once again to walk in support of Prostate Cancer UK – it is a charity I believe in, can identify with, and has been supportive of me also. If you are reading this and haven’t donated yet, please follow the link www.justgiving.com/davejtrek2019 to make a valuable contribution.

Last bit to come to terms with is the mental preparation. I am not great with heights and steep drops so that’s my comfort zone issue. I’m also daunted by the risk of altitude sickness, flying into the most dangerous airport in the world, and the fact that 3 days ago there was a mini-earthquake near Kathmandu. But fear builds adrenaline and that’s what I want.

So here goes, the brothers Plewa have arrived, I’ve had my jabs, got some altitude sickness pills, Cath has stocked me with dried fruit, chocolate and cereal bars, the adventure begins – next stop Kathmandu.