Trek to Everest base camp

“Unlucky me still couldn’t breathe much through my nose, so I had to make the bad bad decision of removing my face cover so I could feel some air coming through. [...] My legs exerted more energy than I had budgeted for the first half of the day. It felt endless. I was hungry. Suffering. “Why am I suffering through this? Why am I here? Why am I sick? Why didn’t anyone tell me about the right hat?” [...] It’s like I went from excruciating pain in my entire body and my burning raw face to seeing Gorak Shep a few steps away.”

“2 AM. I awoke to the sound of yak bells in Phakdin (8,563′). I watched the line of yaks heading upwards until they disappeared into the darkness. Yaks have the right of way on the mountain, and I hadn’t thought they might also travel through the night. One of the many ways the people of Nepal put hard work into perspective – yaks don’t travel on their own; there are humans leading them.”

“absolutely. It definitely was not a vacation for me, but it was a very valuable experience that really changed my life. You become very appreciative and learn to pay attention to small things. It was the longest 2 weeks of my life, and it was the furthest from easy, but it really was worth it. I wish I did more research and was more prepared, but it worked out in the end and the Sherpas are very kind and helpful.”