​I sat in the darkness in my Teahouse shivering in the freezing cold of the pre-dawn and waiting for my guide to knock on the door. It was 4am in the small Himalayan settlement of Ghorepani and we were due to make the short climb to see the sunrise from the nearby summit of Poon Hill. When the knock on the door came, my guide convinced me that the weather was not clear enough for us to expect a decent sunrise on the summit. He persuaded me to abandon the idea of making that ascent. We both knew the weather wasn't the problem. It was my lack of fitness.

Poon Hill

In late November 2015, the Poon Hill Trek had been my first venture into the Himalayas in Nepal. Having been laid flat for most of that summer with a hip injury, I was only just getting back into fitness and had, at that time, given up on any dream of climbing into the mountains. By sheer coincidence, my boss had called me and asked if I would mind going to Kathmandu in Nepal to meet our customer there. Of course I agreed. I love to travel, I love adventure and I'd never been to Nepal.

​As our plane approached Kathmandu mid afternoon, I was thrilled at my first sight of the mighty Himalayas sharing the sky with the clouds. The vision in that moment called out to the Mountaineer I hadn't even realized had been nurtured in my heart. Thus, a magical era of beauty and adventure began. They say the sunrise from Poonhill is legendary with the Annapurna range glowing in the newly emerging sunlight. I saw what I could of it from Ghorepani that morning and later up on the Deurali Pass as we made our way to Tadapani. But I'm going back in the spring next year and this time I'm going to live in that sunrise from the top of Poon Hill as I get started into the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek.

Everest Base Camp

​I shared the trail and the 8 hour bus journey from Kathmandu to Pokhara that trip with a significant number of people who had visited either Everest or Annapurna Base Camps. They seemed young, athletic and way above my level of fitness yet still spoke of the hardship in reaching those destinations. I figured at the time that these places would always be beyond my reach. A year later, after training for months with my brother in the mountains of Scotland, I found myself returning to Nepal with the intention of reaching Everest Base camp.

​Despite suffering a lot from the effects of the altitude, I finally clambered across the ice and rocks at the foot of the Khumbu Ice Fall to reach my destination in October 2016. I was elated and exhausted. On my return to Lukla a few days later I realized that there was still something missing. In my sickness and exhaustion I had developed a tunnel vision that took me to my destination for sure. But, in getting there, I'd missed some important parts of the journey and so I'm going back.

​My return to the Everest Base Camp Trek will be during the Everest Climbing season next year. This time, with the benefit of several climbs over 5,000m and one over 6,000m, I hope to be well enough to complete the journey. To spend some time and pay my respects to those who's journey has ended on Everest at the monuments to their memory at the Chukpo Lari. It is said that the view of Everest from the summit of Kala Patthar, above the small settlement of Gorakshep, is as good as you get. I missed this ascent on my previous trip having decided to start my descent from Gorakshep instead.. This time, I hope to reach that summit and experience that view.

Life Among The Seracs And Mountaineers

​What I am very much looking forward to on this coming trip however is that I'm not just going to touch Everest Base Camp and pose for the selfie. I'm going to live there for a few days to experience the conditions that those summiting the mountain call home during weeks of acclimatisation. I'll talk to them. Share some tea, maybe a beer, as well as our fears, aspirations and dreams.

Useful links

Read about my training and planning for Annapurna Sanctuary and Everest Base Camp Treks

Exodus Travel Everest Base Camp 

Exodus Travel Annapurna Sanctuary Trek

Nepal Eco Adventures Poon Hill Trek