One Giant Leap

We arrived at Dingboche yesterday and we’ll be heading for Loboche Base Camp tomorrow. The weather has been kind to us, safe from the snowfall last night. Along the way, we met a Korean team and also volunteer doctors en route to the Himalayan Rescue Association clinic.

We’ll be climbing Loboche East Peak for acclimatization before we hit Everest Base Camp. We’ll be climbing to an altitude of about 6000m, so that by the time we arrive at Everest Base Camp (5600m), our bodies would be better adjusted to the altitude.

We hope to update you again from Everest Base Camp!

On our last day in Kathmandu, we woke up bright and early at 4am to catch the first domestic flight to Lukla (2820m).  The plane landed us on the highest and shortest runway in the world and once we got off the aircraft, we wolfed down our breakfasts, strapped on our backpacks and began the 5-hour trek in to Chumoa.

We rested for the night at Chumoa and set off the following day for Namche, where we are now. The trek to Namche began on mostly flat terrain along the riverbed and also across several suspension bridges. However, once we’re near Namche, the uphill terrain began. Up and up we went for close to 1.5hours before we reached our campsite which is situated at the top of Namche, at 3450m. The moment we stepped into our dining area, it started snowing!

We’re staying one more day at Namche, so that our bodies can get used to the increase in altitude. It’s important to stay active at altitude so that our bodies produce more red blood cells to cope with the less amount of oxygen in the air we breathe. So today, we went on an acclimatization hike up towards Everest View Hotel. The weather wasn’t so kind to us today, it started snowing heavily 10mins after we set off, and the snow didn’t let up all through the journey. An hour into the hike, we were at an altitude of 3677m before we decided to return to our campsite.

We’re headed for Deboche (3770m) tomorrow where we’ll spend another day for an acclimatization hike. Hope to update you more then!

THANK YOU for the resounding send-off at the airport! Our patron, sponsors, family and friends have moved us to tears with their well wishes. It’s great to know that with the highest mountain in the world ahead of us, we’re backed by tremendous support.

We’ve landed safe and are settled into Hotel Tibet in Kathmandu. Our major concern about logistics was solved as all our 33 duffels have arrived safely, thanks to SilkAir. We spent the first 2 days sorting out our gear and settling the admin with our guiding company. Packing our gear and personal essentials into separate duffel bags was no easy task!

It rained the day we arrived and that was a great thing because it washed away the city’s layers of dust. Showers of blessings indeed! In order to prevent catching a cough from the dust, we resorted to walking around the city with surgical masks on. Yes we look ridiculous, but it’s worth it to keep the cough at bay!

We were also hosted for dinner by the Nepal Tourism Board and the All Nepali Women’s Team, which summitted Everest last year. We had a great time chatting over dinner about their climb and exchanged tips about our past mountaineering experiences. It’s a rare chance to meet another all-women’s team so we really treasured this opportunity.

We’re headed for Lukla on a domestic flight the day after (24 March), and will be trekking in to Everest Base Camp from there. Along the way, we will do an acclimatization climb at Loboche East Peak, and we hope to update you from Loboche Base Camp next!

After more than 1700 days of waiting, we only have one day left to go to the greatest climb of our lives—Mount Everest.

This week has been a whirlwind of activities, with us busy with errands such as packing up our expedition food, final shopping for personal items, tying up all loose ends with regards to our administrative details, doing media interviews, and of course, more packing and weighing and labelling. In fact, we were just at the airport last night, checking in all our gear ahead of our flight tomorrow. Our combined weight came up to a staggering total of 650kg! Fortunately for us, the kind folks at Silkair are taking care of our flight to Kathmandu, so we are cleared.

 
Amidst the craziness of this week, we also found time to have a farewell lunch hosted by our title sponsor, NATAS, at a swanky restaurant at SAFRA Mount Faber. It was truly heartening to see the executive committee of NATAS turn up in full force to celebrate the happy occasion of our climb’s commencement. We’ve indeed been very fortunate to have such enthusiastic and supportive sponsors! We hear that a whole contingent of NATAS staff will be coming to the airport to see us off tomorrow!

The past couple of days, many people have been asking us how we’re feeling right now, if we’re excited, scared, happy or apprehensive. There’s no easy way to describe the entire range of emotions we’re feeling right now. We are after all, climbing the tallest mountain in the world, and it’s going to be a challenging climb ahead, so excitement and a little healthy dose of circumspection co-exist. More importantly though, what stands out is simply how right this feels. After more than 1700 days of rigorous training and practice climbs, and with the blessings of all our sponsors and supporters, we’re finally on our way.

With less than 24 hours to the greatest adventure of our lives, we’re counting the seconds.