“Go carefully my friend, and rush in only where angels dare to tread,” warned a well-meaning adviser.
The warning came a bit late as I have already returned from my first high-altitude trek. For someone who had never trekked before, I am happy to have reached Gokyo (4750 m.) It wasn’t easy and I paid dearly for some of my ignorance. Lessons were plenty along the way each day…and I intend to share some pointers with other newbies.
40 may not be some people’s preferred age for initiation into such hyper-energetic activity. A lot of conventional wisdom went against my choosing Sagarmatha National Park for ‘ice breaking’. I am fifteen-years too old, fifteen-kilos overweight and a smoker (resolutions of abstinence are easier made than abstaining.) I must say I was grossly unprepared and uninformed.
There is no reason anyone else need be.
Reality Check 1: Age has nothing to do with trekking. It is all in the mindset; if you enjoy walking you can hike up there.
I met many senior citizens from across the world on the trail, There were more 50+ year olds than >18. One of my own team mates, Ajmal Sobhan, an able-bodied retiree, has done this trail three times (but then, Ajmal can put any teen to shame with his level of fitness.)
Reality Check 2: Weight does matter. You have only yourself to pull yourself up there.
While I kept off cold drinks, alcohol, fried food a good six months before the trek, some slip ups happened. A rigorous weight loss program is highly recommended. While weight isn’t a pointer to fitness, the lighter one is on ones feet, the easier it is to clear ground. Yes, there are horses, and helicopters for those who can afford them, but to bank on these to complete the journey is a bit of a cheat!
(Courtesy, Cartoonstock.com)
I’ve seen a few foreigners smoking without a care in the world outside tea lodges. Some of the Nepali guides and porters, like our sirdar Shyam, took smoke breaks regularly along the trail (he was careful to not do so before clients.) Plain geographical fact remains, the air gets more rarefied as one goes up and our urban lungs are not designed to cope with this. So try to abstain – it’ll be easier for you to climb. Your lungs will cry for all the oxygen it can get.
Reality Check 4: Fitness counts for everything.
The road is a killer most of the way. Stone steps barely a foot wide in places – the same goes for most of the dirt tracks and uneven pebble-laden ground will have you gasping most of the way up (and down.) Yes, I’ve seen several out-of-breath hikers and unashamedly been one of them on most of the ascents but will make sure I pack in a better fitness regime next time.
The fitness aspects to keep in mind deserve a separate chapter.
