10Mount Everest:
Journey to Base Camp

Getting to Mt. Everest was no easy task, although I suppose I would have been disappointed if it had been. We traveled via Jeep over miles of bone-rattling, unpaved road to Rongbuk, which was located about eight kilometers from Everest’s Tibetan base camp. Once there, we had a lunch of Ramen and set out for the hike to base camp. It was, without a doubt, the longest eight kilometers of my life. Although the trail was a well-worn, gradual slope, it took me nearly three hours to cover it. I can’t fathom how hard it would be to climb the mountain itself.

The base camp had two rows of tents separated by a dirt road. There were no expedition tents since October is not climbing season. The peak was obscured by clouds during my brief stay at base camp, but the sky cleared on the way back down and I was treated to great views of Everest as seen from Rongbuk at both sunset and sunrise the next morning. It was quite the adventure, and we lucked out with the weather. The spectacular views of Everest made it all worthwhile.