8 days to go!

In one week and one day I drive to Barcelona airport to catch my Turkish airways flight to Kathmandu via Istanbul. I will spend two days there and we will then fly to Lukla airport where we begin our trek into Everest Base Camp.

Mind and body

I have done all I can to mentally and physically prepare for this adventure yet I feel far from ready. I’ve had months of sleepless nights going over every minute detail of the preparation, my physical state, my equipment, coping with the idea of being away from my wife and my home for 2 months and constantly questioning if I should even be doing this.

I have trained in the gym, on my mountain bike, in the icy mountains and in stairwells. I feel fit and strong but the worries of my ailments (asthma, bad knees and peroneal tendinitis) constantly creep from the back of my mind to snatch away my confidence.

My injuries linger yet seem to be less painful than before. They are not getting better, maybe I am getting used to the pain instead. There is nothing I can do about it now. I don’t think many Everest climbers this season will be going to get MRIs on their knees and ankles 6 days before they depart but I would like to know what is causing this pain at least. I will just have to push through it and get it looked at when I return.

Equipment

I go over my equipment list constantly. I still have items to purchase and tasks to take care of. It feels like the list is growing rather than shrinking!

It is that familiar time again when I neatly lay out every piece of kit on the table, categorise, and check off each item wondering if it was the right choice. I look at some of my older items wondering if I should have bought new, wondering if it will fall apart at the critical moment ruining my expedition. I suppose like Alan Arnette says, once I start trekking from Lukla, every piece of kit will be perfect for me.

Final steps

The list of remaining things to do seems endless. I have hospital appointments, physiotherapy appointments, training sessions, equipment to still purchase, equipment to get fixed, chasing late deliveries, money to be changed, documentation to sort out not to mention I am still working this week.

Once all that is sorted I then need to try and pack everything into two duffel bags which cannot weigh more than 15 kgs each which seems impossible.

What’s next?

I hope to make at least two more posts before I head off. One about my equipment in detail and another to give a run-down of my expected itinerary and details of areas I will visit before we get to Everest.