Debolin Sen

Mount Everest. The name is enough to send the soul of every mountaineer and trekker, searing into wafer-thin environs, into vast empty spaces sans oxygen. For, to think of even going there and being a part of its surroundings, let alone summitting it, is considered an act of foolish bravery.

Everest Base Camp was a dream which lingered in my sub-conscience for many years after I had initiated myself into Himalayan High Altitude Trekking. Fleeting images of Mount Everest looming in the horizon had multiple re-runs in my mind. The trek I eventually embarked on, however, was much more than I could have ever imagined and hoped for. The thought of reaching base camp was enough to propel me into a metaphysical overdrive where my spirit and the vastness of nature would collude to create experiences which would be fascinating, original and full of catharsis!

When Jayesh called me towards the end of 2007 and proposed the EBC trek for March 21st 2008, I couldn’t refuse! I started my preparations in right earnest. Our group was a diverse mix of 11 individuals, with varied backgrounds and levels of trekking experience from first timers to experienced heads. Jayesh was the leader and had to shoulder the responsibilities of the group’s safety and eventually the promised success of the trek. We were his clients and our reaching the EBC was important to him and his business growth. It was a first for him too.

The trek commenced from the mountain settlement of Lukla and it took us six back breaking days to reach the base camp. The altitude profile ranged from 8,497 feet to 18,199 feet across numerous mountain ranges.

Everest Base Camp. March 28th, 2008. 12.15 pm.

Days two and three were the most arduous as we had to move higher from the browns and the greens into the whites and the blues. Nature had begun its dominance over man. Days four five and six were characteristically different. Mental strength was a much prized resource and possession at this point. As we got closer to the final point of the trek, the severity of nature increased manifold. Difficulty in breathing, sleeping in temperatures way below what our bodies could endure, waking up with frozen heavy heads and an aching dullness made us realise the dues we all had to pay to catch a glimpse of the mighty goddess Chomolungma (the Tibetan name for Mount Everest).

The last stretch from Gorap Shep to the EBC was an even greater physical and mental challenge for the group. It wasn’t uneventful either. Petite Trishla’s worsening headache which forced her to hire a helicopter at Lobuche (16,142 feet) and return to Kathmandu, my decision to walk light and cover the entire stretch to and fro without water which almost cost me my dream, Mandar and Tushar’s decision to return midway, Maria’s gritty determination which helped her reach base camp, Meera’s strenuous efforts at reaching base camp but not being able to, head guide Chandra’s brave decision to run back to Gorak Shep and return with hot soup for them as they ground to a standstill whilst returning, the snow storm that threatened to cover our tracks as we trekked back, my walking straight onto a frozen lake but for an impromptu deviation. Eventually just six of us reached the Everest Base Camp at 17,717 feet. The 30 minutes I spent there were the most surreal moments of my life. Everest had an extremely cathartic effect on me and I shed tears. I could finally put to rest all the mind games, all the in-built pressures, the expectations and the obsession that was Everest. At least that’s what I’d thought then.

Now back home in the comfort zone after 18 days on the trek, I increasingly realise what I had fervently hoped would be the end was actually just the beginning of new journeys, of new quests, of dreams and visions in the Himalayas.

Everest is an integral part of me. Her enigmatic sway over a few of us continues and will continue till the day man’s desire to explore the unknown starts flickering, dies out and is swallowed by blinding darkness.

Debolin Sen
High Altitude Himalayan Trekker
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