Saturday afternoon saw us bedecked with marigold garlands, which gave off an adorable smell of tomcats, being transported through the mayhem of rush-hour Kathmandu
Sunday dawned bright and sunny and suffice to say we were the oldest ( by a long way) in our trekking group. After much hilarity at the safety briefing which involved the trying on of various quilted garments, we embarked on a sightseeing tour of this wonderful city. Evening was spent in a traditional Nepalese restaurant. Panic ensued that night as Dorothy had left her camera charger at home and she just could not get her kitbag down to the required weight of 12 kilos!
Monday saw us putting our luggage through the x-ray machine that didn’t work in the domestic terminal. As we waited amidst the chaos, sat on crates and packing cases, fear and trepidation took hold. We had already been informed that the first flight to Lukla had been forced by bad weather to land in a field. The look of terror on Marjorie’s face was a joy to behold when she saw the plane, complete with Sherpa ‘Biggles’. Turbulence and cross winds made the flight unforgettable and the landing at Lukla very dramatic.
After meeting our Sirdar, Sherpa and Porters and under the direction of our Trek Leader we set off into the unknown! 12 days of knee-crunching, lung-busting, headache-inducing trekking followed. Temperatures in the day were cold but bearable. However, the nights were bitter, with bedding and clothing freezing to the lodge windows. Lodges were very basic but most welcoming and the food was excellent. However, toilet facilities were a different matter! Imagine no lighting, just iced-over water barrels and a skating rink surrounding the toilet area to negotiate! At one stage, due to altitude sickness, initiative took over and a plastic container was ‘acquired’ for the use of! It would have helped if Marjorie had pinched one without a hole in it!!
Throughout the trek we were surrounded by the fabulous Himalayan range, with Mount Everest nearly always in our sights. The dangers of this beautiful area were brought home to us when we saw the many memorials of climbers and trekkers alike and witnessed 2 helicopter evacuations due to accidents or altitude sickness.
On the final day, feeling very ill and exhausted, we achieved our goal, which was to stand at the foot of the highest point on our planet. However, after the euphoria faded a little we realised that we had another 5 hour trek to get back to the lodge, bearing in mind that we had already trekked for 8 hours that day.
There were so many highlights during our trek, but one that will remain with us forever was meeting the children of the Brick School. We were fortunate to spend a morning with them and the staff, including Anita, their Headteacher. The welcome we received was tremendous, with a heartwarming rendition on ” She’ll be coming round the mountain….”
In excess of £5000 was raised thanks to the generosity of family, friends and colleagues. Our website is still to be found at www.freewebs.com/everest2008 for those who wish to share in the highs and lows of our trek.
Namaskaar,
Marjorie Barnes and Dorothy Jackson
2010 and Dorothy and Marjorie continue to raise funds for the BCS. A recent fundraising effort was the sale of jewellery at the school Summer fete. The also continue keeping fit and walked the coastline of Anglesey during the half term holiday, averaging 20 miles a day. Their next big trek , planned for 2011, will be Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro. Describing these two ladies as ‘intrepid’ was no exaggeration!