New year new me?

Whilst I was not planning the new me, it appears that after years of focusing on my job, saving up and creating a home for myself, I am now forced to step outside of my comfort zone and the new me is inevitable …

Three years ago, when my friend mentioned her trip to Everest I was really surprised. How can a girl from a small town in Central Europe (Central? Eastern? Who cares?) have a dream that involves the highest summit in the world.

Two years later, a lot of hiking trips in between, two of our friends signed up as well and asked me to join them. Initially I told them that they were crazy but after a few hours of exciting hiking stories I said to myself:” Why not?” and signed up.

The “Why not?” attitude has landed me in a number of rather curious situations over the years, many of them can be clasified only as accidental adventures … enjoyable only after the initial shock wears off.

Luckily, this time, at the very least, we are joining an already organised group with Skyhook Adventure, which will make the planning much easier.

After a year of shopping for a lot of equipment I thought I would need, returning half of the equipment I most definitely would not need and a few things that were not up to scratch, I ended up with everything that is required and a few bits and bobs that I simply wanted.

Testing all the new bought equipment meant that I ended up with blisters after 10 km of walking on razor sharp stones (slight exaggeration) in the wrong shoes, had to borrow warm gloves during a spring walk and hiked Ben Nevis for hours soaked through, hungry and freezing cold … but I did end up with good quality gear that I will be using for years to come for my many trips – my second super bad-ass trip this year, Macchu Picchu in July (another accidental one), as well as my trip to Gerlach Peak, Kilimanjaro in 2020 comes to mind, the ‘compulsory’ annual trip to Lake District, skiing in Andorra … I have even thought of Three Peak Challenge but decided against it! My not so adventurous spirit has its limits.

Now that the research is over and I have bought and tested almost everything, I need to start preparing for the EBC in every way possible:

  • arrange the flights
  • get visas (Nepal and India)
  • get vaccinated (for absolutely everything)
  • buy medication for every eventuality
  • get super fit and strong
  • arrange a few more practice hikes to test my skills and the gear
  • research the trek, read about Nepal and Himalayas
  • get super fit and strong (have I mentioned that one before?)
  • keep an eye on the Facebook chat setup by the organisers to get helpful tips
  • pack and repack the bags at least 10 times before the trip … whilst slightly obsessive it is super exciting and makes the trip feel more real
  • get prepared mentally

Let the preparations commence as the journey begins.