Climbing Mount Everest is a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Engrossed with the vision of reaching the highest peak on the earth, we often forget about difficulties that may appear on our way to the top. At a glance, we’re aware of the challenging length of the track and the possibility of insane weather conditions, but we’re quick to forget about the most important aspect of the trip – ourselves.
Unpredictable and unknown ailments can affect our physical performance in the blink of an eye. That is why finding out more about possible scenarios of your trip should help you become more prepared and assure you with more knowledge on how to bear with certain difficulties during your trip.
Continue reading if you want to find out more about common problems that might appear while camping at Everest.
- Length of the Track
Before getting to your base, you will need to cover a challenging distance. Depending on the track you walk around 130-140 kilometers to reach the top and gain 500 to 800 meters in elevation every day. As you walk more, the temperature will gradually get colder and less comfortable.
Hiking and climbing every day for two weeks straight can be tiring for most people. You need to put in a lot of effort and self-discipline to bear with the exhaustion and extreme conditions.
To avoid some difficulties, you can trek to Everest base camp with Kandoo or another renowned travel guide. Surrounding yourself with professionals during this experience will make your trip much safer.
- Delhi Belly Syndrome
During your Everest journey, it is quite common to get food poisoning. If you come from Western countries, your stomach is not used to the bacteria you might encounter while in Nepal. There are a few preventative steps you can take in order to avoid traveler’s diarrhea.
- Start taking probiotics a month before your trip. This will improve your gut flora.
- Drink a lot of fluids and electrolytes to fuel your body.
- Never drink unfiltered water. You can buy chlorine tablets safe enough to filter your water or boil it.
- Avoid dishes with meat. Especially in the Khumbu as locals there tend to order meat from other remote villages as it’s cheaper but worse quality. Vegetarian options are a much safer choice.
- Altitude Sickness
Altitude sickness appears when a climber is exposed to an environment in which oxygen levels are very low, and altitude is high. In extreme cases, it can even cause death. Mountain sickness can be one of the hardest parts during your Everest journey. It doesn’t matter how old or fit you are. Anyone can get it. Fortunately, there are some ways to avoid altitude sickness or relieve its symptoms. Here are some of them.
- Let your body get used to the environment. You can achieve it by camping at different altitudes over several weeks. In that way, your body will adapt to low oxygen levels and start producing more red blood cells which are crucial in fighting mountain sickness.
- Drink lots of fluids. In order to keep your body in the best possible shape, you need to hydrate it. It can prevent you from getting many unfortunate sicknesses.
- Eat properly! Your body needs the energy to accustom to the climate. Otherwise, you are much more prone to experience many unpleasant symptoms.
- Weather
Avoid extreme weather conditions by planning your trek between May and October. During those months, you’ll encounter warm, sunny, and clear weather — the ideal conditions for climbing. Colder months can be much more dangerous not only during the climb but also when camping. You’ll have to pack more warm clothes and special tents to keep yourself warm. That means you will have to carry more items in your bags which might negatively affect your physical performance.
5. Khumbu Cough
It is quite common to cough more as you go higher. Locals call it “the Khumbu cough”. What’s more, there is no scientifically proven cause or treatment for this sickness. Sometimes the coughing can get really violent, to the point where it interrupts your sleep. The most popular way to avoid Khumbu cough is to breathe humidified air. You can use special masks to do that. Don’t forget to pack coughing drops and pills which can relieve the pain.
6. High Prices
Prices on each camp will rise, as they are located on higher altitudes. Some of the goods need to come a long way to arrive at the camp, so their prices might shock you at first. Facilities such as hot showers or ATMs also require a sufficient amount of money. WiFi in some of the camps costs from $1-5 per hour, and it can be quite useful sometimes.
- Avalanches
Avalanches tend to appear in certain areas. The possibility of their occurrence increases as the altitude level rises. There are three popular routes used by mountaineers to climb Everest – North Col, South Col, and Khumbu Ice Falls. All of them are at a high risk of avalanches. There is not a lot to do in order to control the mountain itself, but there are always ways to minimize the danger. Try to climb through those high-risk areas in the early parts of the day. At those times the sun won’t have warmed the snow enough to start sliding, so the likelihood of an avalanche will be significantly decreased.
Conclusion
Reaching the top of Mount Everest can be a blissful experience, once you learn how to step out of your comfort zone. There is nothing more satisfying than feeling the wind and sun rays hit your cheeks at the very top of the tallest mountain in the world.
However, all great achievements demand even greater sacrifices. In that case, scrupulous preparation and self-belief is a necessity. Still, try to remember that you are on holiday! Enjoy yourself as your journey continues. There are many things that will make this experience beyond special. Pushing your limits and an increased feeling of self-worth are just some of the most important changes which can come as a result of climbing Mount Everest.
Add Your Comment