On 24th April 2025, Snowdog and I, along with Mark, Dean, Leigh, Fintan, Linus and Lokesh, reached Everest Base Camp. The exhausting trek from Lukla had taken seven days. We stood at 5364 metres above sea level, at the top of the Khumbu Glacier. The air was thin and we had to move slowly to avoid gasping to catch our breath. Despite the clear skies and sunshine, it was cold. And apart from a large rock graffitied with the words ‘Chomolungma Base Camp 5364m’ and a vast array of tents, there was nothing at base camp. That is until you looked up, spun around and felt dwarfed by the towering, craggy mountains coated in snow and ice. The magnitude of the views was difficult to comprehend. So was the beauty.
We hugged each other with tears in our eyes and took loads of photographs. Emotions were running high. I thought of Greg, my family and my Dad, who had passed away exactly four years ago to the day on the 24th April 2021, and held Snowdog close. Lokesh presented us all with scarves to commemorate this momentous occasion, which I then tied to my rucksack to display on the way back down. And then, what seemed like only five minutes later, we started the 3 ½ hour challenging trek back down the mountain to our digs for the night in Gorak Shep.
We had conquered Everest Base Camp!
Getting to Everest Base Camp
Looking back, I really had no idea what I was signing up for when I accepted Mark’s invitation to join him and a crew from The Events Room to climb to Everest Base Camp. With hard work, I knew I could get fit enough, but I didn’t consider the many factors that combine to make this challenge so difficult.
Getting to Lukla in Nepal and the start of the Everest Base Camp trek is enough of a challenge itself. After leaving The Village Hotel in Cardiff at 2:30am on Tuesday 15th April, we eventually landed in Lukla, the most dangerous airport in the world, for the start of the trek on Friday 18th April at 06:25 local time. We had experienced detours for refuelling in India and a 24-hour delayed flight to Lukla. The whole trip, including short stays at hotels in Kathmandu and Ramechhap, had taken 71 hours. During those hours, sleep had been limited to planes, minibuses, and only around 9 hours in proper beds. We were exhausted before we started, but also energised by the excitement.
The Magnitude of Everest
Finally, we had our boots and backpacks on and were walking up the main street in Lukla. Snowdog was safely tucked into my camera harness. The trek to base camp had started. Fintan then told us a sobering statistic. 40% of people who set off to climb to base camp fail to make it due to altitude, illness or injury. That meant that at least one if not two of us were statistically expected not to finish the challenge.
As soon as we left the small town, we were confronted by the most incredible mountainous landscape we had ever seen. Snow tipped peaks disappeared into the distance, towering over the glaciated valleys. A view that no photograph could ever do justice.
And that feeling of awe never left us. Every day we would gasp at the magnitude and beauty of the mountains. I have never felt so small and insignificant, like a single flake of snow on the upper slopes of the peaks around us.
The Trek
The trek to base camp took seven days. Each day we faced different challenges. Dean was struck by a stomach upset, but somehow just soldiered on. On day two, I felt the first effects of the altitude when, after trekking comfortably all morning and into the afternoon, I suddenly felt totally drained of energy and somehow dragged myself to our digs for the night. And as we descended down the last slope to base camp, I badly twisted my ankle. Later in the trip, both Leigh and Mark were struck down by stomach upsets.
But we were fortunate to not experience any of the extreme effects of altitude sickness. We had a few headaches and found ourselves gasping for air at times, but nothing serious enough to stop us reaching base camp.
The terrain changed dramatically as we gained height and although we trekked through trees in the lower slopes, there was minimal vegetation once we were at higher altitudes where it was like a moonscape. As we ascended. the tracks became increasingly more challenging and we were crossing fields of small and large glacial boulders left by now melted ice. It was a very inhospitable environment. Maybe Mother Nature herself was telling us that we did not belong there.
Each day we only covered between five and eight and a half miles, ascending between 380 and 830 metres, but actually climbing whilst trekking between 600 to 1000 metres as the paths we followed were full of steep descents and ascents. Over the eight days, we covered nearly 50 miles in just over 49 hours, gaining 2754 metres in height (the height difference between Lukla and base camp). With the rises and falls on the trail, the data on my phone suggested we actually climbed over 4000 metres. And every step was taken at altitude.
The Altitude Effect
The one unknown that I feared was the effect of altitude. I had heard stories of altitude taking down the fittest of people. There was no way to train for it or to know how your body would react in an atmosphere of reduced oxygen.
As early as day two, altitude hit me. Day two was brutal, climbing 830 metres from Phakding to Namche Bazar. I was fine, recording the exploits of the team in photographs and video when suddenly, in the middle of the afternoon, I felt totally drained of energy with a slight dull ache on the top of my head. Physically I was fine, with not even a hint of muscle strain. With a long afternoon ahead, it was simply a case of head down and taking one slow step at a time.
However, it was in the middle of the night, after a long day four trekking to Dingboche, that the altitude caught up with me. We had gained 590 metres in height during the day, reaching 4410 metres. In the early morning darkness, I awoke and found myself struggling to catch my breath. Sitting up, I could feel my heart thumping and racing and, as it did, so I found breathing increasingly difficult. I just did not know what to do with myself and if someone had said we are going to take you off the mountain, I would have accepted. I had to focus. Calm my increasing anxiety. I opened the window, letting in the bitterly cold air, and the main door. The flow of fresh air seemed to help. I thought of Greg, who lived with low levels of oxygen in his blood for all of his life and wondered whether this was how he felt. And there was my inspiration. Gradually, after an hour or so, I managed to control my breathing, sitting up in bed and praying for the morning to come. I slipped into an unsettled sleep before dawn broke. It was not the best night’s rest before another long day trekking.
I was lucky enough not to experience night-time breathlessness again, although I know others did to a lesser degree. That hour or so had seemed endless and even now I feel my heart rate race thinking recalling that awful feeling.
Thankfully, when facing the challenges of altitude, we had Fintan, the trip organiser. Right from the start Fintan, our team leader from MUUK Adventures, told us that to give us all the best chance of reaching base camp we needed to ‘start slowly, hydrate plenty’ and take regular breaks. He managed the pace perfectly, covering a mile in around one hour. Initially, it felt like plodding, but above 5000 metres it felt like running.
There was also garlic soup, which apparently is good to help your body acclimatise to altitude. Garlic can act as a vasodilator, helping to widen blood vessels, relaxing the smooth muscles in the walls of blood vessels, which leads to improved blood flow. Every night our Nepalese guide, Lokesh, would take our food orders, but there was no choice about the soup. Sometimes thick, sometimes thin, with chunks of garlic. I hope I never have to eat garlic soup again.
Adapting to the Environment
At the start, when our flight landed at Lukla, we entered a very different world. To survive we had to adapt. The accommodation was generally clean, but very basic. Two beds to a room, which I shared with Leigh, and Mark shared with Dean. The mattresses would be damp or like concrete. None of the rooms had any heating and would become bitterly cold once the sun set. The toilets were functional, which often meant a hole in the floor and any paper was placed in a bin and not down the toilet. There was always a distinct and very memorable aroma.
There was limited but mostly no hot water and you would be washing in freezing cold water from the glacier. That was when you could muster up the energy to wash. Mostly, it was a case of get back from a day’s trekking and quickly change into your allocated warm night clothes. In the cold of the morning, you got up, cleaned your teeth and got dressed, often in the same clothes you wore the day before. Showers were sporadic and mostly cold if there was one. When we asked about showers, Lokesh would smile and tell us that the guides and sherpas would not be showering. Once again, maybe we should have listened to him.
Apart from the garlic soup, the food was surprisingly good and plentiful. It was advisable not to eat any of the meat on offer after a certain height, but there were plenty of noodle dishes, fried rice and even vegetable burgers on offer. There was even the surprising delight of cake and coffee in local tea houses that appeared on the trail and in the small towns, which seemed so bizarre, but also so welcome.
The Nepalese People
From the moment we landed in Nepal, we felt welcomed. Wherever we went, we were greeted with smiles. Our Footprint Adventure guide, Lokesh, and our sherpa-come-trainee guide, Suresh, both very quickly become part of the team. They were always looking out for us, making sure we had the best chance of reaching base camp. Lokesh also became our lead photographer, carrying my camera to lighten my load when I was struggling.
We met so many wonderful people in the small villages as we climbed. And when we got back to Lukla and wandered through around the small shops, we were always greeted with courtesy and a smile.
An Incredible Achievement
Just over two weeks have passed since we returned from Nepal and the realisation of what we have achieved is only now sinking in. When you are there, you are focused on getting up on time, packing your bag, eating, trekking, keeping warm, breathing, and sleeping. The only way to survive is to think about the next five minutes and not the magnitude of the day ahead. You take a step at a time, and confronting each new challenge when it occurs.
Then suddenly, after seven days trekking, you find yourself at base camp.
It is only when you look at the statistics, that you appreciate the extremity of the challenge. On one day we ascended the height of Pen-y-Fan from sea level. And then you add in altitude.
The moment we reached base camp was a little surreal. All the doubts and worries were finally cast to one side as we had achieved our dream. We stood at 5364 metres above sea level, probably the highest altitude that I will ever reach by foot. I looked around at a barren landscape surrounded by ice-tipped mountain peaks and found it difficult to believe that I was there.
Half an hour later we were back on the trail, heading back down to Gorak Shep, with the image of Everest Base Camp imprinted in our memories forever.
Thank Yous
There are so many people to thank. I will start with Mark from The Events Room. He made the challenge possible and I am so thrilled that he asked me to join the team.
And then there is the team; Dean, Leigh, and Mark, along with our team leader Fintan and Linus from MUUK Adventures, and not forgetting our Nepalese guide Lokesh and sherpa Suresh from Footprint Adventures. You were all amazing. We now have a special bond that will never be broken.
Thank you to all the people who sponsored a star for my ‘Cape For Loved Ones’. When times were tough, every one of the names on my cape inspired me to dig in and get to the top. And thanks to my amazing Mum who knitted all the stars and made the cape.
A huge thank you to all the people who sponsored me. I am humbled by your support. Seeing the Just Giving sponsorship rise every day gave every one of us a huge boost. I wanted to raise £8,000 to pay for Tŷ Hafan to open for half-a-day and am thrilled that the amount raised is nearly enough for three-quarters of a day. A special thank you goes to Lloyd Davies and everyone at Convey Law who sponsored a staggering £3,000, and to Matt and Mark at The Events Room who raised so much at their wonderful sports hospitality events.
My Just Giving page is still open if anyone wishes to sponsor me and push the total over £12,000 – Snowdog Climbs Everest for Tŷ Hafan
The biggest thank you goes to my family and especially my wife. Taking on these challenges means devoting a huge amount of time and energy to training and then being away for the challenge itself. Jackie’s support is incredible. Seeing all the balloons and bunting decorating our house when I got back home was such a lovely surprise. You are a very special lady.
My final thank you goes to my son Greg, firstly for allowing Snowdog to join me on the adventure. But more importantly for being my inspiration and by my side, along with your Grampa, when things got tough.
