2017 Everest Base Camp: Active Adventure

Everest Base camp was easily the most treacherous trip we went on. Of 18 trekkers, only 10 made Everest Base Camp, and a different mix of 10 people ended up being helicoptered off the mountain and into hospital.

The Drama of Air Travel

Well,we are mostly all here! Poor old Katherine is not.. she was stuck in Tamworth with a 2hr delay, and missed her flight! Clare turned up with a head cold, but apart from that we thought the worst was behind us. We were late taking off from the airport, and we arrived in China with just 30minutes to get to our connecting flight! thankfully they waited for us, and we took off only about half an hour behind schedule. Jen remarked that we now know that Babs has a “3rd gear, her get on a flight pace”!!

We made our way through the chaos of Kathmandu airport, at 3am Sydney time, only to discover two of our group’s bags had not made the flight. Di and Carol have strict instructions to pick up “2 bags and a human” today, as hopefully Katherine and their bags will be coming in on the same flight! As you can imagine, the drama took up a fair few hours, and we fell in to bed at 6am Sydney time. We weren’t the only uncomfortable ones, Gretchen sat next to a super-lanky man, who’s knees were so far away from his hips that he had to sit side on to fit! Jen also had an interesting experience, sitting next to a man who slurped his Cabonara from the side of his bowl, shoveling with his fork.

With any luck our drama is done down! Unlikely but we are all in good health and excited to see the city today! Gretchen, Terry, and I made our way to the roof of the hotel, so look forward to some good photos!
x Clare

We Survived the Flight to Lukla

We spent yesterday sightseeing and collecting bags and people from the airport. Poor Katherine got left there when it took over 2hrs to clear customs, but after 2 full days of traveling she finally made it to Kathmandu!

The sightseeing was great but a little too long. We were tired from our late night and jet lag and still had prep to do for today. Mark made some friends when he photographed a water truck… the inhabitants were so delighted to be photographed they wound down the window and started playing a flute!

There were a few scary moments when our group had to cross a 6 lane highway! They described the city as an “assault on the senses”!

They witnessed a cremation, and felt very sad for the relatives of the old lady that was being prepared, who were saying goodbye.

Today we were up at 4am, culling our bags so they were under 10kg. We had breakfast at 5am. We had to split into 2 groups because the plane only had room for 16, but they ran every 10min.

The flight to Lukla was smooth, the weather was good and it didn’t get scary until we flew so close to a mountain we thought we could touch it! It got a little bumpy and the pilot has to land us on an uphill runway with a right hand turn at the end of it. Which they did target well!!

2 hours later, Jen appeared saying “that’s a Nepalese 10min”… they’d been held up by paperwork problems for that long.

We finally got trekking, which was marked by frequent donkeys and Caks (cow and yak cross), prayer wheels, and mountains. One remark from Deb makes this blog… on observing Jules lying down “i love everything that happens lying down”… the consensus is that Alan would disagree..

We are now in a great lodge and our crew have had HOT showers!! Winning

Today is Tuesday

We have started losing our minds a little already, but i have worked out that today is Tuesday. To give an indication of how mental we are already, have a read of this observation from Kass; Di’s flaps are not a long or furry as hers… in regards to her beaver hat of course!

On Sunday night we had access to doonas at our teahouse, and Michele needed 2 on top of her -30° sleeping bag. Considering it wasn’t even 0° yet, she found out that it was a little too much!

Yesterday we were mucking around after lunch, and one of our girls leant back saying “I’m dying”, just as the room went quiet… and also farted at the same time. Needless to say the whole room erupted!

We had 4hrs of uphill after that, so Babs caught a donkey as she was concerned about finishing in the dark. It was grueling, and frequented by herds of donkeys and yaks. When the herds pass, you have to press up against the mountain, because the animals can knock you off if you’re standing on the edge – side. Kass got caught at one point on a very steep ledge with a yak coming right at her. She tried to ride and tripped on her sticks. It was very frightening and she copped a serve from a terrified shepherd, but thankfully emerged unscathed.

We had some huge swinging bridges to cross yesterday. Terry and Mark did an amazing job of staying composed despite being scared of heights… and these were dizzily high!

We were lucky with hot showers and en-suites last night. Mark received a disgruntled note under his door from the room underneath who described his movements as “shocking”!!

Today was supposed to be an “acclimatisation day”. We expected that to be a rest… instead we climbed 3hrs of stairs, then came back down again! We got our first glimpse of Everest today, which was also very exciting.

A few of us have had headaches and had mild belly issues, but so far everyone has been able to hike. We have a well earned afternoon off now, which will give us a reprieve.

The IntoYou Choir

After Kass accidentally ordered porridge for dinner last night, and Terry lost her glasses (which were on her head), and Justine tried to sterilise her water with the lid on the steripen, Jen insisted we all participate in the IntoYou Choir.

We were mostly good sports, especially Carol, Di, Kass, and Jen who wrote their own song for the occasion!

We had time yesterday afternoon to explore. Michele, Tracey, Gretchen, Carol, Kass and Gina went for a walk to a nearby village and met a runner who is participating in the Everest Marathon next week. He has summited Everest 4 times as a cook for a trekking company.

Michele made a faux pax when she enquired say a shop whether one of their products were condoms… it was chewing tobacco, much to the amusement of the entire village that happened to be sitting on the shop’s stoop!

Clare was a little grumpy yesterday, with her cough, and Jen enquired “who pissed on your chips”?

Julie spent yesterday afternoon in misery with altitude sickness. She was monitored by our fantastic Hike Nepal guides and improved this morning. By mid morning she was well enough to indulge in “black Panadol” (coke), but has taken the day really slow… We are still waiting on her, Babs, Jen, and Deb to come in. Actually, they’ve just walked in, and Jules is almost back to her cheeky self! Babs has been fine all day but she has had a little tear now she’s made it.

In other news, Di slipped gracefully on a rock. Our new favorite guide, Super Puri, whipped off his backpack and was down helping her up in seconds. He then ripped some branches off a tree and used them to clean up her rear end. Michele remarked that “you’ve got to fall over to earn an ass whipping”!

Jen remarked to another guide, Tendi, about how great Babs walked today. He agreed then said “this one troubled” in regards to Julie who was falling apart. Jules had the tenacity to give him the bird!!!

We are at a monastery right now eating dahl bat, then off exploring!

Another Acclimatization Day

We finished relatively early yesterday so we had time to check out the Tengboche Monastery. We sat and listened to a ritual run by the monks there, which was very soothing. So soothing, in fact, that Binod fell asleep and his assistant guide had to come and wake him up!

Afterwards, most of our group went to the bakery for apple pie!

Before dinner, we were presented with hot towels, and we were so pleased at this little luxury!

Today we started earlier because we were going to try to do another Acclimatisation session in the afternoon (we now know what that means!). The first part was just 2hrs, but filled with drama for Jules, Deb, Dizee, and Jen.

They were waiting mountainside for a group of yaks to pass, which were being driven along the path at pace. Debbie had to climb up the mountain to avoid them, when one of them lost their load, causing the others to scatter to avoid the stumbling yak and it’s tumbling load. They literally ran, Jen physically dragging Dizee up a hill and out of harms way.

They also saw a magnificent herd of native mountain goats, which made up for the scare!

When we arrived in Pangbouche, all the pipes were frozen, so we collected our water from the kitchen and flushed the toilets with buckets.

We had an early lunch (24 hour dahl baht power), then most of our group embarked on the Acclimatisation while the rest of our group rested. On the way i paused to take a picture or Mark and Justine taking a picture, and leant on a stone wall. The wall promptly collapsed, and in my haste to escape the falling rocks i jumped backwards in to a spikey bush. My theatrics as a result of the shock of hundreds of nasty pin pricks, caused a lot of amusement!

The hike was hard, and we were tired. Jules was the first to turn around (very sensibly after what she’s been through), and Mark hit his 4000m goal then stopped.

Gretchen, Katherine, Terry, Michele and i made it to the first “top”, at just under 4200m, before deciding to turn back. Justine made it another 45min before pulling the pin.

The rest of the group made it to Ama Dablam base camp, and watched as Kass scattered some of her mum’s ashes. It’s currently cloudy and gloomy and cold, and they’re making their way home. Massive day for those guys! Kudos to Carol, Mark, Gina, Kass, Tracey, and Ali.

We Lost Our Red Ninja

We lost our red ninja today. Jen started feeling unwell yesterday afternoon so took herself off for a rest.  She slept until this morning, off and on, and very uncomfortable with nausea and a sore throat.

She was looked after by our guides, and was well enough to attempt to walk this morning. She made it about half an hour down a 5hr track, before she was too weak to walk anymore. The original plan was to take her down and stay the night a little lower, and see how she felt into the morning, but she deteriorated so rapidly that Binod called a helicopter and flew her back to Kathmandu. She was admitted to hospital then released to a hotel once she was cleared.

We miss her a lot. Jen was the one teaching us how to breathe and sing, and pulling all her amazing lotions & potions out of her Mary Poppins bag!

(photos: Ninja Jen when she was healthy and had a sense of humour)

Something lovely came out of Jen’s shock departure, because we had fewer guides, we had to stick together. Mark T and Kass were instrumental in coaching Babs and helping her over difficult terrain. They stuck with her for the entire hike, as did the whole group with each other.

Carol was also unwell this morning, but went slow and steady and made it through to camp today. We are currently at 4410m, which is Bab’s highest point in the trip. We split from the panorama trekkers in 2 days.

Another feel-good story from today is that we met a women with cerebral palsy hiking to Everest Base Camp on her own. She has a porter and a guide, who take one arm each and help her walk.

SATURDAY

We called Jen and she’s all good, although she’s still in hospital for another 24hrs. Last night we played her ipod through her speakers, which mysteriously made their way back into Clare’s possession. We did her proud with singing and air guitar.

We have another acclimatisation day today, with an easy uphill jaunt that is already over. Ali even had enough energy to provide massage to some of our headachy hikers! Thanks Ali!

Tomorrow we split, with Babs and the Panorama crew going one way, Everest Base Camp trekkers going another. Expect radio silence for about 4 days before we come bursting back in to range high on glory!!

Yesterday Sucked

Before we get on to why yesterday sucked, Puri has taken a shine to Jen’s speaker. He played “daddies cool” to us on our acclimatisation hike on Saturday!

Sunday was just an awful day. It started with Debs being helicoptered out with fluid in her lungs. This was after an extremely stressful night for her and Kass, trying to keep her breathing. It was really heartbreaking to see this spunky woman shriveled up and sick.

Since Babs had already chartered a helicopter out (she was happy with the hiking she’d done), they shared it to Lukla, where Babs was dropped off. Debbie was taken straight to Kathmandu hospital. She’ll be there for a couple of days with a fairly severe chest infection. Babs and Jen have both been there to see her.

There was a lot of uphill in the hike on Sunday, and more of us are getting sick. I coughed for a couple of hours without a break, making my head and chest feel like they were going to crack with every heave. I was holding my skull together every time i coughed, until Justine came and layered me up until i looked and moved like a snowman. This was only a small reprieve though, i continued to cough but less often.

During the steepest section, my heart felt like a bird in my chest, and that i was trying to breath through a blanket. As is totally rational in that situation, i panicked, making it worse. The guides took my bag from me (but only after a stern word from Justine). I struggled even without the bag to Loboche, and went straight to bed. I woke up with tonsillitis and tears, stayed awake as long as it took to take a few sips of soup and plan an alternative to EBC.

Another person who needed an alternative was Terry. She was brave enough to attempt Everest Base Camp when given the choice (originally she was doing the Panorama alternative), but found herself with Altitude Sickness on Sunday. Ever the trooper, she made it to the end with the guidance of her sister, Gina, who was very worried. Terry walked all day with a headache, sore throat, lethargy, and an upset stomach.

She stumbled in to our teahouse and looked at me and said “I’m done. Today is my best”.

The alternative we came up with was for me, Terry, and Carol (who has suffered altitude on and off for days) to walk down with Binod today, and wait for the Base Camp trekkers here. We ended up being joined by Katherine and Michele, who came down pretty hard with their own respective illnesses overnight.

While the remainder of our team was hiking in -20 degrees, we had a leisurely morning and walked down almost 1000m. It was hard for us, as we all are sick, but we made it and have settled into our rooms in an attempt to recover before the rest of the group join us.

They should be at Everest Base Camp right now. It’s a huge achievement, especially for those who are a little sick. They’re expected back in camp around 730pm tonight (they’ll be walking in the dark). This is followed up tomorrow by another 4am start and 12hr hike to meet us here.

Best wishes to all of you on the mountain; Di, Jules, Kass, Ali, Tracey, both Marks, Justine, Gina, and Gretchen! We are very proud of you!

Everest Base Camp Conquered!

Last night we asked Binod every 30 minutes for updates on our Everest Base Camp trekkers. All 10 that set out made it, however only 2 were able to back it up and achieve Kalapattar this morning.

Michele had a terrible night coughing and hardly slept. We already had planned a helicopter ride, and decided to send her to Kathmandu on the back of it. Carol went with her.

The helicopter ride was great because we got to see EBC, and the glacia, even though we were too sick to walk up there. On our return, we got word that Di was also headed to Kathmandu, dropping Big Mark off on the way. Mark didn’t get in until 730pm last night, 13hrs of hiking. I managed to launch myself in to the chopper give Di a huge hug. She could hardly speak and was crying, all she said was “it was really hard” in a raspy, ruined voice.

While we were waiting for food, Mark was telling us about a time when he was tactical commander of a big search and rescue in the blue mountains. He said that he would choose the girls that went up the mountain with him yesterday over the “pretty boys” he was commanding that day. Compared to the women in our group (especially “little Gina” the “pocket rocket”), they were a boy band!

He is now fast asleep, recovering from one of the biggest challenges of his life.

The remaining 8 people in our team are now only about 3-4hrs away. From what we hear, most of them are sick, so we will make sure they have beds ready to crash in to when they get here!

Everest Base Camp From Those Who Did It!

The team that took on the challenge of Everest BC got up at 430am for breakfast, anticipating a long day. Unfortunately they didn’t get out until 630am because Mark’s stocks went missing. The mystery was solved when Gretchen checked the ones she “put away” for Teresa. Then there was a toilet que, before they finally started hiking.

Kass was quite upset because her “support crew” were all to ill to attempt it. To her credit, she rallied, drawing on her mantra “courage”, and made it all the way one step at a time.

Jules was SICK. She was headachy and distressed, and we are so thankful that she survived! In fact, she recovered so well that she nursed another team member up to base camp, and back down again in the dark, through sleet and -20° winds.

Their lunch took a little longer than planned too, and they left for the 3hr hike around 1pm. Apart from the fact that they’re well above 5000m now, it’s freezing, bouldery, and they’re tired. They heard the crack and rumble of avalanches too.

At base camp, they stopped long enough to take pictures and make a little shrine to Kass’s mum, who’s ashes are now buried there. Kass carried her mum the whole way and has left her to rest at the top of the world.

The team left at around 4pm, knowing they’d be completing much of the return trip in the dark. They rushed to get over the most difficult parts in time. Once they made it to the valley, they could see the lights of the village. Their breathe was frozen to their clothes, and their runny noses weren’t runny anymore…

One of our wonderful guides, Puri, no sooner dropped the first group of before heading out to collect the next group. Another guide, Tendi, stuck with Mark and Justine for hours in the dark to ensure they made it back safely. Mark and Justine were covered in a film of ice by the time they made it back, and for our guides we are grateful. They then went on to serve dinner!!

Many people pulled up sick or exhausted after this. Only Tracey and Mark T were able to back it up with another 430am start, climbing Kalapatthar and returning before most of the others were even out of bed!

They joined the crew sitting around for breakfast with glazed, vacant, expressions!

Both times, our crew had the places to themselves, which was great for their pictures! Tracey will have me tell you that she left Mark for dead when Puri told them to run back down (it was bloody cold, Puri estimates -28°).

We evacuated Di that morning. She spent the night unable to get warm despite numerous got water bottles and blankets. Mark S took the day off. When they dropped Mark to our village, Binod and Clare were doing yoga on the airstrip. Binod ‘s preference was Warrior 1 and other poses, while Clare preferred the “starfish” (flat on her back).

Fire in the Teahouse

I said in the last post “but wait there’s more” in regards to the dramas of this trip, and here it is… FIRE

On Wednesday we had a long hike, although easy terrain, of about 10hrs. We were essentially unwinding our trip there, and did plenty of reminiscing along the way. It was common for someone to stop and remark “this was where we…”!

We finished in the dark (again), but were comfortable into a nice, hot dining room. We’d done the room draw, some of us has unpacked our bags and made our beds, others were playing on the internet or reminiscing about the last time we were in this room, and Jen made us do choir!!!

Not long after we had ordered our dinner, there was a commotion at the window. It was pretty crowded but i was able to peek between the bodies. I saw orange embers spewing from the wall between our teahouse and the one next door. I looked up and saw Mark T rushing to his room. He paused in the doorway and caught my eye , saying “we have to get out”.

And get out we did. The teahouse had about 30 people scrambling to collect their bags and exit down a very narrow, steep staircase. I hadn’t unpacked so just threw my bag over the bannister and clambered down. Even though we were rushing, no-one panicked, and everyone made it down safely and respectfully.

Once we were out, we did a headcount and realised Gretchen and Gina were missing. They were the most organised of the lot of us, and were undressed and ensconced in their room as we evavuated. They poked their head out to see what was going on and noone was there. Thankfully our hike nepal team were fastidiously rounding everyone up and they soon joined us (although they were very cold).

Kass saw the face of the woman who owned the property as she watched her teahouse burn down. The flames were high and thick at this stage. We didn’t know if they had insurance or access to water at this time, so Kass imagined the worst and had a very hard time staying composed and focussed with that poor woman’s face haunting her. We found out later that they did have insurance.

We were all outside now with our bags, and the fire is getting bigger and bigger. Mark S remarked on the gas bottles they use to cook, and the possibility of them exploding. The fire was properly raging now and it was urgent we get further away. This led to some more scrambling and fussing as people tried to find their head lights and jumpers. I had no luck I  this department, but Kass found hers so i made my way to the next village in the pitch darkness by walking a little behind Kass.

Mark S was exhausted from the day, and really struggled to find more reserves to get himself to the next village. We then sat in a cold dining room while we waited for the teahouse owner to come back (they’d gone off to fight the fire). When they did return, we refused dinner (they cook with open fires or gas), but submitted to a cup of tea before bed. We were all in bed fairly early but thoroughly exhausted from the events of the day.

Throughout the night, there were two cases of gastro, which had thankfully resolved by the morning. However the surprises didn’t end there, with Mark S so exhausted he couldn’t walk, Tracey with a gurgling cough that prevented her from sleeping, and Clare with an excruciating rib pain every time she coughed (which was often).

Binod called a helicopter. Justine came with us too, as Mark’s partner. We caught a helicopter at 830am, and waited 1.5hrs in Lukla for another chopper to Kathmandu. Mark managed to sleep for the entire wait.

While we were waiting, a very well dressed couple in their 60’s came in. He was wearing a safari suit and she was in a cream, iron pressed pantsuit. I tell you this because we were disheveled and stinky, and they were going to the same place that we went: Everest Base Camp. They were getting a helicopter and spending precisely 9 minutes at the camp. They didn’t even have a puffy jacket!! They might have been on to something…

There was an ambulance waiting for us when  we got to Kathmandu. It took us to the same international hospital that Di and Michele were in. They came to see us, Di remarking “you guys stink “!!! Stink we did but by then we didn’t care. The poor nurses screwed up their noses when all 3 of us took our shoes off!

Tracey and i have both been diagnosed with AMS (acute mountain sickness) and different respiratory infections. They’re managing our symptoms and making us comfortable while we sleep it off. We are sharing a room and slept 12hrs last night, woken only for meds before sleeping again. At 8 am when breakfast came, the food delivery guy reprimanded us for still being asleep, saying “you should be awake”!!

We have been down to see Mark, and he’s doing well, grumbling about losing muscle mass because he’s not getting enough protein, but then ordering chicken burgers and snickers bars for lunch. He is always entertaining!!

The plan is for all of us to get out tomorrow!!

Everest Base Camp Team Reunites

Our Hike Nepal group has finally stopped hiking!!!

THURSDAY

After we were evacuated the others continued on to Phakding, everyone finishing but pretty exhausted. It was 9hrs but they finished before dark this time!

They had to walk past the teahouse fire from the night before, and saw the compete devastation of the building, still smoking.

After that they waved good bye to the 4 of us on the helipad, and then again as we flew past.

The guides pointed out some mountain goats, called Tsars. They whistled to them and the male goat whistled back, which was pretty cool!

They had their morning cuppa with 4 Llama monks, who chanted while they drank. The Monks had been to the village to bless the family who were involved in the fire.

Upon arriving at their destination, they were greeted with great rooms (better than anything we have had) all with en-suites! It was such a fantastic surprise and reward!

FRIDAY

Our last members standing enjoyed an easy 3-4hr hike to Lukla. They enjoyed a few moments relaxing in the sun, since they had time and opportunity on this day! While they were relaxing a cow came and gently head butted Terry, asking for a scratch. Once she stopped, the cow made its way down the line of people, until everyone had given it a pat!

Once they arrived in Lukla, one group relaxed with a celebratory beer beside the fireside. Two more adventurous members, Kass and Julie, decided to give the local hairdresser a go. They asked for a wash and blow dry, and got anything but! They endured a blackout, then were horrified to see their hair wrapped around a blowdryer and burning!!! They “gently” gave some guidance, and came out with their hair intact (although not in the style they expected!)

SATURDAY

They were on the first flight out of Lukla this morning. Our hikers that were released from hospital caught them at the hotel. Then, this afternoon they happened to be assembled in the lobby when the 3 of us tumbled out of the hospital van – ESCAPED from hospital!!!

We listened to one of the hospital staffs stories today. His name is Su-Shan and we noticed he was at the hospital first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Turns out that he works 730am – 9pm, 7 days a week, to support his dad (who is sick), and his brother who is at school. He lives an hour from work and gets up early to cook for his dad and brother before he goes to work. Despite all this he is cheerful, cheeky, friendly, and efficient. He brightened our days in there.

Our Hike Nepal group is finally all back together and enjoying each-others company as a team. We have a day of leisure in Kathmandu tomorrow and are looking forward to getting on the plane and seeing our families again!!!

Tracey’s Everest Base Camp Experience

Tracey has just returned from Everest Base Camp, in Nepal. This was her first trip with IntoYou, and it was an EPIC one, to say the least! This is her story…

“… When I was younger I had read many books about Everest and seen the movies. I had a bit of a fascination with the mountain. I thought those who climbed to the top were crazy but always wanted to see the mountain for myself.

I didn’t quite know what to expect. Some said it was easy others said it was hard. I found it challenging. I have never been so exhausted in my life. Your energy just got depleted. I climbed to Ama Dablam Base Camp and felt good that day but the next day hiking was a relatively easy hike but I found it totally exhausting.  It’s amazing what you can do when you need to do it. You draw energy from within to keep you going. You have to to keep going.

Being totally exhausted I did have some doubts that I could make it. To get through the exhaustion I just kept putting one foot in front of the other – it was slow going but you always made it.

The experience was well worth it. The scenery needs to been seen to be believed. The photos just don’t do it justice. The mountains are towering all around you. The temperatures were the coldest I’d ever been in. I was so proud of myself making it to the top of Kalapatthar. It took all my self belief to get to the top. I was tired. I could see the top. We had to climb over rocks to get there. It was around -30 degrees and my toes & fingers were going numb. Puri our guide said we were only half way. I thought “oh shit what am I doing”. I progressed one step at a time. Slowly getting closer to the top. My mental strength got me through. I had a burst of adrenaline when I was close to the top that helped me get there. I encouraged Mark to get to the top. I’m sure he was glad he made it. I climbed through the prayer flags and sat right on the top. The view was amazing. I had a 360 degree view – frozen lakes, mountains – the sun was rising – it was a very special moment [More on this here].

The hardest thing for me was to leave the mountain.  [Tracey got very sick with 2 days to go, her childhood friend, Katherine, dug her heels in and insisted that she get off the mountain. Full story here]

I felt I needed to be at deaths door to be airlifted out. I suffered from sinus and respiratory problems. I didn’t factor these into my trip although I do have a weakness in my sinuses. The dust didn’t help…”

If you’re entertaining the thought of a trip like this, Tracey’s advice is: “Try – you don’t know how you’ll go. It wasn’t the fittest who got through our trek it was the person who could keep at bay the colds & tummy upsets who made it to the end“. What she says is true, Clare, the Personal Trainer on the trip did not get to EBC or finish hiking, but other regular ol’ mums and IntoYou clients did!!

Tracey’s other advice for potential trekkers is: “Go for it – it’s a great experience. Takes you out of your comfort zone but shows you how resilient you really are.  You are stronger than you think. If you go in November make sure you have the right clothing and that it’s warm enough. Bepanthen is great for dry noses and works a treat (thanks Gina). Drinks lots of water and have electrolytes“.

Tracey was only 2 days off being the ONLY other person (apart from Mark) to complete the trek. She was strong, calm, composed, and determined – even when she felt like death warmed up. Tracey is a mum of two who demonstrates that anyone can literally do anything if their mind is in the right place!