I love putting myself in situations that squeeze me beyond the comfortable: rappelling into a Utah slot canyon and navigating a subterranean maze, riding my bike solo for 80 miles over four Colorado high mountain passes, trekking to the world’s highest base camp over 11 days with four strangers. Strenuous adventures, especially long ones in remote areas, always provide opportunities to examine how you respond to a challenge, and usually show you just how tough you can be – plus there’s loads to learn along the way.
The trek to Nepal’s Everest Base Camp isn’t technical and doesn’t require crampons or mountaineering experience, but it can still feel daunting. There’s the elevation to contend with – at 17,598ft (5,354m) above sea level, it’s higher than nearly every mountain in the US, plus Mont Blanc, Rainbow Mountain, and many Himalayan peaks. That means that by the time you arrive, you’re getting 50 percent less oxygen with every breath than you would at sea level. And that’s enough to turn a substantial number of trekkers back before reaching Base Camp.
