Everest Trek

Read the No Guts Know Glory IBD Adventures Everest blog here

IBD Adventures will lead an Everest Base Camp Trek from March 29 through April 19, 2010 in support of IDEAS and to accompany Robert Hill, founder of IDEAS, as he treks to Mount Everest prior to his climb to the highest point on Earth. Trekkers will experience the trip of a lifetime to one of the world’s most magical and mystical places: the Khumbu region of Nepal’s majestic Himalayan mountain range.

The total length of the IBD Adventures Mount Everest Base Camp trek will be 22 days return from Kathmandu. We will fly from Kathmandu to Lukla in Nepal, before trekking into Everest Base Camp. The trek is coordinated by IBD Adventures and delivered by guides from Canada West Mountain School based in Vancouver, BC. The trek is fully supported by Canadian certified mountain guides, Sherpa guides and a team of Nepalese cooks, helpers, porters and yaks.

This trek will join Robert Hill and the No Guts Know Glory Mount Everest climbing team on their approach to Base Camp. Both teams will be led to base camp by IFMGA Mountain Guide John Furneaux. On the return trek back to Lukla via Chola Pass and Gokyo, the trek will be led by Paul Head from IBD Adventures along with some of the English-speaking Nepalese Sherpa guides who have many years of experience leading groups through these regions.

Itinerary
On the first day of the trek you will meet your guides and the rest of the IBD Adventures team, as well as the No Guts Know Glory Mount Everest Expedition members in Kathmandu on March 29, 2010. We will spend two days in Kathmandu checking over gear, seeing some local sites and arranging all the final details before departing for the mountain.

From Kathmandu we will fly to the Himalayan town of Lukla (see the video below), at 2,860 meters (9,000 feet). From there we start our 10-day trek into Everest Base Camp. We will be acclimatizing to the thin air of the Himalayas, so we will be taking our time enjoying the sights, visiting monasteries and getting to know the local peoples and culture.

Day 01 – Arrive Kathmandu and transfer to our hotel
Day 02 – Kathmandu sight seeing and preparation for the trek
Day 03 – Fly to Lukla, then trek into Phakding
Day 04 – Trek to Namche Bazaar
Day 05 – Namche (acclimatization day; hike to Khumjung)
Day 06 – Trek to Tengboche
Day 07 – Trek onwards to Dingboche
Day 08 – Stay in Dingboche for the day
Day 09 – Lobuche
Day 10 – Trek to Gorekshep; hike to Kalapatar for Everest views
Day 11 – Trek from Gorekshep to Everest base Camp
Day 12 – Stay at Base Camp
Day 13 – Stay at Base Camp
Day 13 – Return down to Lobuche
Day 14 – Trek to Zongla, before heading up to Chola pass
Day 15 – From Zongla to Thannak, crossing Chola pass
Day 16 – Trek to Gokyo
Day 17 – Spend the day in Gokyo
Day 18 – Trek from Gokyo to Machharmo
Day 19 – Trek from Macharmo to Manju
Day 20 – Trek to Lukla
Day 21 – Fly to Kathmandu
Day 22 – Depart for home, or continue traveling

Everyone is responsible for getting to Kathmandu on (or before) the start date. The IBD Adventures team will meet in Vancouver, BC, or if more convenient for the trekker, Kathmandu and begin preparing for the trip. From Kathmandu onwards, all aspects of the trip regarding travel, food and accommodation are taken care of (except meals in Kathmandu).

Participants should contact the local Nepalese embassy to inquire about visa requirements for travel in Nepal; you can also read some information here; and, the Nepalese Department of Immigration site has more helpful information as well. Visa’s can be obtained on entry at most international entry points into Nepal.

IBD Adventures pledge

Each trekker will be responsible to:

• Raise $1,000 in donations to IDEAS. This means you have reached Climber status. If you raise $1 per meter of base camp elevation ( $5,300) you reach Mountaineer status.
• Pay their own round trip airfare to Kathmandu, Nepal.
• Pay their own organized trek costs of CDN $2,450.

You must be in very good physical and mental shape to reach Everest Base Camp. During our 22 days in Nepal, we will spend 16 or 17 days trekking through the Khumbu region of the Himalayan mountain range. The team will undergo considerable physical stress caused by altitude, but we will travel slowly and carefully, taking several acclimatization days throughout to help our bodies adapt to the extreme altitude. This is not a technical climb–it is a trek at high altitude–and you will need to be physically fit and mentally ready to take on this significant challenge.

IBD Adventures heightens awareness of the struggles youth afflicted with IBD go through in everyday life. We invite adventurous people from all walks of life, those affected and those not affected by IBD, to participate. Pledges raised support IDEAS to send children and youth to summer camps and to help find a cure for IBD through research funding. If you would like to donate to support IDEAS, please click here.