Skip to main content

Walking to the top of the world: The joy of tackling Everest with a 12-year-old in tow

As my 12-year-old son reaches the prayer flags that mark the location of Everest Base Camp, the clouds clear and a tiny, rose-pink finch takes wing.

We have walked for two weeks in this thin air, Zac, I and our guide, Nir, passing memorials to those who have died on their way to the roof of the world.

'You know what?' Zac says. 'I thought getting here would be an anti-climax, but it isn't an anti-climax at all.'

Roof of the world: Theodora and her son Zac tackle Everest - at least the walk to its base camp

It's certainly a high point of our round-the-world tour. We can't see Everest from here. Although we're four times higher than Ben Nevis, we are too low and too close.

But we can see the jagged staircase of the Khumbu Icefall, the route almost all climbers have followed to the summit of Everest. And later, from the snowless 'black mountain' known as Kala Patthar, we watch the evening light turn the summit of Everest gold.

The Everest Base Camp trek might seem an odd choice with a child. Yet in the 19 days Zac and I spend in the mountains, he finds plenty of childish pleasures.

  More... A jumbo adventure: Lovesick elephants and views of Everest on a tour of magical Nepal Luxury treks in Nepal: Sipping lemon tea in the shadow of Everest Uncover the magic of Nepal

Zac cuddles baby yaks, skates on frozen glacier lakes, throws snowballs, spins vast, brightly coloured prayer wheels, scrambles up steep slopes and across frozen streams, and plays with Sherpa children.

At lower elevations, we stroll through forests of juniper and pine populated by peacocks and wild goats, past meadows where yaks graze in winter, and along avenues of prayer stones.

In an ancient Tibetan Buddhist monastery, we see the conical, furry skull of an Abominable Snowman. So what if Hillary proved it came from an antelope?

Golden peak: Everest has always proved a fascinating challenge for adventurers

And then we experience, of course, that first magical sight of Everest, a plume of snow streaming from its peak in the savage winds. I prepared Zac to expect a difficult walk, yet we find the trail easier than expected.

We have to ascend slowly to avoid altitude sickness, so some days we walk no more than two or three hours. We have chosen a more interesting but more challenging route than the standard trek, following the Dudh Koshi river up to Gokyo Ri, where we see the most beautiful sunrise of our lives, and crossing over the Cho La pass, a gap between two tall peaks that once formed part of the old Tibetan trade routes.

En route to the Cho La, we race to escape a threatened landslide.

Crossing the roaring, creaking glacier that is part of the pass is an experience I'll not forget. Yet, as the bird takes wing at Everest Base Camp, every second has been worth it.

Theodora Sutcliffe blogs at www.escapeartistes.com.

Travel Facts

Theodora and Zac arranged flights and a porter-guide through Nepal-based Trek Around Nepal (www.trekaroundnepal.com).

Families with younger children keen to try trekking would be better to book a custom-prepared tour or private guide - as children may need extra time to acclimatise, or a more relaxed schedule than is typical on a group tour.

Mountain Kingdoms (01453 844400, www.mountainkingdoms.com) offers a tailor-made 20-day trek to Everest Base Camp for families. Prices start at £2,405 including return flights to Kathmandu with onward flights to Lukla, guide, sherpas, full board accommodation in hotels and teahouses and bedding pack.


Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o