The Journey before the Journey
Memories from our trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC)
We did a bit of research on a few organisations who organised this trek. I had heard great things about Adventure Pulse (AP) from my colleague/friend Chatura who had done multiple treks with them. After all the research, we decided to go with AP and formally registered for the trek by end of December 2025. Meera had to be back in B’lore by 12 April, so we had to find a batch which would meet this criteria. Since there was no preset batch from AP matching our dates, AP team created a separate batch for us based on our requirements. Our preferred batch slot was 27th Mar – 11th April with a night halt at Ramechhap (instead of traveling by road in the night from Kathmandu to Ramechhap, fly to Lukla and trek to Phakding all on the same day). Four members (Me, Pankaj, Shobita & Meera) were already confirmed (which was a requirement from AP team to have a custom batch). They also suggested if we were fine they could promote our batch dates on their website for more people to join. We were more than happy if more people could join. Our only request to them was to see if they can have new members in the same age bracket as ours.
Once our dates and registration formalities were confirmed with AP, we also started exploring flights. Air India Express had direct flights B’lore to/from Kathmandu. We went ahead and booked our flights too. The plan was to have all the bookings done by end of 2025 and start training for the trek with the dawn of 2026.
Now that 27th March date was confirmed, the countdown had started. To help us plan & prepare well and also encourage each other I created a whatsapp group for the trek. In the 2nd week of January, Sanjeev also confirmed he would be joining us on the trek. So now we were five of us. We were hoping a few more of our friends would join us on this trek.
From 1st weekend of Jan 2026 up until 7th March 2026, we went on multiple one day treks - one every weekend. We did many wonderful treks around Bangalore - Madhugiri, Horagina Betta, Kunti Betta, Amabajidurga trek, Skandagiri trek, Nandi Hills steps climbing, Chamundi hills steps climbing and finally Makalidurga Trek (Gowthami joined us on this trek).
Apart from weekend treks and long brisk walks in beautiful parks of B’lore, Pankaj and I started focusing on leg strengthening workouts in the gym, long incline walks on treadmill (in the later stages with weighted backpack) and stair climbing at Mug’s apartment which had 15 floors. At the end of our training we were able to climb 105 floors (with weighted backpacks) in one go. With 10-12 weeks of consistent training and workouts we had trained ourselves well (that’s what I thought – ofcourse one never knows how our body would react in the mountains).
As 27th March approached, our WA group was bustling with messages on what to purchase, where to buy them, which store had discounts, how to ensure we don’t over pack etc. Shobita and Meera were experienced high altitude trekkers. They had done Annapurna Circuit few years ago. They gave us a lot of tips and suggestions which came in very handy. We also got inputs from our friends who had recently completed EBC trek.
There was a separate official WA group with AP team and five of us. Few weeks before the trek start date, AP team also added other trek members to this WA group. At this point we knew them only by names. As the trek dates got closer, our queries also increased. Laveena patiently clarified all our doubts.
Couple of days before the trek start date, we received a call from Air India Express that they have cancelled all their flights in April due to operational reasons. This meant we will have to look for another flight for our return journey. When we booked in December we had got the tickets at a reasonable price, now the prices were very high. But we had no choice now. Instead of 3 hour direct flight we ended up with a 7 hour journey with a stopover at Delhi. Though we had an option of taking a direct flight with Nepal Airlines, we didn’t want to risk due to our prior experience of last minute flight cancellation with Nepal airlines. Thankfully our flight on the onward journey to Kathmandu wasn’t impacted.
The weekend before 27th March was the busiest weekend. We had to finish last minute purchases, insurance for the trek, enable international roaming, inform family/friends/neighbours about our trip etc. We wanted to get our bags all packed and ready over the weekend so that we don’t have to worry about it during the work week. Days prior to long vacation are the most hectic days at work. Somehow lot of things suddenly need to be done on priority. Packing for this trek was the most time consuming job. We first tried to see if can pack all our stuff in our large trek backpacks. Unfortunately, couldn’t get to fit everything into them. Finally decided to carry everything in regular suitcases and later purchase/rent duffle bags in Kathmandu. Pankaj had this huge checklist prepared for the trek. Don't know how many times we went through that to ensure we haven't missed any thing.
Meanwhile, Meera had a situation at home. Her Father-in-Law was unwell and was in ICU. She was hoping he would recovery and return home soon. Except for purchasing the trek insurance she was all set. When her FIL was still in ICU on 26th March, she called off her trek plans. This was bummer. She had trained for 3 months and was so looking forward to the trek. Unfortunately she couldn’t join us. However, she ended up doing the trek with another group in May. So, with Meera cancelled, it was just the four of us – Pankaj, me, Shobita and Sanjeev from our group. We were super excited and bit anxious to embark on the journey to EBC - Where the Mountains Get Bigger and the Air Gets Thinner!
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