Life-long dream realised as Offaly man climbs to Everest base camp

Everyone talks about their bucket list and an Offaly man was fortunate to tick off one item off his this Autumn.

Edenderry based councillor Robert McDermott had an lifelong ambition to get to Everest Base camp.

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world at 8,848 metres and lots of people have tried to climb it and it is the setting for lots of documentaries. It is located in the Himalayas and the China - Nepal border runs across its summit. Base camp itself is at 5,510 meters.

“That was my target. I set off in Mid September with my friend Dave Clancy who I meet in college in 1980 and we have stayed in touch since,” said Robert .

The base camp expertly led by Pat Falvey, a legend in the mountaineering world. Pat runs his adventure company from Kerry. He has summited Everest twice and was the first person in the world to complete the Seven Summits twice. For good measure he has also reached the North and South Pole. It was great to have his experience on our trip and his stories of his exploits had all enthralled. 

Explained Robert: “Our group of 10 flew from Dublin to Kathmandu via Istanbul on the way out. Nepal suffered a huge earthquake in 2015 registering 7.8 on the Richter scale which caused devastation in Kathmandu and surrounding areas.

“The after-effects of the quake can still be seen in the city today. By western standards there were a lot of differences as we drove to our hotel, the first being the lack of street signs and traffic lights which lead to interesting driving habits.

“The electrical cables which were only a little above head height were also a source of awe for our group. Kathmandu is a city of 1,000 Temples and the locals are very good at going to one most days. The Monkey Temple, the city Crematorium and the Temple of the Virgin Goddess were sights worth seeing and totally different to our Western Culture.

“Some of us had last minute shopping of mountain gear we required, especially sleeping bags that were good to minus 10 degrees celsius.

“After a couple of days acclimatising and resting we had a 4am start to make it to the airport and catch the first flight to Lukla airport in the mountains. Lukla is known as the most dangerous airport in the world and is 527meters in length and goes uphill on landing.

“Once we claimed our bags we met our 3 local guides for our adventure as well as the Sherpas who carried our luggage for the duration of our trip. This left us with a rucksack which contained our daily essentials. These Sherpas are the real heroes of the trip as they ferried goods up and down the mountain. Their stamina never ceased to amaze us all.

“There is no motorised transport on the mountains and the only way of moving about is on foot or on horseback. As we started our journey we were warned to take it easy as we were now at altitude. We could all feel the shortage of air in our breathing and it is quite an experience to experience altitude for the first time.

“Our group had different experiences of it, some with dizziness, others had upset stomach. Personally the first few nights I awoke suddenly due to shortness of breath. Definitely a good way to ruin your night’s sleep!.

“Day 2 of the trek was probably the toughest day as we climbed into Namche Bazar a trading post town in the Himalayas. It is at 3440m above sea level and took us 7 hours trekking to reach it. We stayed here for two nights which was useful for acclimatisation and on our second day here we trekked to the famous Everest Hotel at 3880m which offered us our first view of Mount Everest which is quite a thrilling experience and quite moving as well.

“ You now know you are up high because you are looking down at the helicopters flying below you as they make their way to Base Camp. 

“All in all it took eight days to get to Base Camp and normally 4 to return. As you get higher the weather gets colder and the facilities get sparser. The tea houses we stayed in are very welcoming and are mainly made from plywood so it is mainly shelter they offer not warmth. The main room in the house has a big fire and its fuel mainly comes from yak dung. Yaks are similar to cows and are used as well for transport and food. The food is basic but adequate and bearing in mind that everything has to be carried the variety is limited.

“Also as you climb you can see the lack of birds and vegetation and the nearer you get to base camp its mainly rocks and boulders which dominate the landscape. The glaciers themselves are melting due to climate change as you approach Base Camp which makes for some interesting sound effects underneath. We were all elated on reaching Base Camp. The camp was quite full with lots of different nationalities celebrating their achievement. We spent an hour there before we had to return to GorakShep the nearest village to Base Camp which sits on a frozen lake.

“The scenery of the snow capped mountains and the quietness are ingrained in my memory. Also the friendlessness of the people and their smiling faces and their happiness with their lot in life, which lacks lots of western comforts and their greeting of “Namaste” which translates to ‘I see the good in you’ is a great motto to live your life by. I am asked did I enjoy the holiday?. A holiday it was not, an experience of a life time it most definitely was. I would definitely recommend it if you have an interest in heading to Base Camp, but fitness is required along with mental strength as you will have some bad days on the trip, but it is worth it.”