CHILDREN’S TRUST EVEREST BASECAMP
Children’s Trust Everest Basecamp
The Children’s Trust is one of the UK’s number one charity organizations for children with severe brain injuries. Every year they support thousands of children and their families across the UK. They provide rehabilitation to help children to make the best recovery possible after a serious accident or illness.
Last October The Children’s Trust organized “The Everest Basecamp Challenge Trek”, to help raise support towards this beautiful cause. Of course one of the supporters was our friend Louis Mariette who is one of the top fundraisers of the Children’s Trust.
We wanted to know more about his experience in Nepal and the wonderful story behind “The Everest Basecamp Challenge Trek”.
Louis experience
Everyone has pivotal moments in their lives and I am no exception; flying to Nepal, experiencing an incredible culture and sweating it out to get to the world-famous Everest base camp has surpassed them all.
Supporting the Children’s Trust with essential fundraising for a specially adapted vehicle for kids with severe and critical head injuries was the mission of my amazing fellow trekkers.
We flew to the world’s most dangerous airport, Lukla, nestled within the Himalayas.
Our delightful Sherpas met us and loaded our caravan of yaks with our minimal but essential luggage.
Luxuries were soon left behind as we trekked, gradually gaining altitude and feeling the effects of mild altitude sickness – nausea, headaches, dizziness.
Facilities we stayed at gradually got colder and sparser but the enthusiasm and energy of our Nepalese hosts supplied all the warmth and comfort we required.
Everything is eventually carried up the mountains by incredibly fit Sherpas who are an essential lifeline as there are no roads or vehicles and the yaks had to be left behind due to the difficulty of the terrain for them. In fact, the Sherpas play a critical role in saving lives as well, especially in the event of a potentially fatal accident or advanced altitude sickness.
On a daily basis, trekking itself is physically grueling; altitude can knock the wind out of you and some of the gradients with terrifying sheer drops are challenging. This isn’t the land of “Health and Safety”!
But all is as nothing compared to the sheer delight of this extraordinary landscape which is breath-taking beyond description. The reward and joy of achieving a personal goal of making it to base camp with all your mates are worth all the effort and dangers.
Finally, I would like to make an appeal to all you wonderful Lemontrend readers. Please, where possible can you make a donation to this amazing cause towards a great charity? The kids and their parents rely on all the support they can get for often long-term treatments and therapy.
To donate please visit: Everest Basecamp
