A terrifying landing strip, long days of trekking, lack of oxygen and no showers: a self-made millionaire with no trekking experience has revealed a step-by-step account of his journey to Everest Base Camp with all the luxuries outside the window.
Neel Parekh, 35, from Los Angeles, ventured into the Himalayas this spring with his wife for a “strenuous” nine-day hike to the base of the world’s tallest mountain.
In a thread documenting the experience on can do this. ‘
And he adds: ‘The walk itself is not too technical. It’s long, yes, but it’s expected. The difficult parts come from the unexpected…’
From “day one,” Neel said the trip began with a thrilling flight to the “world’s most dangerous runway,” which is only 1,729 feet long and “looks like it was made for ants.”
Neel Parekh, 35, from Los Angeles, ventured to the Himalayas this spring with his wife, for a ‘grueling’ nine-day hike to the base of the world’s tallest mountain and wrote about it in X
From “day one,” Neel said the trek began with a thrilling flight to the “most dangerous landing strip in the world,” which is only 1,729 feet long and “looks like it was made for ants.”
From there, Neel and his wife met a local guide named Govinda and set out on their journey.
His diary entry for that day enthusiastically reads: ‘I feel fresh, excitement is at an all-time high. Easy day. Four hour walk. We checked into a tea house accommodation.
‘Food was provided for the entire trip so it was no problem. There were no problems the first day. GRS. This shit is going to be easy.”
However, on the second day, Neel’s feelings changed slightly as he wrote, “Update: this shit actually wasn’t easy.”
He notes that some of the trickiest moments included “seven hours of walking,” “hanging bridges,” “uneven terrain,” and “working uphill with a side stitch.”
But he does highlight some “fun parts” of the adventure, such as “moving through small towns” to observe “a different way of life” and “unrealistic” landscapes that make you “feel like you’re in a different world.”
At the end of the second day, Neel and his wife arrived at the “largest” town in the area, Namche Bazar, and he said that “it felt amazing to be close to something modern (I mean, they even had a small local bar).”
Waking up the next day, Neel said things started off badly because he was “freezing,” and even the shower was “barely above freezing.”
The trickiest moments included “seven hours of walking,” “hanging bridges,” “uneven terrain,” and “working uphill with a side stitch.”
The worst part of Neel’s expedition came on the fourth day, when “it was pouring rain all day.”
But he soon warmed up with a four-hour uphill hike that rewarded him with “a viewpoint and a vision of the homie Everest looming beyond the ridge.”
The worst part of Neel’s expedition came on the fourth day, when “it was pouring rain all day long.”
Fortunately, he said, he rented a waterproof jacket in Kathmandu, so he “put it on and stayed warm.”
In addition to the bad weather, the businessman said he was suffering from fatigue after “multiple days of bad sleep” due to poor and very basic accommodation.
He said he ended the day in his sleeping bag, “wet from the rain and frustrated by what it got me into.”
A spell of “schizophrenic” weather continued until the fifth day, with sun, wind, snow, and “then it was sunny again.”
However, Neel said the six-hour hiking route was “pretty easy,” with a series of “hanging bridges and beautiful rivers.”
From that day on, the Californian said he felt “recharged” by the trip and “absolutely amazed by the changing landscape.”
The only thing that set him back slightly was a bout of altitude sickness on day seven after an acclimatization hike, and his head was “throbbing” from lack of oxygen and not drinking enough.
After “drinking water and Liquid IV,” Neel felt “a lot” better as he detailed the final trip to base camp.
A spell of schizophrenic weather continued until the fifth day, with sun, wind, snow and “then it was sunny again.”
As for packing, Neel suggests “layering” and “leaving the huge jacket at home.”
He wrote in his diary on ‘day eight’: ‘The finish line of Everest Base Camp is close, darling. We set off through a valley on a six-hour journey to reach the next destination. The yaks accompany us. It is a beautiful day.
‘The oxygen at this altitude is 50 percent of the oxygen at sea level. The final stretch is hard. I’m breathless.
‘I’m stopping every few minutes for the last two hours. But my enthusiasm for reaching the promised land keeps me going. Finally, I come around the bend and see him. We arrived at base camp.’
The next morning, after a hike to a viewpoint, Neel and his wife began the journey back to Kathmandu.
He writes: ‘Both my wife and I feel incredibly fulfilled… and we also can’t wait to get back to civilization. In Kathmandu massages and momos (dumplings) await us.’
In a bid to help others plan a trip to Everest Base Camp, Neel shared his training plan and essential packing list.
First, he said his three-week exercise regimen consisted of a combination of HIIT boxing and walking uphill for two hours straight.
He said of his fitness level: “I felt good physically doing the hike.” The altitude left me exhausted some days, but there’s not much “training” you can do for that.
‘In hindsight, I would tell someone to just climb stairs every day until they can go up and down stairs for an hour without problems. If you have rocky trails nearby, even better.’
As for packing, he suggests “layering” and “leaving the huge jacket at home” and, if you don’t have gear yet, buying it in Kathmandu as it’s “so much cheaper.”
In addition to hiking clothes, her other must-have items include altitude sickness medication (Diamox), toilet paper, pillowcases and decks of cards as an “easy way to make friends at teahouses.”
