 |
Everest-Nepal
 The
dream of Everest Base Camp
("EBC ") was discussed over some very
good New Zealand pinot gris at Milford
Sound in the South Island of New Zealand.
Paul Blanchard, Andrew Brown and I had
just finished hiking the Milford Track
over 3 days with our wives, and we were
discussing what to do next. Unbeknown
to each other, Paul and I had always
wanted to see Mt Everest, and the best
way to achieve this we judged was to
be there and look up at it, rather than
to look down from the summit!
Sir Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander,
was the first to the top of Mt Everest
in 1953 . As a New Zealander as well,
I'd always dreamed of being on the summit
one day. With factors such as advancing
years, the onset of wisdom and other
thoughts of self-preservation, and not
to mention damage to knees through years
of rugby and running a number of marathons,
a trek to EBC was decided as the better
alternative.
I turned to a New Zealand operation
run by John Gully, called Everest Expeditions.
John has been a highly successful trek
leader since the late 1980's, and has
numerous contacts in Nepal and in the
Khumbu Valley, having taken at least
two group there each year for the past
20 years.
He was amazed that a group of overseas
lawyers who all practiced in the area
of IP would want to go away together
without eventually causing grievous
bodily harm to each other. However,
a quick briefing on the wonderful world
of IP had him convinced, if not entirely
satisfied.
Paul and I then set about forming our
group. People we asked were quite straightforward
with their answer. It was either "you're
f!#$% crazy!", or "I'm in - when are
we going?" In fact, only two people
pulled out from our original group -
one because his wife was due at the
time we were going, and the other because
of serious stress fractures (not caused
through the training). Nobody said "I'm
too busy", or "I don't have the time".
Our 12 lawyers on the group came from
all over, including New Zealand, Venezuela,
Brazil, Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore,
England, and the Basque region of Spain.
In October, 2003, we all met up in Katmandu,
and after a day of buying equipment
and relaxing in our hotel, we flew out
to the Khumbu Valley for the start of
our dream.
The experience was exceptional, and
I still have a warm smile on my face
every time I think of the scenery, the
people, and the friends who came with
me. The Sherpa people and the spiritual
beauty of the region just takes your
breath away. It was a humbling experience
in many ways, particularly one occasion
when looking up at all the mountains
and feeling quite insignificant, knowing
they'd be around a lot longer than us
mere mortals.
Have a look at the photos on the website
to get but a glimpse of the experience.
It's not necessary to be a super-fit
athlete to savour the experience.
We had all shapes and sizes, a wide
range of age groups, and yet everybody
realized their dreams and objectives.
by John B Hackett, June 2005, Auckland,
NZ
For more stories and pictures,
visit the following members' sites/galleries:
Annette
Freeman's Gallery
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
