Misty conditions, showers of rain, falling rocks, glaciers and witnessing a real life avalanche. This is how 16-year-old Micayla Mc Mahon describes her journey to Everest Base Camp. Micayla, together with her parents Alan and Deirdré Mc Mahon, took on this 115 km journey from 26 June.
Accompanying them were their porters and tour guide Nurbu Tamang, Pemba Sherpa, and Nuru Tamang. It took them eight days going and three days coming back. Sitting down with Bloemfontein Courant she explains how the idea to trek to Everest Base Camp was solely her father’s. “My father has this thing where when we turn 13, he takes each of us on a trip. This is not supposed to be a fun trip. He wants us to learn a lesson from the trip,” she says.
Though Micayla turned 13 in 2019, they could not take on her journey to Everest Base Camp till this year because of the pandemic. Leading up to the trek, Micayla says they had to do some intense training. This included a lot of walking, working out, running, and climbing at any chance they got – including during holidays. She says the lead-up to the journey was nerve-wracking and at some point, she wasn’t sure if she was up for the challenge, but in the end, she is glad she took it on.
Micayla took us on the journey of her adventure. Starting off in Johannesburg where they took their first flight to Kathmandu. From there they journeyed to Lukla where the trekking began. She recalls arriving for the first time and being welcomed by their friendly tour guides with flower lays. “This was extremely special,” she says.
Luckily for them, they went during the monsoon season which meant that it wasn’t as busy as it usually is. The eight-day journey to base camp was filled with lots of rain, mist, and breathtaking views.
After a full day of hiking they would spend the night at each pit stop along the way. These included stops in Phakding, Namche Bazar, Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobouche and finally Gorakshep. They then had to make their way back down. Some of the highlights of the trip include all the memories she made with her parents and the team.
She mentions how they at the end of every day played Uno together and this is a core memory. “This was easily the most difficult thing I have done in my entire life and I am so incredibly grateful that I could have done it with my parents. The experience was life-changing and something that I would do again if I got the chance. The world around us is absolutely incredible and something that we should never take for granted. This trip was full of so many different experiences that taught me lifelong lessons,” she says.
“This experience was such a physical, mental and emotional game. Everyday had a new challenge but also a new memorable experience, we had the best team who taught us more about being grateful and living in the moment,” she adds.
Micayla notes that there were some days where there were a few tears, but laughter quickly followed and when she considered giving up, she just stopped and looked around.
“This was something for the mind, body and soul and the memories and views will forever be engraved in my memory. Incredibly grateful for the life-changing experience and it is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” she says.
Justine Fortuin
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