Isaac Newton Reaches 1953 Everest Base Camp
What on earth was I thinking? A school trip to Everest Base Camp! In itself a hard trek due to the altitude, but to also carry a 30kg mountain rescue stretcher the whole way! Madness!
After successfully climbing Everest in 2007 I returned to the school where I teach mathematics, full of enthusiasm to run a school trip and give some of the boys a taste of adventure. It was the start of eighteen months of planning and preparation. An introduction by Terry Crosby to Paul Robley of the Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team, and a meeting at the Community Action Nepal stand during the Outdoor show, raised the possibility of us transporting 170kg of mountain rescue equipment to Nepal. The airline kindly agreed to pool our collective luggage allowance, which meant each team member packing 10kg lighter, no mean feat when we were packing for a cold part of the world.
When I put the idea of transporting this equipment to the boys they jumped at the chance, but also wanted to carry one of the five stretchers the whole way, delivering it to the Porter Rescue Centre at Gorak Shep, site of the 1953 base camp. The stretcher breaks down in to two halves, and these were duly dubbed “Isaac” and “Newton” after the school’s most famous old boy. In addition to raising money for the trip they also set about, through a variety of events, raising money for Community Action Nepal, with a total currently sitting at just over £4000. (www.justgiving.com/kings08ebc)
As the 22nd of October approached there was a very real sense of ground rush with so much to do, but at last three staff and thirteen boys of the sixth form from the King’s School where leaving the flat lands of Lincolnshire, and tearful mothers, for an adventure in Nepal.
From the moment we landed in Kathmandu, that vibrant and friendly capital the boys fell in love with Nepal, so very different from the bubble wrapped environment of home. The flight to Lukla, scene of a terrible crash only two weeks earlier, was absolutely thrilling as our small twin otter aircraft banked in to a turn to avoid another aircraft flying out.
From Lukla the trek would take 14 days, including two days of acclimatisation at Namche Bazaar (3840m) and Pheriche (4280m). The schedule had been carefully worked out to give us all the best chance of acclimatising.
class="center">
We stayed at tea houses along the way with names like “The Himalaya Lodge” and the “Ama Dablam Garden Lodge Restaurant”, some lived up to the lovely images conjured up by these names, some fell short, but all were a chance for rest and lively talk of the days walk, what we had seen and what was to come.
‘Isaac’ and ‘Newton’ were causing quite a stir on the trail. Trekkers from all over the world were curious as to why we were carrying such heavy loads and what they were for? The boys, with great pride, explained what was going on. Porters and Sherpa also looked back as they passed, with a knowing smile that said “welcome to my world”. The boys were also beginning to appreciate just how hard the life of a porter in Nepal is.
The group were plagued by mild sickness and diarrhoea during the trip, and sadly one of the boys (who is still suffering with paratyphoid) could not find the strength to go further than Pheriche, where there is a hospital run by the Himalayan Rescue Association. Everyone else managed to reach not only Gorak Shep, but after a long and gruelling hike, the area on the Kumbu glacier where Everest Base Camp is located. The only objects that marked the spot were some wooden packing crates left by a recently departed Korean expedition, but it was one of the most stunning places to be. Clambering over strange rock and ice formations we were spun around by a three hundred and sixty degree panorama of grey/white mountains towering over us, and a blue/black sky above.
Returning to Gorak Shep (5180m) where the day before we had handed over the stretcher to an enthusiastic and excited group of sherpa volunteers from the porter rescue centre, a drama unfolded. A French climber, Corrine Favre, had been injured by a falling block of ice while climbing Pumori. Her American guide, Fabrizio Zangrilli, had heroically lowered her from the mountain and with help carried her to Gorak Shep. At one point the team had managed to secure a helicopter only as far as Loboche, a hard three hour hike away. The boys all volunteered to help carry Corrine using the newly delivered stretcher; giving up their chance of scaling Kala Patthar (+5500m) the next day. However, after many phone calls, a military helicopter flew in to Gorak Shep, and instead the boys helped carry the casualty to the helicopter. In the this air the helicopter struggled to take off, but made it to Kathmandu where Corrine made a full recovery from her internal injuries, and broken limbs.
Several boys reached the top of Kala Patthar for stunning views of Everest, Lohtse, Nuptse and another visually stunning panorama. It was very much like living in a Colin Prior calendar! The hike back to Lukla, was like walking on air, largely down hill, increasingly more oxygen, and without the additional weight of ‘Isaac’ and ‘Newton’. To see the stretcher in use really had given the trip a sense of purpose.
School trips are a luxury in today’s results driven education system, and yet I guarantee these boys learned more about themselves, the world, and life than they ever could in any number of classrooms. To say I am proud of how they approached, organised, endured and ultimately succeeded during the trip would be an understatement.
Kevin P. Adams
Mathematics Teacher
The King’s School, Brook Street, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 6RP