Monday, May 4, 2009
by Jennifer Brammer
"If you think that something doesn't matter much because it's small, try spending a night alone in a tent with one mosquito."
I'm reminded of this as I get ready for a 21 day trek to the basecamp of Mount Everest in Nepal.
I spent the day getting my gear ready, weighing every item, carefully considering its value before committing it into my backpack. Every ounce counts. A hardcover book instead of paperback, cotton instead of microfibre seem like inflated important choices when I remind myself that I will be carrying every item on my back for 8 hours of hiking every day, my movements stressed with the compression of elevation. I don't want any extra weight.
Basecamp is 5,300 metres above sea level, and I will be hiking 150 kms to get there in 9 days. At that altitude, each metre counts, the steps weighing progressively on your body, forcing your breath to strive for the thinning oxygen...I imagine it will be a good training regime to get ready for Trailwalker -- 100 kms in 48 hours, running for hours along a dark wooded trail. I imagine that the lack of sleep will be the hardest part.
I ran 10 kms early this morning along the ocean, anxiously hoping that my tender left knee would hold firm for the duration. Running has been doing some damage to my joints, but I'm pushing along while trying to be gentle with myself. Carrying my backpack around the city for most of the day today became a bit torturous, as the extra weight pushed down on my protesting knee. I hope it holds out on me on the trail!
I don't know what to expect, except one step, one breath, one moment. Maybe small movements will become big journeys...
"If you think that something doesn't matter much because it's small, try spending a night alone in a tent with one mosquito."
I'm reminded of this as I get ready for a 21 day trek to the basecamp of Mount Everest in Nepal.
I spent the day getting my gear ready, weighing every item, carefully considering its value before committing it into my backpack. Every ounce counts. A hardcover book instead of paperback, cotton instead of microfibre seem like inflated important choices when I remind myself that I will be carrying every item on my back for 8 hours of hiking every day, my movements stressed with the compression of elevation. I don't want any extra weight.
Basecamp is 5,300 metres above sea level, and I will be hiking 150 kms to get there in 9 days. At that altitude, each metre counts, the steps weighing progressively on your body, forcing your breath to strive for the thinning oxygen...I imagine it will be a good training regime to get ready for Trailwalker -- 100 kms in 48 hours, running for hours along a dark wooded trail. I imagine that the lack of sleep will be the hardest part.
I ran 10 kms early this morning along the ocean, anxiously hoping that my tender left knee would hold firm for the duration. Running has been doing some damage to my joints, but I'm pushing along while trying to be gentle with myself. Carrying my backpack around the city for most of the day today became a bit torturous, as the extra weight pushed down on my protesting knee. I hope it holds out on me on the trail!
I don't know what to expect, except one step, one breath, one moment. Maybe small movements will become big journeys...
Labels: Jennifer in Nepal
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