Team Exuberance - Walking for a World Free from Poverty and Injustice!

By Jennifer Brammer, Nepal, May 7, 2009

I climbed the CN Tower last year for a charity event. 20 mins, 553 metres.

Today, hiking for 6 hours on steep inclines up 1200 metres to Namche Bazaar, the last town on the route to the Mount Everest basecamp, I am reminded of the confidence I had that day, at the top of the Tower. I remember thinking that I could do it another time or two, no big deal.

Today I am humbled. Trekking here is so much more intense... Like climbing the CN Tower 10 times in a row. While carrying the weight of a small TV. Wih 30% less oxygen. Slightly dehydrated. And in 30 degrees.

I love how tactile the trail is, the uneven ground, the jagged steep inclines. It commands the attention to be present, look for the next rock to lift myself up on, the next turn, consumed with each moment, that seamlessly becomes the next. It's like a moving meditation.

We are passed by many steady Sherpas along the route, some no more than 15 years old, carrying baskets on their back brimming with loads of rise, beer, the odd chair or door. They are carrying their weight, at least.

Most foreign trekkers are accompanied by Sherpa porters who carry their loads. I prefer the pack on my own back, the weight of each step. It is rewarding to carry what I consume. The burden is grounding, somehow.

Tomorrow we will rest for a day, to acclimatize before hiking 12 hours to the next village. I am thinking about how challenging Trailwalker will be, hiking for 48 hours! I hope that this Nepal trek will get me into shape! One step at a time...

Labels: Jennifer in Nepal

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...

Labels: Jennifer in Nepal