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

I got my ass kicked by a herd of Himalayan yaks today. Jeff and I started off from along the river as they grazed, a dozen or so, loaded heavily with huge baskets and bags. We headed up the mountain on a steep incline. A couple hundred metres up, we heard the clong of yak bells - the herd were just below us.

An unusually competative fervour came over me (maybe it was defiance from dodging yak dung all along the path). Jeff urged me upwards, to stay ahead of the herd. At 4000 metres elevation, there is only 60% of the oxygen of sea level. So after a few minutes of climbing at a speedy pace, my heart is pounding and my breathing laboured.

Regardless, I raced ahead to keep ahead of the yaks, who meandered steadily up the trail, as if taunting me. The trail became narrower, the incline steeper. The black horned beasts were damn near vertical now, clockity clacking along without pause.

We came up to a cliff. I was really winded now, and worried about getting nudged towards the high drop. So at last I succumbed, straddeling the inner rock face in submission. The yaks passed by, brushing my backside. They trudged along for a few metres, then suddenly stopped for a rest, oblivious to my mild humiliation below.

Later, I thought seriously about odering a yak steak for supper, perhaps to reassert the dominence of my species. But, I'm learning to understand my limits and accept that my body is just not designed for this landscape. So, I had some yak cheese curds instead and called it a day.

Perhaps that competative spirit will reignite for Trailwalker? I hope I can keep pace! I'm sure it will be easier at sea level, but yikes, 100kms???

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