A team of 20 local residents has set off from Westbury on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to trek to Everest Base Camp.
The Westbury & Warminster to Everest 2 expedition will last just under three weeks and is being led by Westbury resident and serving army officer Major Rab Lundie. The team includes people of different ages and physical abilities who have spent months preparing for the challenge.
The group will arrive in Kathmandu for kit checks and cultural experiences before heading into the mountains to climb to Everest Base Camp (5,364m/17,598ft) and Kala Pattar (5,555m/18,225ft).
“Training has been a real success,” said team member Kay, who has owned a business in Westbury for over 20 years. “We have met up regularly since last summer to have training walks together as a team.
“The most challenging part of the expedition will be the altitude. All the physical training we can manage up to now still won’t prepare us for what it feels to breathe and exert ourselves at 5000m where the available oxygen is only about 55% of that at sea level.
“Aerobic capacity will be severely reduced, and strenuous effort much more taxing. We have carefully factored in acclimatisation days where we still trek to gain height but sleep back down at the same altitude again and this will help us adapt.”
Team member Amy said, “I first saw the advert in the paper and thought my husband would enjoy that and having recently moved to Westbury, it would be a good way to make local friends.
“Unfortunately (or fortunately for me) my husband couldn’t take the time off work. I love to travel and experience new places and culture so was really excited about this new adventure.
“Now it’s so close I do feel nervous, mainly about the altitude and the huge disappointment if I don’t make it to base camp, however I am really up for the challenge and the training over the past 12 months has really put us in a good place to have the best chance of getting to the top.”
The expedition follows Rab’s successful 2017 trek, when 22 of 29 participants reached Everest Base Camp and Kala Pattar.
While on the mountain, Rab plans to complete the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon. From Kala Pattar he will return to Everest Base Camp for two days of further acclimatisation before taking part in the race, the highest marathon in the world.
The marathon takes place on 29th May, the anniversary of the first summit of Everest by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. Only 20 UK participants and a total of 250 runners worldwide secure a place each year.
After the marathon, Rab will rejoin the team and lead the group back to Lukla to conclude the expedition.
The trip is self-funded, but the team is raising money for The Nestling Trust, a Wiltshire-based charity providing neonatal and maternal healthcare in remote areas of Nepal.
“It’s an ambitious target, but we would love enough to be able to provide them with an incubator,” said Kay.
To donate to the team’s fundraiser, visit https://thenestlingtrust.enthuse.com/pf/westbury-to-everest-2v4
