• Howick and Pakuranga Times
Back in May, nine women told the Times of their ambition to trek in Nepal, with the aim of reaching Base Camp on Mt Everest more than 5300 metres above sea level.
They trained together for months before they left the security of their homes in East Manukau for the journey of a lifetime.
Five years ago, some of the women couldn’t swim a length of a pool or run around the block.
With their training group Body Focus they have cycled, run, tramped and swum their way through challenges, but had never tackled anything as extreme as hiking in the Himalayas.
When the idea of a trek in Nepal was first suggested, many Body Focus members were keen to give it a go – but the numbers diminished until eight determined women boarded the plane.
Anita Jamieson, Donna Hobman, Julia Beckham, Julie Columb, Lynne Savage, Rose Brown, Sue Allen and Toni Mason touched down in Kathmandu, Nepal, last month, braced for adventure.
The noisy, bustling and crowded city generated mixed reactions – some experienced culture shock, others were exhilarated.
“These clothes were samples with cuts in them,” says Ms Beckham says. “Before we left we had a sewing night and mended everything so the children would have new, but repaired, clothes.”
After a few days, the women flew to Lukla Airport, which Ms Mason says is “like flying into a milk bottle”.
In the mountains, they shared cobbled paths with sherpas, porters, zopkios and yaks.
Young children walked the tracks alone for hours on their way to markets or the airport to fly to Kathmandu for school.
As their journey progressed, altitude sickness, stomach upsets and chest infections impacted on the women.
As they trekked they saw other people emergency lifted from the mountain slopes by helicopter, or carried by porters to safer and lower altitudes.
Each woman had to make serious decisions about their ability to continue – being carried downhill in total darkness at 4am was an unwelcome threat.
Days of trekking ended with Ms Jamieson reaching Base Camp and Ms Brown, Mason and Savage opting to venture to Kala Pattar instead, 5550m above sea level.
The adventure fulfilled their individual goals, none have any regrets and some are busy planning their next journey.
• A presentation about the journey is being held on Wednesday from 7.30pm at Salvation Army, 39 Wellington Street, Howick. Entry is by donation.
