Age, Altitude and the Anatomy of a Mountain Trail
- Chetana B P
- Jul 9
- 10 min read
Updated: Jul 10
It was the middle of May, and I was literally running late for the class I was teaching that day. I was mid-sprint , two floors up, with a laptop bag slung over one shoulder, juggling a cup of coffee, a water bottle and my phone, when I noticed my parents were video calling me. I stopped in my tracks. The call was important because they were in the middle of a trekking expedition to Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas, and it was rare for them to have any phone signal. Did they need something? Had something happened? Was one of them hurt? I went through this cycle of questions every time they managed to call me, and only once was it a medical emergency (we will get to that later).
Anyway, I answered the phone and was greeted with gleeful, quick and vivid updates about the stretch of the trail they were covering that day. I even got to see spectacular — albeit blurry views of the scenery around them before I rushed into my class.
If I had to use one word to describe the nature of my parents Sudha’s (62) and Purushotham’s (67) retirement, it would be ‘unstoppable’. I always knew that they were inclined towards an unstoppable style of retirement life — because that’s exactly how they lived during their working years. Waking up at 4:30 a.m. every morning, spending their days in meetings, teaching, going on brisk walks, practicing yoga, gardening, and travelling — it never seemed like they were the type to slow down.
Still, I did not expect them to take on multi-day, long and challenging treks through the mountains in their sixties! Like any overcautious daughter, I must have asked them several times in the months leading up to the trek if they really, really wanted to do this. And I was not the only one around them echoing this question.
They did it anyway — putting all our fears to rest and raising the bar for what fitness-in-your-sixties can look like. So, I decided to sit down with them and ask all my burning questions about the 130 kilometers they walked to Everest Base Camp and back. Who knows — maybe I’ll do it someday too!
For those of us who learned about the Himalayas and Mount Everest back in high school geography or history class, but are now a bit fuzzy on the details — here’s a quick refresher to bring us all up to speed.
As towering and ancient as the Himalayas may seem, geologically speaking, they are actually quite young. This vast mountain range, stretching across five countries, is much younger than, for example, the Western Ghats in Southern India. While the Western Ghats are estimated to have formed around 150 million years ago, the Himalayas are roughly 50 million years old — about 100 million years younger.
The story begins with the Indian Subcontinent, which started breaking away from the ancient supercontinent Gondwanaland around 50 million years ago. As it drifted northward, it eventually collided with the Eurasian plate in a slow yet powerful tectonic crash. In a highly complex process, the pressure from this monumental collision pushed folds of the landmass upwards towards the sky, giving birth to the Himalayan range. Though we tend to think of this as a long-past event, the formation of the Himalayas is still ongoing. The mountains continue to rise at a rate of approximately 5 millimetres per year.
Today, the Himalayas are shaped not only by their dramatic geological history but also by their unique geography, climate, and the diverse human cultures that have called them home for centuries. They harbour a staggering array of biodiversity, much of it endemic — found nowhere else on Earth.
According to the internet, about 600 and 800 people attempt to summit Mount Everest (8849 meters above sea level) each year, though not all succeed. In contrast, nearly 30,000 to 40,000 people trek annually to Everest Base Camp, the starting point for most Everest expeditions.
On May 5th, my parents, along with 23 others (58-59 yrs being the average age of the group) began their trek from Lukhla, Nepal (2840 meters). Over the course of two weeks, they journeyed through the Khumbu Valley and ultimately reached Everest Base Camp at 5364 meters above sea level.
Chetana Purushotham- It has been exactly a month since you got back from the Everest Base Camp! I have so many questions. Let us start with this : How did the idea of going on this expedition come about?
Sudha- We first heard about this trek during our time in the Dhanna Kunnu Pass in Himachal last year. The people we were with were talking about how it was something they hoped to do one day. Some said it was tough, others said it was doable. That got us thinking, maybe we could do it eventually. We did not realise at that time that we would be doing it so soon!
Puru- Trekking has never been a serious part of my life. It all started for me after I joined the 'Freedom From Diabetes' program two years ago. As a way for us to focus on our fitness, the doctors would tell us that we each needed to cultivate an athletic identity. We both decided to give trekking and running a shot. I had done some amount of trekking in my early 20s when I was doing my engineering at NITK, Surathkal and during my early days of employment when I was a bachelor.
So we started going on treks regularly around Bangalore, along with ‘Step Out’, a trekking group that came out of the diabetes program. After completing the Dhana Kunnu trek last summer and then Gaumukh in Uttarakhand, a few months after that, both of which we found tough but managed to finish, we thought Everest Base Camp-why not try!
CP- Looking back on your journey to and from Everest Base Camp, one month later, how do you remember it now?
Sudha- A tough, exhausting and enjoyable experience :) As I go about my day, I keep thinking about different moments during the trek. Overall, though, I realise now how much my stamina and confidence to climb have improved. And my fear of heights! That came up a lot during the trek, with so many bridge crossings between mountains that had gushing rivers flowing below. Long and slightly poky steel bridges that would sway as you walked on them. There was one particular bridge crossing I still think about. A few large yaks got onto the bridge before we got to the other side. Normally yaks have bells which tell us they are around but here we did not realise they were following us from behind. They were huge and were carrying all sorts of things on their backs. The bridge is wide enough for one person. I held onto the side of the bridge, closed my eyes and prayed to every god I knew. The yaks went past us, really pushing us against the sides of the bridge. But we made it (she sighs), hearts in our mouths!
Puru- Wonderful! From start to finish, in a sense, it felt like a complete experience, a summation of everything you would want from something like this. We had never trekked this much at a stretch before. Full day walks, covering large distances on a sustained basis for weeks, getting higher and higher as you walk. It was difficult but extremely satisfying. We got to cross rivers, maneuver through rocky passages, walk in and out of different kinds of forests, remote villages, and contend with animals (like the yaks on the bridge). It was a tremendous learning opportunity--facing and overcoming difficulties, realising the importance of minimalist living and just how tough life can be living up in the mountains.
CP- So what was a typical day during the expedition?
Puru- We began the day with stretches and a warm. We walked around 10 kilometers a day, some days more. We would stop for lunch and a short rest, but our guides Ashish and Dicky would not let us lie down or nap! They insisted that sleeping during the day would affect our rest at night and that we could not afford to be tired the next day. So they would gather us around, get some chairs, talk to us and keep us all engaged. We would sing, dance and get to know one another. That’s how we all bonded as a group.
Sudha- By the end of each day, I would be hungry, exhausted and ready to sleep. We would eat well, hydrate with hot water, ginger, honey and lemon. It was so cold throughout, only getting colder and windier as we got higher, so we were instructed to avoid having a bath for the entire duration of the expedition. For the last five days, we stopped changing our clothes. We did not want to risk exposing ourselves to the cold, dropping our body temperatures and falling sick.
Every morning, I would still feel as fresh as a daisy, ready to go again. There was never a day when I felt “oh boy, here we go again”, but instead we were all always “YEAH! We are ready!”
CP- Given the experience was focused on trekking, walking, climbing and meeting your distance targets each day, did you get to notice and appreciate the landscape?
Sudha- Yes! Because I kept stopping to look! As we got higher, we saw the green cover start to reduce. In some cases, the same tree species we saw at lower elevations became shorter and shorter until they vanished altogether closer to the base camp.
Puru- Mountains that were always in the distance became closer and closer! While going up naturally, the focus was on making it to the summit. After getting to the top, we were more relaxed on the way back.
Sudha- There was a gradual change in habitats as we crossed different elevations. At Lukhla, where we started, we crossed villages and lush forests. As we got higher, forests with pine trees and deodars turned into grassy meadows and the most colourful rhododendrons!
Puru- Towards the end, as we were nearing the base camp around Lobuche and Gorakshep, we were surrounded by mostly stunted shrubby vegetation and rock.
A Mountain-scape in some of its many layers
CP- Do you have a highlight from the experience? :)
Sudha and Puru (simultaneously) - Reaching the top!
Puru- Making it to the base camp was the highlight. It had been a goal we set months before. Even in the last days leading up to the summit, things were uncertain. Five others from our group of 25 who were completely fine developed altitude sickness and had to turn back. Each person is built differently, their capabilities are different, and the outcome is hard to predict, no matter how much you train and prepare. Being at the top was also immensely satisfying because, compared to some other treks I have done, here the experience of the summit itself was as enriching as the journey to get to it.
Sudha- The base camp is a flattish rock where you could see the tents put up by people training to go up Mount Everest. Being there amongst all these people was an exhilarating experience, and all of us rejoiced for the few moments we got to spend there before we had to begin our 60-kilometre journey back down.
Puru (with much glee)- Once we reached the base camp, we were given steaming mugs of hot chocolate. That was so unexpected and rewarding!
CP- Did you have any moments of doubt?
Sudha- Right at the start, on the second day, my knees started to hurt. I had packed my knee braces, but I thought I could manage without them. The pain got so bad I seriously began to wonder if I should even continue, but from day three, I wore knee braces and forgot about the pain. It also became a lot easier for me after Dicky, one of our guides, strongly suggested that I use two trekking poles instead of one. I bought a second pole immediately at a shop while we were still at Namche.
Puru- No doubts as such, but before we began, for a long time there was one part of my mind that said “you can do it, go” and another part filled with apprehensions that said ‘will you though? So, for me, the point was that I was willing to fail, but it was not going to stop me from trying to see if I could do it.
Sagarmata National Park collects all plastic generated and packs them in these blue bags. While on the descent part of the trek, trekkers can pick up bag or two from their counter and hand it over at the counter down at Lukhla. They give you a physical token in appreciation.
CP- Did you get a chance to reflect on yourself through the expedition and afterwards, mentally, physically, and your age, perhaps?
Sudha- Hmmm, climbing up rocks will continue to be hard for me. After I saw some falling rocks in the last 20-30 minutes of the trek leading up to the camp, I lost my confidence and decided to do the final stretch on horseback. Although that turned out to be scarier, sitting on a horse that was walking those same narrow and steep rocky paths.
I don't think about my age much, though, probably only when people younger than me, like you (she points at me), ask me where I get all my energy from at my age.
Puru- Yes, I have been reflecting. Turns out I am a lot more patient than I thought! With myself, others around me and with unpredictable situations that are completely out of my control.
I am conscious of our age. I do believe that the more I do things like this, the longer I might stay this healthy. And Sudha is capable of a lot more than she realises; there is fear that she needs to get over. She is much stronger than she realises.
CP- What comes next?! Was the Everest Base Camp your swan song of treks, or will there be more?
Sudha & Puru (simultaneously) - Annapurna Base Camp, Kailash Manasarovar, Valley of Flowers and a few others.
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With that, I wrapped up my conversation with my parents and settled in to enjoy a slideshow of images and videos in HD quality, — such a contrast to the blurry, grainy video calls we’d had before.
As my father cradled his right elbow and arm, he narrated stories behind each photo and video on his phone. After successfully completing the intense trek to and from Everest Base Camp with flying colours — a trip they had been preparing for over several months— he had an unfortunate fall the very next day, during a visit to Bhaktapur, old palace in Kathmandu, on their rest day. As I mentioned earlier, they are unstoppable. Despite everything, he fractured his elbow and forearm and had to undergo surgery the day after returning to Bangalore.
Here is a showcase of the trail to the Everest Base Camp through their eyes!
All photos by Sudha and Purushotham
About the Author
Chetana is a wildlife biologist, ocean explorer and educator. Dogs love her almost as much as she loves them.
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