With no major mountaineering experience to her credit, Jesmi Vijayan needed some extra motivation to go on an “arduous” trek to the Everest Base Camp (EBC) in Nepal. When she found plenty in her husband, Devan Unni, and their young daughter, Nandita Devan, it turned out to be an “expedition for the ages”.
The trio from Mavelikara in Alappuzha trekked to the EBC in May this year. They completed the hardest part, an approximately 62-km trudge from Lukla (2,860 metres above sea level) to the EBC at an elevation of 5,634 metres in seven days, from May 7 to 14.
The family says that trekking Nag Tibba in Uttarakhand at an altitude of 3,022 metres in November 2022 inspired them to scale new heights. “It was a two-day hike and cannot be considered a major expedition. But it gave us confidence for the EBC trek. Though Mount Everest has been an obsession for me since schooldays, I did not go on any major adventure trails in all my life except Nag Tibba. I expressed my desire to summit the Everest Base Camp to my husband, who has some trekking experience, and my 13-year-old daughter, but was thinking about the difficulty level and lack of fitness. The courage came from Devan and Nandita, an athlete,” says Ms. Jesmi (41), who works as a senior technical assistant at the ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Indore, in Madhya Pradesh.
Mr Devan is a PG medical officer (psychiatry) at District Hospital, Dhar, in Madhya Pradesh. Before the trip, the trio underwent three-month rigorous physical training including 7-8 km daily walking, cycling, badminton and other activities. Despite preparing in advance, Jesmi says the trek was highly taxing due to snowstorms, low oxygen levels, and rocky and steep terrains.
“After the first three days, we took a two-day acclimatisation break at Dingboche. On May 13, we moved to Lobuche. On the final day, we headed to Gorakshep before taking a three-hour trek to EBC. Both me and Devan had almost exhausted when we reached the destination. But my daughter was in high spirits. Despite all the difficulties, it was a great experience,” adds Jesmi.
She says that Mt. Everest remains a “craze” but admits it is a long shot due to the high cost and courage needed to summit the highest mountain in the world. The family, however, is not done yet. They plan their next trekking expedition in Maharashtra.
