Gap Year Takeaways Pt. 3: Mount Everest Edition

To conclude my gap year series, I decided what better way to prove how much I have grown in the past year than by trekking to Everest Base Camp. It was an adventure that required more leadership and resilience than almost anything I have ever done prior. 

This trek held deep personal significance. Eleven years ago, my dad completed the same expedition after graduating from medical school. Ever since hearing his stories, I had envisioned following in his footsteps.

Last year, I stripped myself of the physical vitality I had always relied on. Moving my body became a struggle. For months, I watched myself fade from the athlete I once was, disconnected from the strength I had always taken for granted. When I finally began to recover, I promised myself that I would come back stronger. Reaching base camp was more than just altitude or distance but about reclaiming the power I had lost. I proved to myself that I am no longer defined by what once held me back.

The journey began in Kathmandu, Nepal, where my dad and I were instructed to wake up at 2 a.m. for what would be a six-hour ride over unpaved, cratered roads to a remote airport. We waited at Ramechhap Airport for thirteen hours among thousands of trekkers, testing our patience, optimism, and adaptability. The Everest region’s notoriously unpredictable weather meant some groups waited for days. We filled hours with ice breakers, card games, loads of coffee, and I even fell asleep on the airport floor in blistering heat, and I NEVER sleep anywhere. Our flight was called with just minutes’ notice at dawn the next morning. That segment of the trip taught me the first crucial lesson of the expedition: endurance is not only physical, but emotional.

The twelve-day trek included nine days of climbing—averaging seven hours per day—and three days of descent. After arriving in Lukla, we immediately began the first stretch to Phakding. Despite jet lag and travel fatigue, I felt invigorated by the sweeping landscapes and my dad’s steady encouragement.

Altitude became the next formidable challenge. Acclimatization is key to Everest treks, and due to weather delays, we were forced to shorten our time at critical stops like Namche Bazaar. It was a difficult decision. We took a calculated risk—balancing trust in our fitness with a keen awareness of our limits. As a group, we demonstrated collective leadership and self-regulation, checking in with one another, adjusting pace, and continuing forward together.

Namche Bazaar

Each day brought physical exhaustion, but also breathtaking views of the Himalayas that reminded me of my place in the world. The solitude of the trail gave me space to reflect not only on the physical act of climbing, but on the emotional journey that had brought me there. I thought deeply about perseverance, self-discipline, and how we define strength as the decision to continue when it would be easier to stop.

I also reflected on how my background as an athlete had, perhaps subconsciously, prepared me for this journey. Beyond the physical demands, competing at a high level instills a mental commitment to cultivating the habits and mindset necessary for success. It requires showing up every day with the discipline to train relentlessly, so that when you arrive at the start line, on the field, or court, you can do so with the confidence that you’ve done everything possible to avoid regret. Over the years, I have developed and consistently applied skills such as time management, resilience, competitiveness, teamwork, and mental visualization. While on the mountain, I recognized that same internal switch had been activated again, allowing me to prepare myself both mentally and physically to reach base camp with clarity of purpose and determination.

It was not always easy. The nights were cold and often restless. I slept with many layers and hot water bottles tucked into my sleeping bag, and would startle myself from sleep gasping for air. I have to admit that as a chronic overthinker and perfectionist, and with sleep being very important to me, this threw me off a bit. However, I found that trusting my body and its synchronization with the mountains and cold air was what proved to be most successful in feeling rested. Sleeping in altitude is all about adapting and trusting the process of acclimatization and patience.

After Namche Bazaar, my dad started to show symptoms of altitude sickness, often finishing long after the group and unable to walk even on straight paths. Given his physical fitness and previous experience at altitude, we were not initially concerned. However, upon reaching Dingboche, I looked at him and saw someone I barely recognized. He was pale, unresponsive, gasping for air, and his lips and fingernails had turned a haunting shade of blue.

Fortunately, I grew up in a medical household, the child of two physicians, and, admittedly, a bit of a hypochondriac. I recognized the symptoms of hypoxia immediately and insisted we seek help without delay. 

We made our way to the nearest clinic where we were greeted by a glacier doctor who immediately diagnosed him with pulmonary edema. This is a form of altitude sickness where the lungs begin to fill up with fluid, and the patient ultimately drowns internally. What amazes me is that the doctor was not supposed to be there that day. He was a physician that specialized in high altitude rescues, saving patients from Camps 2, 3, 4 and the Everest summit – the crème de la crème of mountain rescues. That day, God sent him there to save my dad.

After beginning oxygen therapy and a seven-step protocol, my dad recovered overnight, and we were medically evacuated by helicopter to Kathmandu.

I had dreamed of reaching Everest Base Camp for most of my life. I never imagined that I would attempt the trek and not complete it – or that the reason would be a life-threatening emergency involving my father. But not once did I feel disappointment or anger. If anything, the experience reaffirmed for me a truth I had long resisted: a healthy body is not a given, but a gift. I spent a year of my life in an unhealthy, withering body, refusing to believe that my strength is invaluable. My dad’s emergency has motivated my recovery more than ever, and I am forever grateful that he is safe and healed completely. 

The mountains will be there for years to come. I have plenty of years ahead of me to not only reach base camp, but perhaps go even further. My dad and I will be returning and conquering the trek for a third time. In the meantime, I am deeply grateful for this adventure, for the time spent with my dad, for the outpouring of support, and for continued health and strength.

The Everest Base Camp Trek was an adventure that will forever shape me. There are a few keys to success that I will carry with me forever. Preparedness is essential, from packing to adapting to uncertainty. Acclimatization is about testing your body and embracing even the uncomfortable parts of the journey. Leadership is assessing risks, making calculated choices, and continuing the unwavering deviation to goals previously set. It is empowering others through contagious motivation and grit. I was humbled by watching the sherpas and porters carry everything and have so many responsibilities with little means, but pure joy. I am in awe of the culture and beauty of Nepal and the Himalayas. I am forever grateful for every moment, every trail, every conversation.

Xoxo,

Annie