(Can you find Kathmandu on a map?) From there, our team took a smaller plane to a narrow airstrip in Lukla and hiked for almost two weeks through the Himalayan Mountains to the base of Mount Everest. Lulka is about 10,000 feet above sea level—that’s almost two miles in the sky. At that height, there is less oxygen in the air. The camp at the base of Mount Everest, known as Base Camp, is located at 17,600 feet above sea level—another mile closer to the stars. That is before you even begin to climb the mountain itself!
Just getting to Base Camp was an eye-opening and humbling experience. Spending time at high altitudes (far above sea level) can be hard on the human body, and our medical mission was to study human performance at high altitudes so doctors and hospitals can better care for those who experience altitude sickness or other serious altitude-related medical conditions. I was “F-16”, a research number representing a test-subject—me—and the data we collected about my body’s performance on and around Mount Everest continues to help doctors in mountainous regions around the world.
Shortly after I arrived as Everest Base Camp, there was a massive avalanche. Built-up snow and ice thundered down the mountainside above Base Camp, luckily passing just to the side of us. This event reminded me how hostile and unpredictable an environment like Everest can be. The reward for taking these risks followed close behind, though. At night, for example, the clouds cleared and the skies opened, revealing a carpet of stars brighter than I ever imagined and more than I ever thought existed.
