KZN man describes trek to Mount Everest's Base Camp: Battling Khumbu cough and other challenges
Despite returning with Khumbu cough from a trek to Mount Everest’s base camp, a KwaZulu-Natal doctor says the trip has made him more determined to accomplish his ultimate ambition – to summit Mount Everest.
“That is something that is on my bucket list, to summit Mount Everest,” said Dr Kanaya Maharaj, from Port Shepstone. He and 13 other hikers recently returned from their trip to the base camp of Mount Everest. The group known as Team North: South, are from KZN’s north and south coasts as well as from Johannesburg.
Some of the members of the group were aged 50 and above. Apart from Maharaj, the other members are Kaajal Sewcharan Sukeri, Rajendran Pillay, Praval Bodasing, Sunjay Bodasing, Danish Arunkumar Dullay, Anesh Rampurtab, Anandh Badrinath, Vasanti Kistasamy, Yagambaram Kistasamy, Isipingo Subramoney, Pranav Anandh Badrinath, Morganathan Moonsamy Naidoo, and Mahir Dev Maharaj.
Speaking shortly after their return home, Maharaj said he was still battling the effects of Khumbu cough.
Khumbu cough is described as a persistent cough experienced at high altitudes and is common among climbers and trekkers, particularly on Mount Everest and similar mountain expeditions. It is caused by the cold, dry air at high altitudes irritating the respiratory tract. While primarily affecting mountaineers, it can also affect those trekking at high altitudes, like to the Everest Base Camp trek.
Speaking about reaching base camp, he said, “It was not easy, but it was exciting when we made it. People were doing all sorts of crazy things to celebrate.”
He noted that the journey getting there was challenging, and the preparations were equally intense. He said their group of hikers had hiked to many places together and a year ago, one of the team suggested hiking to Mount Everest base camp.
“When it was clear that we were going, we began making physical preparations to be ready for the hike. I prepared by riding a bike for an hour every day, while some of the members, being retired, did more hikes to prepare,” he said.
Maharaj mentioned that the journey also involved landing at one of the most dangerous airports in the world, where only local pilots are allowed to land and take off. “We landed at Lukla, the most dangerous airport in the world. It has a downward cliff at the landing side and an upward cliff at the front, and it is just 500m long.”
He shared that during the hike, two of the members faced challenges and could not reach the base. The climb took about seven days going up and about three days coming down. “When we were climbing up, two of our members started facing challenges, and we had to make a call for their evacuation. About 12 members made it to the base, and when we were coming down, two other members also started struggling and had to be evacuated.”
He described the hike as a great experience. “What we were alerted to was that we need to pace ourselves and not rush up the mountain. It is the people who rush that end up in difficulty. You also have to keep hydrated; if you do not, you can start to get altitude sickness. While I was there, I was drinking six to seven litres of water every day.”
He also emphasised the importance of conserving energy. “The climb is very tiring, so you have to conserve every bit of energy. Even when you have to wake up to answer a call of nature, you have to calculate every move.”
Maharaj also said that hikers had to be careful while climbing.
“You have to be careful when climbing up, as you are walking with animals that transport everything you need, and they walk close to you. There are cliffs, so if they push you, you could fall.”