The preparation

 Preparing such a big project requires a complete preparation: physical, mental, financial, etc...

Mentally speaking, I asked some advice to trekkers who already had been at the Everest base camp. It's mostly about self-control, control your brethe and your steps...and have this willpower to reach the base camp! 

But for me who join sport tourism with humanitarian action and ecology, the mental preparation goes to all these fields!

Regarding the physical activity, I rely on my willing to reach the base camp the same way I intend to realize this project and I do everything I can for that. I go to the gym to work the cardio and the muscular reinforcement but starting next year, I'll use an altitude training mask to simulate the altitude and therefore, prepare my respiratory system. This project also led me to something obvious and this is why I took a very important decision: I'll go under surgery to lose some weight and be in the best physical conditions. This surgery will also help me in my daily life but only the idea of this trek managed to convince me to get a necessary bariatric surgery. 

As for the humanitarian action, I think it's something anchored deep inside me. I have worked in this field, I'm a volunteeer, I even took some holidays that I spent in a township in South Africa to take care of children! I went alone and was taken in charge by the local association and I keep some beautiful memories of this exceptional experience. I think of my trip to Nepal quite calmly, I know I won't be alone and I already could see how nice and welcoming the Nepalese are. Meeting the Sherpa community and supporting them the best I can means a lot to me and I can't wait to live this experience. 

Regarding the ecology...spending a week cleaning a camp located at an altitude of 5364 m doesn't scare me. On the other hand, I prepare myself by getting information about the way to bring the wast bags down but also by thinking about how to sensibilize the trekkers and climbers who will be arriving about the importance of keeping the Everest pure, or at least, as clean as possible. To the alpinists, reaching the top of the Everest, Sagarmatha as the Nepalese people call it, is a sporting challenge, a passion and I really admire them for succeeding in realizing this amazing feat. But are they aware of the damage caused in the environment by this tourism of mass which, nevertheless, helps the country to live? The new law of 2026 will force the climbers to go down from the higher camps with a certain amount of kilos of waste but what about the base camp?

The base camp has grown so much that it has the size of  a city where thousands of people live while waiting for the opportunity to climb. This is the occasion to explain them the importance to show some respect to this sacred mountain. Luckily, at 5364 m, there is enough oxygen to move, I'm not afraid of being sick or of the acute mountain sickness, for which I'll also be preparing myself. 

Financially, I try to save some money, I pay for my trip little by little but nevertheless, I'll have to look for some fundings. Not to pay everything but to support me in this project which costs me almost 5 000 euros. Half of what it coses to climb to the top of the Everest. 
Besides some requests to instituions, I launched an online fundraising to partly relieve me from the costs (1000 euros less is already something!). So if you wish to support me, please go ahead! Even 1 symbolic euro matters becasue it represents a gesture to support this not so ordinary project. 

The link to the online fundraising is here .

See you soon for a new article...a cultural one? A geographic one? Historical? This will be the surprise!:) 


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