It’s Always One Step Forward and Three Steps Back

Ashwyn k -

Welcome back to my blog, readers! I come with many advancements, some of which I did not discuss in my previous blog. Most notably, I published my GoFundMe and it has already raised $180! While I was in the process of finishing up the fundraiser, I wanted to post it on my main/personal Instagram account, but that seemed illogical since it is a private account and would likely inhibit the amount of possible funds I could raise. Therefore, I created a second, public account specifically for documenting my Senior Project process and it started with a bang! 

 

But… since I created it off a whim, I haven’t fully planned how to manage it. So far, I have a few posts and shared stories about my progress at the gym, but I’m uncertain how to proceed. My project won’t be very eventful until I leave for Nepal, so I am considering simply continuing to post training updates until I fly to Nepal. I also am thinking about other ways that I can promote my Instagram, I’m currently on a journey to follow anyone and everyone who could be related to my project as well as my sources, but if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!

 

On a more positive note, I might be doing my first full-day hike in a while this coming Saturday with some friends where I will be tackling Flatiron! It depends on the availability of my friends, but I’m excited to do this hike for the first time since the pandemic has ended, and I’m curious to see how my training has impacted my stamina so far. For the average person, Flatiron can take a couple of hours to complete so I want to see how I can compare to the “average person” (without hurting myself of course, haha). 

 

Sadly, that’s all the news I have brought from the past week, but as I continue with this project and until I step foot on Everest, I will continue with my consistent training.

 

Here’s a picture of one of my training days at the gym:

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Comments:

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    meggiles
    Hi, Ashwyn! I love the gym photo. How many hours a week are you training these days? One way to get engagement might be to show the public some of the supplies you need for the adventure. Also, have you been reading or watching anything lately that you could share with us? MG
    February 24, 2025 at 2:16 pm - Reply
    jacob_p
    Hello Ashwyn! I hope you’re not burning yourself out on cardio. Another piece of training you might want to consider are isometrics; these help build up tendon and ligament strength and are helping me out a lot right now. Do you currently know how much elevation and mileage you’ll be covering over your journey or are you still planning out the route?
    February 24, 2025 at 11:27 pm - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    @meggiles, I've been training around 5 days a week for 1.5 hours every day, so in total around 7.5 hours a week! I have also thought about showing supplies that I will need for the hike, but I've been thinking about how I could do that since not much of what I currently have is all that exciting... Good idea though! I'll make sure to do that very soon. As for anything that I've been reading or watching, I watched the documentary "Sherpa," which shows the devastating effects of the 2014 avalanche on some Sherpas and their families. One thing that I noticed is that they speak a different language that is somewhat similar to Nepali, so I'll have to research whether or not they understand and/or speak Nepali where I will be climbing.
    February 25, 2025 at 12:33 am - Reply
    dina_i
    Ashwyn, it’s awesome to see how much progress you’ve already made! I absolutely love following your journey through your Senior Project Instagram account; such a great idea! For promoting your GoFundMe, maybe reaching out to local community groups or adventure/hiking forums could help boost your visibility and get you more donations? The Flatiron hike sounds like an exciting challenge, can’t wait to hear how your training pays off!
    February 26, 2025 at 8:47 am - Reply
    Rohit Panga
    Hello Ashwyn. Just from these past two blog posts, it's really clear you're putting a lot of dedication in your training! From your original title, you talked about recording your experiences and interactions with the residents near the mountain, so have you considered mentioning that in your campaigning for your GoFundMe? It could highlight another side for your exploration of Mount Everest.
    February 26, 2025 at 11:44 am - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    @jacob_p, thank you so much for the suggestion! I will start training isometrics too and let you know if I feel any progress. As for total elevation gain, Kathmandu is around 4,400 feet, and from there we will fly to Lukla which is around 9,300 feet, then EBC is at around 17,600 feet! From EBC we will likely climb to Kala Patthar one day which is around 18,500 feet, and that will be the highest altitude we reach. So, in total, around a 8,000-9,000 feet elevation gain! Mileage wise I believe it somewhere around 80 miles over the course of 12 ish days. I might need to double check that though, haha. I hope that answers your question!
    February 26, 2025 at 12:06 pm - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    @dina_i, thanks for the suggestion! I didn't even think about that haha. I'll definitely try reaching out to some groups to see if I can find anything, thanks!
    February 26, 2025 at 12:07 pm - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    @rohit_p, that's a great idea! I'll definitely try to make sure that side of my project is promoted a lot more. Thanks for the suggestion!
    February 26, 2025 at 12:09 pm - Reply

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