The Prerequisites of the Journey to the Top

Ashwyn k -

Greetings everyone! As you may know, my name is Ashwyn and I’ll be hiking up to Mount Everest Base Camp as a part of my Senior Project. While I won’t be climbing to the summit, reaching base camp is still a serious feat. That’s why up until I reach Nepal I will be continuously training my body through various hikes and stamina focused workouts. I will be relying on escalating machines like StairMaster or incline walks on the treadmill to condition my body for the rigorous trek. I also have a list of hikes in the valley, like Flatiron, as well as new trails– all as a part of training for the big expedition. 

A major issue with the trek is the notable price of required equipment. Trekking a tall mountain with such incredible elevation gain requires sufficient equipment to ensure one’s safety. For this reason, I’m developing a GoFundMe—not only to help fund my journey but also to improve my own project management skills.

I am beyond excited for this opportunity that I have been given and can’t wait to share with you what really goes on at the top of the world!

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    jacob_p
    Hello Ashwyn, I really appreciate how much you are preparing for your journey to Mount Everest. A lot of athletes train at higher elevations to increase their cardiovascular capacity because of the lower air pressure. Have you considered doing something similar and taking time to train at places like flagstaff to better prepare yourself?
    February 18, 2025 at 11:03 am - Reply
    rohit_p
    Not many people would ever try to climb Mount Everest, especially a student, so I'm looking forward to your adventure (and I hope you do find the yeti). Mount Everest is one of the locations with the most thrill, but also with a lot of demand for good physical health and mental preparation. Alongside with what Jacob said, your training will take a lot of dedication and rigor be prepared for the travel ahead. Do you have any plans to start at other places, especially with carrying all your equipment, to prepare for this?
    February 18, 2025 at 11:50 am - Reply
    meggiles
    Ashwyn, When we sat in my office in August and you asked me if you could, for instance, hike Everest as a Senior Project, well, I wasn't entirely sure we'd end up here, with you preparing to *actually* hike Everest. How astonishing. I'm thrilled for you--what an adventure! Things I'd love to learn more about: all the equipment. Recommended training regimen. The flight itin! Your travel itin. Your level of language fluency. Your level of fear and or excitement. Bravo, Giles
    February 18, 2025 at 3:03 pm - Reply
    joaquin_s
    Hey Ashwyn, I think your project is incredibly impressive, and something that I'd never be able to do myself. I was wondering something along the same lines as Rohit. Are you going to undergo increasingly more difficult hikes to train for Everest? Like, will you be starting with something in Arizona and then gradually moving to a place like Montana, and then maybe Alaska? Once again, I cannot put into words just how cool this project is, as only a select few can do what you are about to.
    February 18, 2025 at 5:47 pm - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    @jacob_p, thank you for your comment! I did not think about training at higher altitudes as a method of preparation for Everest, but that's an amazing idea! I'm sure that is a great method of training that I will make sure to use. I will look into hikes in/around Flagstaff and see if there are any that I can do. Thank you!
    February 18, 2025 at 7:42 pm - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    @rohit_p, I am going to be training with carrying equipment on hikes very soon, but I have not yet done so. This is mostly because I have not yet purchased all the necessary equipment, although I have almost everything. I will start very soon! As for whether I will be training at other places, I have only planned on hiking in Arizona, but if time permits it then I will explore my options outside of the state! Also, it would be amazing if I actually met the Yeti, haha.
    February 18, 2025 at 7:50 pm - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    @meggiles, it really has been a crazy adventure since that first Senior Project meeting we had. I'm really excited to climb and experience Mount Everest. I really don't think there will ever be anything like it out of what I have experienced so far in my life, and that makes me scared. Although, I think that no matter what I come across I will push past it and succeed (hopefully) in reaching the top!
    February 18, 2025 at 8:43 pm - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    @joaquin_s, I'm not sure if I will be going anywhere out of state simply due to time constraints, but I am planning on increasing the difficulty of hikes as I continue to prepare for Everest! Similarly, every time I go to the gym I try to increase the amount of time or speed that I go on the treadmill/StairMaster for.
    February 18, 2025 at 8:47 pm - Reply
    danielle_l
    Ashwyn, I still think that it's insane that you are actually taking this up. Taking such a famous hike whilst diving into your own culture sounds like such fun, although as the others above have mentioned it will be very rigorous. Are you planning on engaging in any other sort of fundraising other than the Go-Fund-Me? Have safe travels when the time comes; you should totally bring me back some Nepalese snacks.
    February 18, 2025 at 10:06 pm - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    @danielle_l, as of now I have only planned on doing a Go-Fund-Me. I will create an initial post for the Go-Fund-Me and then hopefully create a short video to help promote the fund. Apart from that, I did not have another method to fundraise in mind, but I am open to suggestions! And don't worry, I'll bring back lots of snacks.
    February 19, 2025 at 12:01 am - Reply
    dina_i
    Ashwyn, this sounds both insane and amazing! Training with the StairMaster and those hikes must take serious dedication (dedication I know you have). What part of the training has been the hardest so far? Also, how are you even packing for something like this? I can’t wait to hear all about base camp and follow your journey!
    February 19, 2025 at 9:25 am - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    @dina_i, in all honesty, the hardest part is definitely making sure to consistently train cardio haha. I am not bad at cardio, but since it usually requires a lot of patience (due to it taking usually more than 20-30 minutes) it has always been pretty tough for me. I usually like to just throw on a video or some good music to make it go faster! Packing is a whole other thing as well. There are so many different things that we have needed to purchase for the trek and it's pretty insane. I think the most difficult part of traveling to Nepal in the first place will be managing how we are going to take everything, but that's a story for the future.
    February 19, 2025 at 5:00 pm - Reply

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