I needed to go . . . the pull of Everest was stronger for me than any force on earth.

— Tenzing Norgay

The South Base Camp at Mount Everest is located on the southern side of the Khumbu glacier in Nepal and holds the distinction of being the highest base camp in the world, with an elevation of 17,598 feet.

Carved into the topography of jagged ridgelines, the camp is generally considered the most crucial staging area for climbers who wish to ascend to the top of Mount Everest. The expedition to the South Base Camp increases in popularity each year, drawing more than 75,000 climbers to the Nepal Himalayas annually, who with the assistance of expedition teams made up of sherpas, endure a week-long expedition that forces them to acclimatize to the changing temperatures and unforgiving inclines of a glacial valley.

Once they have reached the camp, trekkers are welcomed to a small city of colorful tents that lay at the mouth of Khumbu Glacier. There, high above it, is what they come to see: the snow-capped peak top of Mount Everest, the tallest peak in the world at 29,029 feet above sea level, where only 6,600 human beings in the recorded history of mankind have ever reached.

When 51-year-old Newark resident Vishal Patel arrived at the airport in Nepal last October as part of a 14-day journey he would take to the South Base Camp and back, he was far from alone. With him on the flight were seven of his cousins, including Manish Patel, 51, and Amit Patel, 47, brother who had lived in Newark when they were younger. In all, the party ranged in age from 22 to 63 and all wore their hiking boots for the entire flight, as they were the most non-expendable item they had brought with them.

The expedition to Mount Everest was far from a maiden voyage for the Patel family. Indeed, their boots had already touched one of the most majestic peaks in the world. In June of 2014, they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest mountain Africa at 19,341 feet and the highest free-standing mountain in the world, that in many ways took its first steps in Newark when Vishal, Manish and Amit began training for their journey.

“Anywhere around Newark that you can hike, we hiked,” Vishal said. “We practiced walking along inclines, and hiking with the same items we would carry with us on our climb at Mount Kilimanjaro. We tested ourselves for strength and endurance, and most of all, we learned how to walk slow in a natural cadence, because when you climb mountains, you have to learn how to slow yourself down.”

While Manish and Amit were preparing for the trip, they began to stoke the appetites for adventure in their other cousins.

“We approached one of our cousins first – who is now 63 -- with the idea of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, because he is ready for anything at any time,” Vishal said. “One by one, they all started coming, but at first many of us – including me -- were hesitant, but Amit told me that if you set a goal to accomplish something, it pushes you to prepare.”

In June of 2014, together with nearly one dozen of their cousins, they began their ascent of one of the world’s largest mountains, where seemingly with little warning, they found themselves against the harsh terrain of slopes, inclines and valleys. There, they began to implement the most valuable philosophy of mountain climbing, one they practiced back in Newark: One step, not too fast and not too slow, followed by another and another.

“When I stopped for a minute, I would take in deep breaths in the shallow mountain air to give my lungs what they needed and drink several sips of water,” Vishal said. “I had to find my own pace. I made a goal to achieve 200 steps, and when I got to 200 steps, I would stop for a minute, and then begin again.”

For Manish, every step was an endurance test of will, complicated by exhaustion and the weight of a 30-pound backpack – steps that were often made in complete darkness, lit only by a head lamp.

“I became sick from the altitude, and I had no idea what was going on around me,” he said. “I had my guide assist me in the direction I needed to go, and he kept encouraging me to go slowly. On the last night before we were to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, I was very scared and anxious, coupled with the fact that I was tracking all this gear. My heart rate went up, and that’s when I realized that the only way I could reach the summit was to be able to control and calm my mind.”

The thrill of reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro led to the start of an every-other-year journey the Patels made that continued in 2016, when they ascended the 7,970-foot-tall mountain ridge of Machu Picchu, located in southern Peru. In 2018, they flew to Patagonia in Argentina, where they trekked along the southern section of the Andes mountains.

Following an interruption in their bi-annual treks caused by COVID-19, the family set their sites on Mount Everest, the “Goddess Mother of the World,” and last October, they arrived in Kathmandu, and then boarded a short flight to the Lukla Airport.

From there, their latest adventure – a 40-mile, one-way journey that would take them a total of nine days – was about to begin.

Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest, Sir? - Because it is there.

— George Leigh Mallory

In the art of mountain climbing, experience and preparation account for nearly everything.

In the general book of recommendations for ascending the world’s most challenging peaks, it is advised that the climber already have at least three years of climbing experience, as well as have knowledge of mountaineering, climbing and navigational skills, adjusting to high altitudes, low oxygen levels and yes, being able to control urination and bowel movements.

The collective mountain climbing resumes of Vishal, Manish, Amit and five of their cousins was full, but as they began their journey to South Base Camp, the expedition – assisted by Sherpas – required a different kind of endurance, one that saw weather conditions fluctuate between moderate to extremely cold. It tested their bodies as well as their psyches.

“For me, each mountain that we climbed had its own challenges, but Everest was the most challenging for all of us because we were older, but the temperature was definitely colder, so from Day One as we climbed, the temperature became a factor,” Amit said. “From a physical standpoint, however, it was not as challenging as Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu or Patagonia, because I had better prepared myself and knew what I needed to work on based on my previous climbing experiences.”

In addition to climbing, Manish had another responsibility on the trip, as its official photographer.

“My fear was in the fact that I was running around so much trying to get photographs of everyone, because it increased my level of fatigue,” Manish said. “My body began to work harder than it was used to which was exacerbated by the stress of the weight of my camera equipment and the obligation to take photos.”

Along the way, Manish documented each stage with illuminating images that captured the culture of Nepal, from tiny villages to Buddhist monasteries and transportation donkeys and yaks and villagers carrying household materials of incredible bulk and weight. They hiked along the Khumbu glacier and over suspension bridges. During their time spent recuperating at Base Camp, Vishal, Manish, Amit and their five cousins saw the top of Mount Everest gleaming magnificent and majestic in the far distance. A day later, they were airlifted by Himalayan Adventure Treks & Tours Pvt. Ltd. off the mountain to Kathmandu and returned to the United States.

How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.

— Yvon Chouinard

For the thousands of climbers who make the 9-14-day pilgrimage to the Mount Everest Base Camp, it is estimated that there are an equal number of reasons for doing so. For many, it is an opportunity to embark on a challenge and seek a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, while for others, it’s a born restlessness wrapped in a thrill-seeking nature that needs to be tended to.

In keeping with two-year timing of their expeditions, the next adventure for Vishal, Manish and Amit Patal and their cousins is set for 2026, and while no specific mountain range has been determined, a few destinations are already on their discussion radar. Their advice for those seeking to climb mountains is very simple: Age means very little as long as you have the willpower, so engage your willpower and seek your reasons.

“For the most part, people live their lives every day and are busy running around, but rarely do they get to experience something on their own that is truly profound,” Vishal said. “They go through life grinding each day without ever knowing what they are truly capable of doing or learning about themselves and the world. Whether you make it to the top or not doesn’t matter. It has to do with preparing yourself to experience new things, new limits, new places and new people.

“Mountain climbing is truly a daily adventure being with nature and its amazing beauty and local people and culture. It’s a daily test of physical and mental endurance but there is something so tranquil and majestic about it. You’ll experience nothing like it. Try it!”

“For me, the first trip we made to Mount Kilimanjaro was the most monumental and life changing, but with each passing trip, we continue to learn about how much these journeys teach us about life, the ability we all have to endure challenges, and the amount we can push through,” Amit said. “Through these journeys, I have learned that pain is a limitation that can be erased, and you don’t realize how much your body can endure until you go through these mental and physical obstacles.

“When we got to Base Camp on Mount Everest, we realized that it turned out to just be a point, and that it was the entire journey that we came to accomplish. It reminds us of what is truly most important in life.”

To learn more about the Mount Everest journey that Vishal, Amit and Manish took, visit Himalayan Adventure Treks & Tours Pvt. Ltd., www.himalayanadventuretreks.com. Contact: Prakash Adhikari, Tel.: 977-981-840-2259.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].

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Mount Everest Base Camp Trek Overview

Distance – 120 km/75 miles round-trip or 40 miles one-way

Days required – 9-14 days

Total ascent – 6015 m/19,734 feet

Total descent – 5821 m/19,097 feet

Degree of difficulty – difficult