When you meet Barb you can see she likes to push it…a compact bundle of energy with sparkling eyes. So, it\u2019s not much of a stretch to imagine how she felt 2 years ago while fulfilling a dream of climbing Mt Rainier in Washington, she turned around 1200 feet from the summit and returned to base. It was the first time she did not finish.<\/p>\n
The words of a fellow runner haunted her, \u201conce you give yourself permission to quit it will become a<\/em> habit; it will become easier each time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Luckily, there’s always the opportunity for redemption.<\/p>\n That came last Christmas when Barb\u2019s husband Bob made a proposal, an invitation to tackle another dream, another climb, even bigger than Rainier.\u00a0 Would she like to attempt Mt Everest base camp?<\/p>\n After making an agreement with herself, \u201cwhen you agree to do something you see it through,\u201d <\/em>she said, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Journey to Mt Everest Base Camp<\/strong><\/p>\n On October 6, 2014 Barb and Bob landed in the small town of Lulka (2860meters) in north eastern Nepal where yaks and mules roam the range and women plow fields with pick axes. Here they met the 2 men, a guide and a porter, with whom they would spend the next 13 days. The great adventure was about to begin.<\/p>\n Cheryl: What were you feeling as you prepared to leave Lulka?<\/p>\n BARB:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>I wondered how hard it would be, first we were offered tea and a snack and it seemed unless we accepted, the trek would not begin.\u00a0 We were anxious to get moving but nervous because we\u2019d just handed our return tickets over to a complete stranger who claimed he would arrange the flight home.\u00a0 Oh well, we had each other and all our gear (gear did not arrive in Kathmandu for 2 days) and our flight had landed safely at one of the most dangerous airports in the world. \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The journey to Mt Everest base camp begins<\/p><\/div>\n Cheryl: Did you have any fear you wouldn’t\u00a0complete the climb?<\/p>\n BARB:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>No, I\u2019m not usually too worried about bad things until they start to happen.\u00a0 I did wonder if I would end up with AMS (altitude mountain sickness) and if I did which symptoms I might get.\u00a0 We just needed to get moving.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Cheryl: What was your first impression? What did you see?<\/p>\n BARB: Farm smells, mules, Yaks, bells, incense, piles of hiking gear, monks, people washing in the same water as the animals drank. The people coming back were mostly smiling, first views of the Himalayas \u2013 BIG, trying to walk carefully over rocks on the main street of town and not fall in the first hour.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Cheryl: Sounds like a complete assault of all the senses\u2026so much to take in. It must have been reassuring to see the smiling faces of the returning hikers!<\/p>\n BARB: I fully expected to see returning hikers smiling and laughing and moving quickly. In actual fact there was more of a quietness when you made eye contact.\u00a0 At the time I wondered why there wasn\u2019t more excitement from those returning but I realized people had pretty much given all their energy to the 13 days. \u00a0It was spent\u00a0 energy along with an immersion into the Buddhist and Sherpa way of life.\u00a0 Sherpa people are not boastful nor people who want, our guide would look at the mountains when we asked about weather despite the fact he had a cell phone with likely a weather app.\u00a0 Much more connected to the earth and rhythms of seasons.<\/strong><\/p>\n Cheryl: \u00a0Hiking for 13 days\u2026no creature comforts\u2026.you called it \u201cbeing in Yak<\/em> mode\u201d\u2026.<\/em>what\u2019s that?<\/p>\n BARB: We walked for about 5 hours each day.\u00a0 The shortest distance we covered in 5 hrs was 5km.\u00a0 Total distance covered — 124km.\u00a0 Showers were always available but they started to cost money and you had to prebook so the water could be heated then you enter a cold room, have a warm shower and get back into the cold.\u00a0 Sometimes it just became too much effort.\u00a0 Hot towels were always offered at supper and that became a lot of people\u2019s daily wash.\u00a0 Toilet paper was not included anywhere either.\u00a0 We made it through 13 days with 2.5 rolls of paper \u2013 imagine that at home!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Cheryl: Yikes! \u00a0What about yak mode?<\/p>\n BARB: Yak Mode \u2013 after about 4 or 5 days I coined this term.\u00a0 Day after day the yaks simply do as they are asked up and down the mountain.\u00a0 For several days all I could do was dress myself (easy as by now we are sleeping in most of our clothes) Eat, put one foot in front of the other and sleep \u2013 just like a yak.\u00a0 I no longer cared about hair or outfit or smell because everyone on the base camp trek is in the same boat.\u00a0 Our porter had only a bag that would fit a pair of shoes for 13 days worth of his personal supplies \u2013 he carried 40kg of our \u201cstuff\u201d.\u00a0 While I had dry hiking boots and a change of shoes, he dried his adidas next to the fire every night.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yak mode…basically one foot in front of the other..keep going.<\/p><\/div>\n Cheryl: How many times have each of us said, \u201cI\u2019m going to simplify my life\u201d <\/em>and then we tweak a little thing or two\u2026you really got down to base level! How did that feel?<\/p>\n BARB:As each day passed I was certain we required a lot less \u201cstuff\u201d\u2026..did I really need \u00be of the things in my kit bag\u2026\u2026.hair brush, tooth brush, deodorant were really all I needed.\u00a0 Did I need 2 pairs of hiking boots and down slippers?\u00a0 I always love our holidays where we live out of a backpack. We get by quite nicely.\u00a0 I never try on\u00a0 things 3 times when all I\u2019ve got is in the bag so I put it on and say to myself \u2013 that\u2019s as good as it gets \u2013 and I’m happy. I had a lot of thoughts about becoming a Buddhist as soon as I got home and at the very least getting a book to tell me how to live their lifestyle.\u00a0 And yes, I like hanging out at a nice resort and living the good life but it never fills me with happiness the way camping, hiking and mountains do.\u00a0 Our most expensive room was $20 and every night our guide secured us a room whose window had a mountain view.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Tenboche Monastery the Buddhist way of life was peaceful<\/p><\/div>\n Cheryl: We are often able to connect with our spiritual self when we are close to nature and the earth. Did you have any sense of this? Insights? Epiphanies?<\/p>\n BARB:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Hard question for me\u2026\u2026..when I am in the mountains anywhere I feel very alive, very peaceful, and they give me energy.\u00a0 I feel happy and free.\u00a0 The Himalayas are stunning and through 3 valleys they just get bigger and bigger.\u00a0 I was also struck with the hard lives the locals have but they don\u2019t seem to know anything else.\u00a0 Imagine you have to store enough yak dung to last you through winter for heat and you need to save enough potatoes etc.\u00a0 Kids would run out the back door in the morning and squat without even looking for the outhouse.\u00a0 The only games we saw them play were made up games and things with rocks.\u00a0 Even in tea houses kids might be playing with 1 toy or they were helping parents. TV was intermittent at best.\u00a0 People were friendly and never seemed in a hurry.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Barb happy and free Mt.Everest awaits<\/p><\/div>\n Cheryl: Humbling? Grounding? Grateful?<\/p>\n BARB: All of those for sure.\u00a0 We were in a tea house at Periche (4371m)where I Facebooked \u2013 In this place if you teach your child to pee outside and you have potatoes to last all winter you have done your job.\u00a0 An over simplification but it felt that way. I very often felt spoiled by the things I knew were waiting for me at home.\u00a0 The average annual income of Nepal is $437US\/year.\u00a0 Grounding \u2013 towards the end of lots of days we would just sit and look at the mountains surrounding us and take in the energy.\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Cheryl: You encountered a mountain called Ama Dablam on your journey that spoke<\/em> to you…how so?<\/p>\n BARB: Ama Dablam is 6812m \u2013 a tall thin mountain.\u00a0 Over the days we saw 3 sides of her, as if we kind of walked around her.\u00a0 She seemed to me to be watching, always there, sometimes in sun, sometimes shaded. Also kind of graceful in a range full of jagged mountains.\u00a0 It is a mountain known for its beauty.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ama Dablam seemed to follow Barb and Bob as they made their way to base camp<\/p><\/div>\n Cheryl: What was the biggest challenge of the hike?<\/p>\n BARB: On hard days my mind is usually my biggest challenge.\u00a0 If I\u2019m under fueled or things are getting too hard I can get a very negative brain.\u00a0 I spent a whole morning walking at a snail\u2019s pace thinking to myself \u201cwhy the heck am I doing this, just sit and wait for Bob, this is waaaayy too hard\u201d crying by lunch.\u00a0 The tea house offered a version of hot tang which I inhaled, ordered oatmeal and doused it in sugar, added a handful of nuts and chocolate chips from my bag and inhaled it\u2026\u2026..no more tears, my brain had created the hardship.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Cheryl: Living in the moment has to be one of life\u2019s greatest challenges. You were living in the moment every day because you had no choice. \u00a0How does it feel?<\/p>\n BARB: For me living in the moment means I\u2019m only doing exactly what\u2019s needed at this moment in time.\u00a0 No mental lists while walking, no checking mail\u2026.brain is in \u201cnow\u201d not wandering.\u00a0 I love to trail run because if you start to think of other things you will trip, you must be present.\u00a0 On the Everest Base Camp trek it was pointless to think about anything but the thing at hand, there was no way out besides turning around, no TV to distract, the only warmth in the evening was by sitting as close to the yak burning fire as possible.\u00a0 Being present gives me energy until I can get it again.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Cheryl: You conquered! How did it feel to reach base camp at 17,500 feet?<\/p>\n BARB: It was a really long day, we saw 2 big avalanches on the way, moved quicker after a piece of shale slid our way from above.\u00a0 Seeing the base camp marker made me cry, I really couldn\u2019t believe we were really at the place where all the climbers I\u2019ve read about all these years have passed through. We were really proud of ourselves for making it. It was one of those moments when you tell yourself you can do anything you really want.\u00a0 I was also keen to get moving as the day was cooling off and the trip back to Gorak Shep would be slippery.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Barb and Bob conquer Mr Everest base camp<\/p><\/div>\n Cheryl: What about food? You come from the North American culture of gluten free, vegan, and lactose intolerant foodies\u2026how did you manage on what you \u00a0describe as a diet of potatoes, rice and spaghetti?<\/p>\n BARB:The real question is making 9 days without a beer or a glass of wine\u2026\u2026kidding.\u00a0 Neither of us are picky eaters and while we like to eat fairly clean we don\u2019t restrict any particular food group.\u00a0 At the end of 13 days we both noticed that we felt really well \u2013 no stomach issues of any type, clear headed.\u00a0 We actually had a conversation wondering if it was due to walking 5 hrs a day or was it actually the food \u2013 nothing processed, for the most part 100 mile diet.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Cheryl: You retired a year and a half ago at age 54\u2026other than conquering new heights<\/em>\u2026what are you focused on?<\/p>\n BARB: I see a need to volunteer, giving back in my own community is important to me.\u00a0 Thinking of a small business \u2013 something related to fitness I have a few ideas but I get stuck trying to move them forward and into something that pays and not just ideas.\u00a0 I love the freedom of not working and only looking at my calendar a week or so at a time.\u00a0 I\u2019m currently in the midst of a 30 day challenge to move everyday.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Cheryl: Your sons are 27 and 24 and launched AND<\/em> you \u2018got the place back\u2026. How do you feel? What the best part of Life Part II?<\/p>\n BARB: Love the term Life Part II.\u00a0 Since the boys launched I\u2019m so happy to have our couple life back \u2013 no one in the middle of us.\u00a0 Coming home the food in the fridge is exactly as I left it \u2013 ie it\u2019s still all there.\u00a0 Sometimes a bit wondering about old age.\u00a0 When my last son, Ben, moved out he said, \u201conce I leave you won\u2019t be cool anymore mom,\u201d I said what do you mean. He said, \u201cI bring the new words, music and ideas home, now you won\u2019t have that.\u201d\u00a0 I do believe kids keep you young and in the loop.\u00a0 Because of that I make a special effort to listen to new music all the time and read about anything the kids or young people are talking about.\u00a0 I never want to be out of the loop.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Cheryl: I think a lot of us enter Life Part II with the intention of finding our passion. You seem to have yours. How did you find it? Any advice for others looking to find?<\/p>\n BARB: Passion has always been there, now there\u2019s just more time to do the things I actually want to do.\u00a0 When I was younger you squeezed events into little windows of opportunity, now the windows are bigger.\u00a0 For others \u2013 I love talking with women and asking what they dream about doing \u2013 what are the things you\u2019ve always wanted to do but were afraid to say or do.\u00a0 I\u2019m good at flushing out ways for people to get things done.\u00a0 I believe the story of a bucket with rocks, pebbles and sand.\u00a0 If you fill the bucket first with sand there\u2019s no room for the rocks.\u00a0 Fill your bucket with rocks \u2013 what you most want and there will be lots of room for the sand.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I asked Barb if she could leave us with her 6 word memoir<\/a>… she needed only two…<\/p>\n![\"hiking](\"https:\/\/ohmywordjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/01\/barbhiking-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Yak](\"https:\/\/ohmywordjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/01\/barbyakmode-300x300.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Tenboche](\"https:\/\/ohmywordjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/01\/barbtenbochemonastery-300x224.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Barb](\"https:\/\/ohmywordjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/01\/barbwitheverestinbg-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Ama](\"https:\/\/ohmywordjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/01\/barbamadablumfolloweduseveryday-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Mt](\"https:\/\/ohmywordjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/01\/barbandbobconquered-300x200.jpg\")
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