After a few hours sleep we were woken by the alarm at 3pm. We had some important things to do as well as a bit of promotional work for the Foundation. We were incredibly fortunate that Nims himself had time in his busy schedule to make an effort to find us. He took about 15 minutes to discuss our own #14basecamps adventure, as well as our plans to raise money for the foundation in his name. We chatted about the project and his plans for the coming year, including his ambitious 3x 14 Peaks and 3x Seven Summits record-breaking attempt over the next 12 months. It was interesting to see our boys, usually quite talkative, become a bit shy when Nims asked them questions; like us, they were pretty star-struck meeting the legend of the mountains.
After a good browse around the store, we returned to the Thamel area for dinner. Here, we were greeted with a further treat: dinner with the unique opportunity to be joined by two other world record holders and legends of the mountains – Mingma David Sherpa (He was until 2024 the youngest person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders, and holds the Guinness World Record for “Fastest time to climb Everest and K2”, which he did within 61 days) and Tejan Gurung, the youngest British man to conquer the 14 Peaks at only 29 years old. It was inspiring to chat with them and hear about their extraordinary achievements and journeys. It’s truly astonishing what humans can accomplish; climbing Everest is one thing, but to ascend all 14 of the world’s highest peaks, and in Mingma David’s case, to conquer the most dangerous ones multiple times, is truly awe-inspiring. It certainly put our own “little” treks into perspective!
After a delicious meal and amazing conversation, we returned to the hotel to finalize our packing. Our alarm was set for 2 AM for an early and long drive to Manthali Airport in Ramechhap, where we will take our flight to Lukla – the next exciting stage of our journey. At least, that is what we hoped…
Family Russell-Smith Travel 