“I wanted to experience the energy of these mountains and it was incredible.” Have you ever dreamed of going to Mount Everest? Today’s woman dreamer, Ritu Kapur, made her dream of climbing to the Everest Base Camp come true, through avid preparation, practice of yoga, and a healthy (and vegetarian diet). A true adventurer at heart, Ritu shares the power of the mountain journey and thrill of reaching new heights!

1) What inspired you and sparked your interest to trek to the Everest Base Camp? 

I went to Mt. Kailash in 2018 after I had dreamt about it for 8 years. That trip to the High Himalayas in Tibet was so incredible in so many ways that I relived it for months after getting back home to Boston. There is something about the energy of the Himalayas that leaves you mesmerized and in awe of such divine Nature. I had gone there with a friend and soon after we got back, we started scheming about our trip back to Himalayas. We considered going to the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) or the Everest Base camp (EBC). We did a lot of research on the routes, watched many videos and read on the topic. Both of us made up our mind very soon about doing EBC. It took us a few months to break it to our families that we were going to do this---the decision had been made! 

2)  How did you prepare yourself, and what were some challenges you faced?

I have never been an avid athlete but I had prepared myself physically for the trip to Mt. Kailash. After being there at 18,000ft high altitude, I knew that I could handle the altitude at EBC but it was a completely different ballgame. It was a 12 day trip with 9 days to go from Kathmandu to Lukla and then to trek from Lukla to the Base Camp increasing the altitude from 9,000ft in Lukla to 18, 000ft at the base camp with a steady climb every day. Also, I had never done a multiday hike before and that too at this high altitude. For some people, this trek is really not a big deal as thousands of young and fit people do it every year but for someone like me, it was daunting so I had to get myself ready in many ways. 

I created a strict fitness regime for myself working out 3-5hours every day with focus on aerobics, weight training and yoga. I would do stairs for 1-3 hours 2-3/week with a 10lb backpack. The first time I did it, my legs were so sore for 5 days that I could barely walk but I was able to continue my yoga practice for deep stretches. The 2nd time I did it, I was able to recover quickly and was able to continue my workouts the next day. There is no way to train for this high altitude other than slow acclimatization so the only thing that is in your hands is getting your body ready for the grueling conditions. You need to be able to recover after a full day of hiking and then do it all over again the next day while the living conditions may not be the best. The food, sleeping and toileting conditions can be tough but you go with an attitude to tackle it as it comes. 

I am sure you know that Mt. Everest in Nepal is the tallest mountain on Earth, 29,000 ft from the sea level. To give you some perspective on the base camp, it is located at 18,000ft high and that is higher than most mountains in USA except Mount Denali in Alaska. It is at this base camp that people who aspire to climb to the top of Everest put their tents for weeks or months to acclimatize and wait for the perfect weather window to fulfill their dream. For me, going to the base camp was more than I could dream of. I wanted to experience this journey as a physical challenge but also as a spiritual journey in the high Himalayas. I wanted to experience the energy of these mountains and it was incredible. The sublime beauty and the grandeur of these mountain ranges is way beyond any words can describe. It is something you must see and feel for yourself. This divine beauty has the potential of shifting the mountains of consciousness within oneself. 

3)  Can you talk about your diet while you prepared yourself physically for the trek. 

A. I am a vegetarian so I depend mostly on beans for the protein source. I do eat eggs and used lot of nuts in my diet as well. One thing that I had to figure out was to eat small but dense meals before my daily workouts. After all, you can’t really eat Punjabi paranthas (I am a shuddh Punjabi btw 😊) and then kick ass in the gym. I started using vegetable based protein powders for the morning shakes and that would allow me to work at the gym for a few hours and then have a healthy lunch at home. I also used healthy ladoos or balls made with dates, sesame seeds, chickpea flour, etc. Taking care of your diet so precisely can be very time consuming but it is really important when you are pushing your body beyond its usual limitations. 

4)  You are also an avid practitioner of yoga. How do you feel yoga prepared you mentally and physically for the climb? 

Although I have always been a healthy person, I have never been much into sports so I think  it was only because of yoga that someone like me could complete a trek like this at the age of 48. I have been teaching yoga for 12 years and have a daily personal practice. Yoga has helped me strengthen not just my physical body but also helped me mentally and spiritually. Yoga was very helpful for me to recover after long daily hikes during the months long prep and during the 12 day trek. Although we were limited in how much weight we could carry, I kept a thin, light weight yoga mat with me. I knew I would have to stretch at the end of the day to recover and sleep well. As they say, your mental strength is way more important than your physical strength on the mountains; in my case as well, it was mostly my will power that I was able to push myself to do this trek. I used pranayama to increase my breath capacity and chanting to focus my mind every day during the trek. 

5) As a #Dreamcatchers platform, we have to ask, what is your next big dream? 

Hopefully, we can travel safely again sometime soon. I have a long list of places where I would love to go and experience the high energy of the mountains. For now, Mt. Shasta in Northern California may be a possibility this year. If I am lucky, perhaps I can go to the Annapurna Base camp in the next couple of years. 

Bio: Ritu Kapur is an Occupational Therapist and a Registered yoga teacher. She lives with her family in Boston.

Thank You Ritu for Sharing your journey! We are excited to have you in our empowered women’s network!