The Psychological Challenges of Trekking to Everest Base Camp

Witnessing the magical view of the tallest mountain from the lap of the highest peak, Mount Everest is not for the faint-hearted. You need to have an iron will! Here are some of the psychological challenges of trekking to Everest Base Camp and how to overcome them.

Cover image by Use at your Ease 👌🏼 from Pixabay

The beautiful trek to Everest Base Camp involves a lot of challenges like strenuous bodily efforts, unfavorable weather conditions, high altitude sickness, and many other unpredictable circumstances. However, it does offer the delight of the unparalleled beauty of snowy mountains, biodiversity, and unique geographical attributes. Despite the trek to Everest Base Camp rewarding you with being on the lap of the world’s tallest peak (Mount Everest at 8848m), you might still hold doubts, fear, and be overwhelmed due to the hardships of the venturesome trip. The psychological challenges or mental challenges are mental conditions you bear in your mind, and they act as hindrances on your path to the Everest region. Hence, we often discuss the significance of mental fitness or resilience before trekking to Everest Base Camp.

The Psychological Challenges and Tips to Overcome Them

1. Lack of confidence in the unknown: You might be confident and comfortable in the way of life in city areas; or your workspace. But when it comes to the Everest Base Camp trek, the mere thought of walking into rough mountain trails for 12-14 days might scare you and decrease your confidence. The new world you’re entering for a couple of days excludes all the facilities, privileges, and comfort of the sophisticated city life; meaning no more unlimited food options, no more luxury beds, no more social life, no more pursuit of money or materialistic goals, no more internet and social media addiction, and no more normal life. 

Improve physical fitness: Different physical trainings should be done before the trek to Everest Base Camp, such as hiking, cardio, endurance, high altitude, nutrition, hydration, etc. Such preparatory activities help boost confidence levels to climb the gigantic hills of the remote Everest region, far away from the city.

2. A sense of overwhelm due to the grandeur: The trek to Everest Base Camp is a grandeur blend of all its glory, beauty, thrill, adventure, and unforgettable memories. Simply dreaming about all the exceptional beauty of the glorious Everest journey may overwhelm you, as we are talking about one of the