Three St. Albert childhood friends fulfilled a lifelong dream this summer when they reached the base camp of the world's tallest mountain.
First scaled by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay more than 60 years ago, Mount Everest holds the distinction of being the tallest and most dangerous mountain in the world.
Kyle Umbach, 23, remembers when he first saw pictures of the legendary mountain.
"When I was younger I would read National Geographic all the time," he said. "My grandfather had issues going all the way back to the 1950s, so I would pull them out and look at the pictures. I read as many as I could. My favourites were always the stories about conquering Everest."
Umbach and his two friends, Connor O'Donovan, 23, and Matt Vivieros, 23, were looking for something to do one summer when a friend of theirs suggested hiking in Jasper. The experience was a positive one and they made a point to go back as soon as possible.
"When I got my car and we were able to go to the mountains regularly, it was like the whole world opened up. We were hiking regularly, nearly every weekend, and we would joke around, you know? 'We should climb Everest.'
"I guess at some point it stopped being a joke. We had to go."
Scaling the mountain
Nestled in between China and India, Nepal is a relatively small and poor country compared to its neighbours.
"It's a very unique experience," said O'Donovan. "There is a lot of poverty there but the country is very beautiful and everyone was friendly to us. I would recommend it to anyone."
Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, thrives on tourists lured in by Everest's peak. It is a natural gateway to India from China and a popular stopover for backpackers.
"We met so many people on our trip from different countries: Australians, Germans, Americans, and even a few Canadians. Most were there to hike but a few were just passing through," said Umbach.
It took the group 16 days to hike to the southern base camp. It was a gruelling task that took the men to nearly 17,500 feet in altitude.
"It was eerie. The avalanche had happened just before we arrived in Nepal and the base camp, which is usually pretty full, was nearly empty," Umbach said.
Umbach is referring to the April 18 avalanche that killed 16 Sherpas and injured six more. Three bodies are still missing, buried under a hundred feet of ice and snow.
The avalanche was the deadliest accident in the mountain's history and a sobering reminder of the price paid for challenging Everest's summit.
"It was very tragic," said O'Donovan. "We were happy to reach the camp but how could we celebrate? That sort of thing has an affect on you."
Returning home
Back in Alberta, the friends are still hiking together. The first weekend after Nepal they were back in Canmore, trying out a new path.
"That was kind of a failure," said Umbach. "We took the wrong trail. Lots of those trails are not that well marked and we got about halfway down before realizing it was a dud."
For the lifelong hiking enthusiasts, travelling to base camp hasn't tempered their love of the outdoors. The trip has actually inspired them to hike more often.
"Reaching base camp was a tremendous experience," he said. "Nepal is such a unique and friendly country that I would recommend it to anyone. It's a little outside the box, you have to be up for an adventure," he said.
Umbach still thinks about reaching the summit of the great mountain. It won't be this year or next, but someday he'll return for the peak.
"I've always wanted to climb Everest, ever since looking through those magazines as a kid. This is my dream."
