13/4/18 – ARRIVAL KATHMANDU
14/4 – LUKLA (2,800 metres)
15/4 – NAMCHE BAZAAR (3,400 metres)
16/4 – TRAIL TO PANGBOCHE (4,100 metres)
17/4 – PUJA CEREMONY, PANGBOCHE MONASTERY (with Lama Nawang Pal)
18/4 – TRAINING CLIMB (to 5,000 metres)
19/4 – CLIMBERS’ MEMORIAL, LOBUCHE (4,950 metres)
20/4 – KHUMBU VALLEY
21/4 – BASE CAMP
26/4 – RETURN TO BASE CAMP AFTER ASCENT TO LHOTSE FACE ABOVE CAMP 2 (6,400 metres)
30/4–3/5 – ROTATION TO CAMP 3 (7,200 metres)
4/5 – VIC LEAVES
7/5 – TRAINING HIKE
8/5 – SCHOOL ASSEMBLY SATELLITE CALL
16/5 – 7.30 AM EVEREST SUMMIT (8,800 metres)
18/5 – LEAVE BASE CAMP FOR HOME
Dear Ludo and Iona,
Life is about the journey not the destination.
Live it brightly. Live it brilliantly and live it wisely. Don’t waste it. Not one single day.
Add life to your days not days to your life.
Dream.
Dare.
Do.
Live for the now, not the then.
Be spontaneous.
Smile.
Go with your heart. Instinct is often right.
Take criticism on the chin and use it usefully.
Life is there to complete, not to compete. Although it will sometimes feel like a competition, don’t get swept up by it. It’s not a race.
Be magnanimous in victory and graceful in defeat.
Be humble and try not to grumble.
Confide. Don’t divide.
Reach don’t preach.
Be caring and considerate.
Be principled but open-minded enough to be pragmatic.
Try and be the shepherd not the sheep.
Remember, you aren’t just a face in the crowd. You’re unique.
Despite a planet of seven billion. There is no one else like you.
Your personality will be shaped and moulded by the company you keep and the experiences you have.
Be comfortable with who you are. Don’t try and be what others want or expect you to be.
Listen, be curious and learn.
Wealth is all about how YOU interpret it. Money will not buy you happiness nor love.
Experiences WILL make you richer.
Travel will broaden your mind.
People will judge you, but don’t let that judgement define you.
Don’t let failure defeat you.
Insecurity will creep up on you throughout life, try not to listen to it.
Be confident, never arrogant.
Give.
Share.
People will be outrageous and provocative. Try not to be outraged or provoked.
Don’t live life through a screen. Live it for bikes and hikes, not likes and swipes.
Routine is far more dangerous than risk.
Some days you will feel a little down. The highs and lows are human nature.
Your life should be filled with light and shade, it is these ups and downs that remind us what is important in life.
Fortune really does favour the brave.
Be brave.
Take risks.
Live your life.
Smile.
And don’t forget to look UP.
Love Daddy
Ring ring … ring ring … ring ring …
It’s 4 am and I’m in a hotel room in Toronto, Canada. I’m here for my grandmother’s 100th birthday. Her 100th birthday! I still marvel at that. I cancelled everything to be here for this, including leaving my family in Austria.
I hate calls in the night. They make me nervous. They are almost always bad. No one calls with good news at 4 am. Maybe it’s a wrong number. My heart is pounding.
‘It’s Dad,’ says the voice on the line. He’s in the room next door. Why is he calling me?
‘Marina has lost the baby.’
I struggle to comprehend what he is telling me. I only left Marina yesterday, eight months pregnant and healthy, while I flew to Canada.
And why is he telling me this? I look at my mobile. It’s switched off.
‘It’s not good, she might not make it either, you’ve got to get back.’
