Hiking to Everest Base Camp with a Five Year Old

As we shuffled the final few hundred metres across the icy moraine, Atlas was almost at breaking point.

His feet were so cold, his smile had turned to an unhappy frown “How far to go, Dada? My feet are like blocks of ice,” “We’re almost there big man, you’ve nearly made it,” I replied. 

 

After seven days of bouncing along, walking, and being ‘portered’ up the steepest parts of the trek, my little five year old had finally made it to Everest Base Camp - 53km, and 2500m of elevation later. I looked around at the familiar surroundings, nestled in the deep Khumbu Valley, at the foot of the infamous Khumbu Icefall and thanked something, someone, anything that we’d safely made the ascent to 5363m with minimal problems for Atlas, myself or any of the 16 charity trekkers we’d accompanied for the trek. 

 

It was my tenth successful EBC trek. I’d lived at base camp for four months in 2016 to film a TV series for the Travel Channel, but this one arrival felt like the biggest mental victory of all. I’m Ben Southall, founder of Best Life Adventures. In some eyes a pushy parent, in others, someone who inspires and challenges the norm. I prefer to go with the latter; let me explain. 

 

I wouldn't normally consider taking a trekker as young as five to the ‘Bottom of the Top of the World’, but this was different for a number of reasons. With my wife working overseas with the Australian military, my elderly parents living in the UK, and my mother-in-law having passed away a year before (my usual childcare when I’m away) - I was left with a huge problem, what to do with Atlas while I head to Nepal two weeks.

 

There are numerous stories of both support and outrage about taking children to high altitude, so I wanted to write this post to give my honest opinion on the benefits and potential pitfalls of having actually done it and how if you’ve done the hard work preparing your kid mentally, and physically, kitting them out with the right gear to make their experience a safe a comfortable one, should really be the icing on the cake. 

 

Having run many treks there, I know the place intimately. Where to rest and recover, how to stay healthy, and where helicopters can land if anything goes wrong and I need to evacuate a client, or heaven forbid, Atlas. I also had a plan for the weeks leading up to our trek to best protect our digestive system - the single most important thing to keep healthy during any overseas adventure to a developing world country. 

 

 

MANAGING THE 3 G’s FOR A FIVE YEAR OLD:

1. GUT

Having successfully led over 125 people to EBC, I’ve found it’s almost always gut health issues that make the experience so much harder than it needs to be. Dodgy food in Kathmandu in the lead up to, or during the trek, questionable water quality or cross-contamination, hand washing and personal hygiene are all things that can be avoided if you really look after yourself. I know how easy it is to be slack, and one simple mistake can mean nausea, vomiting, or a serious case of shitting rusty water that’ll drain your body of any energy reserves in a matter of hours - something you just can't afford to do when you’re battling thin air at altitude. 

 

If Atlas had come down with anything on the ascent to EBC, it would have meant evacuating him from the Himalayas and leaving the group I was supposed to be leading. Something I simply couldn't afford to do. Here’s how I did it:

 

Pre-Trip: I worked with Kirsty from Kultured Wellness to build a plan for the two weeks pre-trip to strengthen his gut health with probiotics and supplements that we took throughout the trek to ensure he was in the best possible condition to fight any potential infections. It worked like a dream. With the exception of one ‘flying fast poo’ on arrival in Kathmandu, he was comfortable and regular throughout the entire adventure.

 

During Trip: Water, water and more water. It’s one of the greatest keys to success on the EBC to hydrate well and help deal with the elevation. But ensuring you have the cleanest and purest you can get your hands on, is uber-important so most companies opt to buy bottled water. 

 

If you do the maths, it’s hugely detrimental to the villages and Khumbu environment - 10 days > 3 litre bottles a day = 30 bottles per person that go into landfill or get burnt. 

 

Staying sustainable is crucial to the way we run our business, so we’ve opted to filter and purify all water for our clients using two methods to supply their needs every morning, lunch and evening. 

 

1. MSR Gravity Water Filter 10L - we set this up three times a day using boiled mountain water

2. Purinize Water Purifier Drops - each client gets a bottle that lasts the entire trek  

 

2. GUILE

Unless you’re an uber athlete, no one just rocks up to Nepal and successfully completes the trek to EBC. It takes training and preparation for everyone, five year olds included. 

In the lead up to our trek:

 

I took Atlas on some weekend fitness hikes disguised as micro-adventures so he didn't feel the pressure of expectation with me harassing him about ‘being fit enough to finish the trek’, it was the best way to build his inner strength and belief in himself about climbing hills and not giving up.

 

I knew Atlas was never going to be able to walk the entire way himself and prepared for those moments of “Can I have a carry?” by employing two extra locals to help out where and when needed. 

 

A friend and previous Everest summiter, Nima, came along as a porter to help carry Atlas up the toughest climbs, when I was too buggered to carry him, and I also brought along a Sherpini (female Sherpa) to be his nanny at the teahouses when I needed to spend time with my clients, and to give him a different insight into what Nepali life in the mountains is like. It’s also good to give employment back to a region that relies on tourism so heavily. 

 

 

3. GEAR

A cold or wet kid is a grumpy kid, that I learnt a long time ago, so having everything I needed to keep my little nugget warm and dry was essential. It’s tough to get good gear for kids but a few of the major outdoor brands like Patagonia, Merrell and XTM build clothing that’s as good as the adult versions. 

 

1. Merrell Moab Hiking boots - totally essential and couldn’t have done it without something as well-fitting, comfortable and insulating as these

2. Patagonia Down Jacket - made by one of the best with 800 loft meant his core never got cold, especially when combined with these…

3. XTM Thermal Top & Bottoms - he wore them every day and night above 4000m to lock in the warmth built up from hot chocolate and porridge

4. XTM Goretex Gloves with liners - add a heat pack to them every morning when it was snowing outside and there were minimal complaints about cold fingers

5. XTM Zoolander Beanie - keep the gear fun and light. This was his personal choice from the Wild Earth store 

 

THE TREK

We spent a few days in Kathmandu before the trek so Attie could get used to the country, the hustle and bustle of Nepali life, and feel the vibe of the Himalayan country and it was really good to get him climbing with some of the local kids too. 

 

He’s always loved flying in small planes so the excitement of the flight into Lukla (supposedly the world’s most dangerous airport) was good to see on his face, especially when we’d touched down safely. 

 

Seeing things differently through a kid’s eyes was good for me; his fascination with donkey and yak poo, the dogs around the hotel in Lukla and playing with the school kids as we finally departed are things that’ll stay with me forever.

 

Over the first few days of the trek everything was pretty easy for both of us. He walked a lot, seemingly taking on the vast number of steps each day as a personal challenge egged on by the constant vocal support from other trekkers coming back down the mountain. “If he can do it, we can do it,” became the normal chant. 

 

Once we hit the thinner air above Namche Bazaar (3500m) acclimatisation becomes a constant game for every trekker. I’ve been told by two high-altitude doctors that kids find it easier to acclimatise as their hearts beat 25% faster so they produce red blood cells (the carrier of oxygen) quicker. It seemed to be the case for Attie as he never felt the effects which was a huge relief.

 

Taking your kids on a challenge like this was supremely rewarding and there are moments I look back on today with immense pride. When we visited the school in Kumjung and Atlas spoke to the class about life in Australia, and then danced in the snow for the first time outside the classroom door.

 

I also learnt not to push him beyond his limits and know how to identify that. This trek was never about ‘being the youngest kid to make it to EBC’, so allowing him to be carried whenever he needed it was vital. No one wants a grumpy, miserable kid on the trail next to them. Rewarding him with some good home food was another temptation when the times got tough, and one of his favourites was the simple Clif Bar, especially the White Chocolate and Macadamia one!

 

That final day into base camp was an interesting one. We had two members of the trek who weren’t feeling healthy and up to the challenge but decided to push on. One was a 12-year-old boy who Atlas idolised to some degree, so to see him weak and slow-moving, placed a little doubt in his mind, especially when he needed to be helicoptered out with AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) only an hour from EBC. 

 

As we arrived at the rock (known as Trekker’s Point) that marks the end of the EBC trek at 5365m above sea level, it was the place where the wheels started to fall off for a few people. Best Life Adventures are one of the few trekking companies that stays overnight with the summit teams (although things will change in 2025), who make their camps around 1.5km further up the Khumbu glacier. This can take another 1-2 hours to complete and with temperatures dropping to around -20c that night, and with Atlas on Nima’s back for the entire distance, he got cold pretty quickly. 

 

Do you remember that feeling when as a kid you felt that much cold in your feet and hands, it was almost scary? That’s the headspace Attie was experiencing and he didn't like it one bit. It was probably the first time summit teams had heard a five year old crying at base camp, but within ten minutes of checking into our dining tent, we were thawing out with a celebration cake and hot chocolate - the best way to take a five-year-olds mind off the pain!

 

I look back at the adventure with a sense of wonder at what kids can achieve. We pigeon-hole and protect them so much they don’t get the chance to spread their wings and truly fly in circumstances we might find uncomfortable ourselves. 

 

Yes, there was a certain element of risk, but as I do week in, week out with our Best Life Adventures clients, we push people to the edge of their comfort zone and slightly beyond, safe in the knowledge we’ve done our due diligence to give them a safety net if they need it, which nine times out of ten they don’t.

 

It’s in this space, adults and kids alike, grow as humans and develop their own belief that anything’s possible. It’s the way I’d love Atlas to approach any challenges he encounters in the world. 

 

Going against the age old adage that Atlas the Greek God inherited the weight of the world on his shoulders, I’d love to rethink it as supporting the Planet to be, do and achieve more. 

 

With the right preparation, gear and people around you, even the most ridiculous adventure becomes possible. 

If you’re up for the adventure yourself, with friends, family or a five year old, we run two treks each year. The next is April 2025, you can learn more here.

Still, have questions? Come in-store to chat with our experts or shoot us a message online and we’d love to help! Don’t forget to share your running adventures with us on Instagram at @wildearthaustralia and use the hashtag #MyWildEarth to be featured.

 

Contributor Bio:

Ben Southall is an Adventurepreneur best known for winning Tourism Queensland’s ‘Best Job in the World’ in 2009. Since then, he’s kayaked the length of the Great Barrier Reef, set world records running up mountains in Australia and New Zealand, and driven his faithful old Land Rover, Colonel Mustard around Africa and from Singapore to London. Today Ben is the founder of Best Life Adventures - an adventure travel company that takes adventurous minds to some of the most extreme wilderness areas on the planet. He’s at his happiest, disconnected from technology, on the ocean or in the mountains.