Mullingar Hiking Group complete trip to Mount Everest Base Camp

Mullingar Hiking Group recently completed its trip to Nepal, where it made the difficult hike to Mount Everest Base Camp. Some members even went on to complete the infamous Island Peak.

The group started their journey on April 10 and made it back home on April 28, having travelled a total of one hundred and fifty-six thousand kilometres to reach base camp.

Thirty-six members of the group made the trip, with eighteen members making the journey to Island Peak (Imja Tse).

Ken Delaney, of Mullingar Hiking Group, said, “This is one of the most famous treks you can do, with Everest Base Camp being a once in a lifetime trip for people that are into hiking.

“I'm just so glad that thirty-six people made the trip and every one of them made it to base camp, which was amazing.”

Discussing the further climb to Island Peak, Ken said, “We said goodbye to the rest of the team, and 18 of us went on towards Island Peak, which is an over six thousand meter peak, and fourteen of us that went actually summited, which is fantastic.”

Ken spoke of how happy he was with the trip: “I honestly can't put how amazing this trip was into words. From the minute you land at Kathmandu, you see different cultures and traditions, and not to mention the little scary plane out to Lukla Airport, it's just a wild experience.

“Every day was such an amazing insight into life over there, from meeting the Sherpas, our tour guides, the porters, the yaks and even the tea houses.”

Speaking on the future for Mullingar Hiking Group, Ken said, “We cater to all levels, and we have people involved in the group from all different levels.

“We have an endless list of different plans, trails and hikes in the pipeline, so we will probably give Mount Everest a break for another few years anyway, just because it's such a massive trip.”