Local man reaches Everest base camp during world tour
Fulfilling his lifelong dream of traveling to base camp of Mount Everest was an easy task for Jes Hutson to conquer, but what he didn’t envision was standing near the bottom of the mountain and not being able to see the top. The Uniontown man said he has been fascinated with Mount Everest ever since it was first introduced to him in grade school.
“From then on it’s where I wanted to go. I couldn’t wait to stand at base camp and look up at Everest. It’s been a dream of mine since childhood,” he said.
With his dream in mind, Hutson planned a trip to Mount Everest and then decided to add some other stops along the way. He spent time in 10 countries – Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia and France – all within a five-week period. It wasn’t the first time he planned the trip.
In 2002, Hutson and his brother Bill planned to go to Mount Everest together, but the trip was canceled. However, Hutson noted that he couldn’t get Everest out of his mind. So in September 2003 he again began planning a trip, but this time he was going solo.
“I’m at the age where I don’t know if I’m going to be pushing up daisies, so I didn’t want to wait any longer. And, I was very fortunate to get permission to go on this trip not once, but twice from my boss,” he said.
Hutson, a health and physical education instructor at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, said he had to get permission from Michael Mahalik, Dean of Academic Affairs, to make the trip.
On April 21, Hutson was on his way around the world, stopping first in Taiwan.
“I decided to go there because I saw Taiwan on the show ‘The Amazing Race,’ and it looked interesting. I spent two days there,” he said.
Other stops before his dream destination were Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. Then he was off to Nepal, where his mode of transportation changed. Airplanes, taxi cabs and buses were no longer options.
It was time to trek.
Trekking, according to Hutson is similar to hiking, but it’s a slower, longer journey made by foot, usually through mountainous territory. And this trek, according to Hutson, was definitely mountainous.
“A lot of the walk was treacherous. It’s like walking on the moon,” Hutson said.
During this part of the trip, he was with a hired guide and a porter, who carried Hutson’s personal belongings during the journey.
It was at 8,000 feet above sea level where Hutson and his help started heading toward base camp and it took eight days to get there.
“We climbed an average of 1,400 feet per day,” he said, noting that it took nearly three to four hours each day to climb the distance. “Every minute forward was like a Kodak moment. And the last couple of days were like walking on the moon. There was no vegetation and there were massive rocks all around us. Once we reached our destination for the day, we had a lot of down time.”
Hutson explained that each day they trekked to their new location, which consisted of a lodge and some stores “in the middle of nowhere.” And according to Hutson, they weren’t the only interesting things along the way.
“You’re trekking up the mountain and you see posters of people who are missing and you know if you fall down and you fall into the ravine that you too will never be seen or heard from ever again,” he said. But Hutson said he never felt threatened by the dangers of the trek. “You just have to take your time and be pre-pared,” he said.
And Hutson really didn’t do much to prepare himself. In fact, he said he didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.
“I did what I do all the time. I lifted weights at the gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and I walked with my classes. I also got on the treadmill once a week,” he said. “You don’t have to be in great shape to do it. Anyone can do it. It just gets really difficult towards the end.”
Around 16,500 feet, Hutson began to have difficulty breathing. “Every five minutes I had to ask for a three-minute break. I wanted to do it without taking a break but I didn’t want to have a heart attack,” he said jokingly. But it was when he made it to base camp that he almost fell over.
“I was so distraught, because it was a major disappointment. I looked up and I couldn’t see Mount Everest. I saw a glacier and people were coming down it,” he recalled.
He noted that the documentaries he watched all those years were somewhat deceiving. “It was either that or I didn’t pay enough attention to the small details,” he said.
Whatever the case, Hutson said he was still happy to be there and he got comfortable quickly. After nestling in at base camp, he spent some time talking with professionals in the tents at camp and explored the area.
On the ninth day, a group went on yet another trek and went to an area where Everest was visible, which made Hutson happy.
“I was happy, no matter what. I felt some sense of accomplishment because I fulfilled one of my lifetime dreams,” he said.
Another dream was fulfilled too, but it also came with a big surprise. After leaving Nepal and stopping in India and Saudi Arabia, he was off to Egypt to see the pyramids.
“I was just awestruck when I saw the pyramids and walked around them. It was wonderful,” he said.
“It’s not something I have to do again, but I absolutely would,” he said.
Hutson wrapped up his circle around the globe with stops in Tunisia and France. And he still continues to stay on the move – in class with his students and on the treadmill.