When I travelled to Everest Base Camp (EBC) in 2015, it was epic but one aspect left me feeling bitterly disappointed. My fellow travellers and I were looking for a sign. An indication that we had arrived at our destination. We wanted a big “Everest Base Camp” sign but there was none…in a typical Nepali idiosyncrasy, there is a sign a kilometer before it, “Way to Everest BC”, however, at base camp itself, there was a perplexing lack of a sign. The reason we were given was because EBC moves slightly every year and is settled in a different area depending on the movements of the glacier and the ground around it. Nevertheless, we were super disappointed, I still remember being saddened by the sign less expanse.
We found some prayer flags hanging on a rock and we took our photos there, and we trusted the Sherpas that we were at EBC. But there was always something in the back of my mind that made me think, “Where is the sign?” In my book, What my Sherpa Taught me about TEAMS, I talk about the importance of celebrating successes and using milestones to show how far you have come, and for my logical brain at the time, I desperately wanted a sign.
At some point, after my trip, someone graphited a boulder with red spray paint, “Everest Base Camp 5364m” and according to many hikers, this boulder has become, iconic? Not for me – I thought it was a little distasteful although it did meet the requirement of the sign I desperately wanted. Last month, some Nepali authorities erected a sign paying tribute to Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hilary. I am super excited to get my photo taken in front of it when we take out trekking retreat there in November. However, the backlash from the hiking community was resolute, the sign must go, the rock was better (I really don’t get that) and that it blocks the view…um, it's Mt. Everest! You can see it for kilometres, there ain’t no blocking that view.
People’s opinions vary so much and are influenced by their experience. For me, a sign was important because I didn’t have one, but other people thought the graffitied rock had always been there and they wanted to see that to indicate they had arrived (rest assured the rock is still there – (no one is moving that 😂). The same is true in our workplaces, one person’s expectation of what they want to achieve, how they know they have achieved it and how they wish to celebrate it will be different. Even the best laid plans and clearly articulated vision cannot overcome this.
If you have considered trekking Everest base camp this may be the SIGN you need to get training and join me. Gobinda, myself, a medic and a team of Nepali sherpas will guide you to EBC and Gyoko lakes in November 2024.