Broken Poles, Stronger Steps: Finding Myself on the EBC Trek

Today I am about to share you about the day when everything went wrong on my trek to Everest Base Camp.

It was March. I was high up in the mountains crossing Dignboche and moving forward towards the Base Camp. And onthe way my trekking ploes, which I spent weeks choosing on Thame broke. Just snapped in half.One second I was walking fine. The next second, I was sitting on a rock holding two broken pieces of metal.

I still had three more days of trekking.

And If It was any other cases I would panic, but to my surprise, I didn't.Instead , I laughed.A real laugh, Just a " Well , This is funny " kinda laugh .

On the route, The view and the atmosphere , my tired body but the fresh and calm mind understoood something, the mountains doesn't really care about the expensive gears that I own, neither the perfect pland or the photos I take , The mountains only cared if I kept walking. My willingness to complete the journey.

The first day without carrying my poles, every step was uncertain.The noise of my boots cracking on gravel was more pronounced. The wind was also more chilled, since I wasn’t holding my poles to maintain balance.

My calf muscles burned in a different way. My mind sharpened. I picked up things I had been overlooking before: the design of the rocks that fed into the pathways my feet followed, the precise angle of each slope that led up to a summit that was actually just a rise in the ground relative to the terrain below me, the rhythm of my breathing with my stride when I was moving at the right pace

It was harder. But it was also more real.

So I did. Without poles. Without a perfect plan. Just one step at a time.

The next three days were an education in themselves, learning more from them than from any number of guide books. Without the poles, I walked in a different way.

Strugelling?? Yess....

But Slower. More careful. And I Actually had to PAY ATTENTION to every step of the trek .

And you know what? I didn't fall. I didn't fail. I just... adapted.

A local porter saw me struggling on day two and showed me how to use rhythm instead of equipment. "The mountain teaches everyone," he said. "Some learn from books. Some learn from breaking things."

I learned from broken poles.

Here are few things that nobody tells you about trekking:

• It's not about having the best gear or perfect plan .
• It's about showing up. And when things break, because they will.. it's about keeping going anyway.
• By the time I reached Base Camp, those broken poles felt like a gift. They forced me to be present. To be humble. To actually LEARN instead of just checking boxes.
• The mountains don't care about your expensive gear. They care about your willingness to adapt.

And that lesson? Worth more than any trekking pole ever could be.

The bitter truth about 'finding yourself' while hiking:

You don't find some perfect version of yourself at the top.You find the version of you that can deal with problems. That can laugh when things break. That can keep going when plans fall apart.You find the version that's okay with being messy and real and human.

And that version is worth finding.

So yes, I left my old self somewhere on the Everest Base Camp trail in March.

I left her next to my broken poles and my need for everything to be perfect

To anyone thinking about doing this:

• Your gear might break at the worst time.
• Your body will get tired when you don't expect it.
• You will ask yourself "why am I doing this?" at 3 AM in a cold room.

And you will be stronger because of all of it.

👉 Read the full story here: Everest Base Camp Trek March Guide

Keep walking, friends. Even when things break.

A hiker who learned to be strong at 4,200 meters🏔️✨