This was my second attempt at Mera Peak. The first trip to Mera Peak did not go so well. I climbed Kilimanjaro back in 2022 on a 7-day Machame route trek. Even though I had headaches from day 3 and vomited on the summit night. I struggled through Kilimanjaro and made it up and down in one piece, it was not easy.
Looking back now I wish I had joined Ian’s 8-day Lemosho route itinerary. Sometimes we have to learn by making our own mistakes.
Acclimatization is Critical for Success
In preparation for Kilimanjaro and Mera, I trained pretty hard for both trips. The different was I was doing more interval training but I learned if you don’t have the correct endurance training and acclimatization, you have nothing.
My thinking for Mera Peak was, Kilimanjaro was almost 20,000 feet and If I could do that in 7 days maybe I could sign up to a 10 or 12-day Mera Peak trip as it is just 21,246 feet. I was so wrong! There is a big difference between going to high altitude and staying at high altitude, a lesson I have no learned.
I picked a local team for my first Mera Peak trip in 2023, and it was mismanaged from the start. I hadn’t given much thought to the itinerary and just followed what I was given. It was a terrible itinerary and I got altitude sick crossing the Zatrwa La Pass 15,157 feet (4,620m). By the time I dropped into Khote 11,811 feet (3,600m) on Day 3 of the trip it was all over. From the pre-trip information to the interaction with the guides and my terrible itinerary it was all a shambles.
Do Not Pick The Shorter Itinerary
We hiked up over the pass 15,157 feet on day 2 of the trip and I got extremely sick. I was vomiting, dizzy and had a terrible headache. There were 3 others in the group and 2 of them got sick and 3 of us had to helicopter back to Kathmandu. What a joke! I blamed the local team but looking back it was my fault for not spending more time looking into the itinerary.
When I came home, I said I was never going to go back but over time I realized I had unfinished business. My partner started looking for more information online and Ian’s website kept showing up and the information and reviews were great. She pushed me to scheduled a call with Ian, eventually I did and we discussed altitude, training and how to prepare for Mera Peak. The itinerary was longer and the service looked far more professional. This was the team for me.
I Upped my Training
Trained was a little differently this time. I following Ian’s advice and step by step approach to training and it was spot on, added in longer hikes and carried more weight in my backpack this time. I also focused more on having a better endurance base. After months of training I felt stronger and more confident this time around. It was time to set my dates for September/ October 2025.
The pre-info, kit list and trip dossier were spotted for Mera Peak. From the moment I showed up in Kathmandu the whole set up was different. I was picked up in a private vehicle handed and Ian Taylor Trekking water and brought to a much nicer hotel than the last time I was in Kathmandu.
The Local Team are Exceptional
I was met my Dawa at the airport and Sonam and Alok at the hotel and they helped me get oriented. Kay did the briefing stressed the importance of hygiene, following the guides pacing and staying hydrated throughout the whole trip. Jimi Sherpa was our head guide, and we had 4 other guides working with our team of 9 climbers. I can see why they won the International Tourism Award in Nepal in 2019.
Kathmandu Direct to Lukla
We also had a direct flight from Kathmandu to Lukla which was amazing. The last time I was in Nepal I had to go to an airstrip in the middle of nowhere to fly up to Lukla. We had minimal sleep which also added to the stress on my previous trip to Mera Peak.
Once we got to Lukla, we had a chance to re-arrange our gear and started hiking to a town called Poyan. We hiked in a different direction from my previous trip which was interesting, and felt reassured. Our trek hiked around the base of Lukla airport down lower and back up to an elevation similar to Lukla.
Proper Acclimatization
Over the next 6 days we hiked higher and lower across the lower Himalaya before arriving in Khote. My previous experience was so challenging I was fraught with doubt and so nervous about what lay ahead. As each day progressed, I started to feel good this trip. I was focused on hydration and trying to relax my way through the acclimatization process. So far it was working!
The guides were checking oxygen and heart rates and sending it to the office to be checked. I was maintaining an 88 to 92 oxygen saturation. Everything was going well, and all the other team members were all well prepared. Over half had been on another Ian Taylor Trekking trip before.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
We had a great team of climbers and guides, and everyone was getting excited for what lay ahead. The team slowly moved up to Khare 16,000 feet and this would be our base for 3 nights to further acclimatize, check out gear, set up our harnesses and prepare for moving higher.
The guides were checking the weather looked like our window for a summit attempt was closing. Our itinerary and plan was for 2 nights in Mera peak Base Camp 17,200 feet before moving to High Camp at 19,000 feet.
The plan was for 1 night in Mera peak Base Camp and then move to Mera Peak High Camp. This was a great call as there was a 3-day storm rolling in the following day. The team were well rested and ready to climb after 3 nights in Khare.
Moving Higher on Mera Peak
As we were moving to Base Camp three teams passed us skipping Base Camp and going directly to High Camp. We found out later that only a couple of people summited and the majority did not. It is a big jump from Khare 16,076 feet to High Camp 19,000 feet with minimal acclimatization. I trusted this team and set up and felt we could all make it.
After a night at Mera Peak Base Camp 17,200 feet, we all roped up and moved to High Camp. We moved slow and steady as another team moved past us. We arrived in High Camp around 2pm and it was time to rehydrate and relax. I felt a mild headache, so I took 400mg of Ibuprofen and drank some more water and after 30 minutes I felt much better.
The team that past us never even made an attempt on the summit. They burned out early and had to retreat to Khare because of the altitude.
100% Success on Mera Peak
Our team of 9 climbers were in position and ready to go from the summit. Our goal was to wake at 1am, drink a liter of water, have some soup and snacks and leave at 2am. The guides assessed it would take 5 hours to reach the summit and they were right.
The summit night was warm at the start. Slowly the temperature changed and got colder and colder as we slowly made our way to the summit. I was teamed up with 2 other strong climbers, and we worked well together.
The terrain was straight forward at first around 30-degree angle. As the hours wore on, we started to hit steeper 40-degree angle terrain. We were down to a rest step higher up and as the sun started to rise. I started to feel rejuvenated and knew we would reach the summit.
Standing on the Summit of Mera Peak
At 6:55am the whole team reached the summit. We didn’t have the best views but we were the only team to make the summit that day. Winds were around 10mph, and temperatures started to rise as we make our was back to High Camp.
I started to get emotional on the return journey back to High Camp. After failing to even get to Mera Peak on my first attempt, I had now reached my goal. What an overwhelming experience and with a great sense of achievement. At that moment walking down to High Camp, I decided to keep my trekking and mountaineering career alive.
What made the difference on this trip was Ian’s itinerary, service, pacing and guidance. The over all set up helped me achieve my goals of reaching the top of Mera Peak. It is sad to say someone died on Mera Peak while we were there this year. This only reinforced my and the team’s decision to be with the ITT team. We were with on best itinerary that made the difference for safety and success.
What’s Next
After successfully climbing Mera Peak a few team members and I decided to take on Cotopaxi. The goal is to hit Cotopaxi with Ian’s team in 2027 and aiming for Aconcagua in 2028/29. The journey continues after learning more about altitude, preparation and how to climb big mountains.
Thanks to Ian and the whole team! The education before and during the trip was first class. The delivery of information, quality of the service, guides and team on the ground was second to none. This experience was life changing for me.
If you need a professional guide service in Nepal, look no further than Ian Taylor trekking. I have no hesitation in recommending their service.