Being possibly the least experienced and least fit of the trekking group, I wasn’t sure what to expect on my journey around Annapurna with Eyes4Everest. Packed with my K-Mart camping gear and dodgy trekking shoes, we set off as 10 strangers at the start of the trek and finished up as close albeit smelly friends. By the end, no joke was off limits and daily discussions about bathroom habits became the norm (when Shaun tells you don’t eat the chicken on the mountains man you better not eat that chicken!). The early parts of the journey were tough but very rewarding, as we all turned to Michelle at the end of every trekking day to see how many flights of stairs we had covered as well as how many kilometres, so we could gauge how much Dahl Bhat we could pig out on for dinner and still feel like we were exercising.

The locals at our first stop at Hille were amazing, every patient greeted you with a genuinely warm “Namaste” and couldn’t stop saying thank you as they finished their testing, you could really see that the services being provided by the Eyes4Everest group were hugely appreciated, and as we left Hille the locals gathered and gave us a sending off ceremony that really gave us all the warm fuzzies as we set off to conquer base camp. On the journey up the mountain we were lead by the most amazing team of Sherpas and porters who made sure that we were kept safe every step of the journey, even if that meant risking their own safety at a few mudslides and waterfalls which we encountered on the way. Kami and his team quickly became more than just our guides, but our good friends also, and having them join us for the cultural dinner at the end of the trip was a particular highlight for me. They weren’t just there to help us up the mountain to base camp, they also provided us with some great memories during the evenings after our trekking, organising impromptu dance parties (even if myself, Harrison and Ryan’s dance moves were questionable) and becoming increasingly competitive Uno players as well.

By the time we arrived back in Pokhara after the trek it was hard to say goodbye to the Sherpas and porters, as many returned home to their villages after the trek, however we all managed to add each other on Facebook to keep up to date on all of their amazing adventures. I’d highly recommend joining the Eyes4Everest group for one of their volunteer treks, even if you aren’t very “outdoorsy” by nature (like myself), you get to experience the most spectacular views, become friends with some amazing people and also help the wonderful Nepali people who live in the Himalayas. They are genuinely the most hospitable people I’ve ever come across while travelling and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it all again (and not eat chicken this time…)

Rory Dowdall - Queensland Optometrist