Edita tells 15min that her trip from Switzerland to Nepal was long and included several connections.
“On my flight, I read Mark Horrell’s The Chomolungma Diaries on my ebook reader. I read it non-stop, in one 5-hour read. I couldn’t stop reading it and did not get any rest on the flight but it was worth it. It is very well written, easy read and gave me very useful information for my own safety and preparation. I would highly recommend it,” Edita reveals what helped her cope with the long flight.
Having checked in at “Courtyard” hotel and exchanged hellos with some of the staff whom she knew from previous trips, Edita met with several other members of her Everest team.
“There are a couple of people from Australia, the US and others coming soon,” Edita said.
She also met with Berta, a reporter for 15min who is herself traveling around the world. During dinner, Edita introduced the Lithuanian reporter to other team members.
15min will be reporting on Edita's expedition to Mount Everest. Berta's first-hand accounts on Edita's preparations in Katmandu are coming soon in both Lithuanian and English.
“I really want to thank those that donated to the Sahel Campaign in the last few days. I , and certainly those hungry people will appreciate it. We still have a long way to go though both in the expedition and the support needed,” Edita posted on her blog Wednesday night.
Climb dedicated to poor African region
Edita dedicates her ambitious quest to a campaign called “Everest for Sahel 2013”. She says she wants to draw attention to a serious food crisis that affects millions of families in the region and also collect some funds to help.
“When I was working in Niger, the media initially paid much attention to the food crisis. But later the interest abated. And people there are suffering not just famine. An armed conflict is currently raging in Mali,” she says.
Sahel is a zone in west Africa stretching across eight states. The food crises was triggered by crop failure in 2011 due to adverse natural conditions. As stocks went down, food prices spiraled up. Many families cannot afford it and risk starving to death.
Edita saw suffering people with her own eyes and resolved to try and help them – she thought she could draw attention to their problems and maybe even collect some money for relief. She says her life changed after seeing suffering people.
“To finance the Everest trip, I spend my own hard-earned money and borrowed funds. I finance all my expeditions myself. This trip, too, is entirely covered by my personal funds and those of my sponsors (this time, though, sponsors cover only 3 percent of the trip, - 15min). Meanwhile all the money donated or collected during the expedition, and intended for the people of Sahel, does not go to my own account but rather to one of the World Food Programme,” Edita points out.
International team
Edita, who is the only Lithuanian woman having conquered 8-kilometre peaks twice, will join an international ten-member team led by experienced climber Phil Crampton. Under his leadership, the Lithuanian climbed to Mount Manaslu (8,156 metres) last year. Crampton himself has already glanced down at the world from atop Mount Everest more than once.
“I chose the team because of the leader's experience. I like his style. We climb as an independent team of mountaineers. He is able to secure excellent service in the base camp, assemble a great team of Sherpa helpers,” Edita has said before.
Edita's team, consisting of climbers from Australia, Denmark, the US, Spain, and the UK, will include three women.
The climbers are meeting in Katmandu, Nepal, and will head towards the Chinese border this weekend. According to the plan, the expedition should take about two months. Weather conditions and other unforeseen factors can modify the initial schedule.
Exceptional year for Lithuanian mountain climbing
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first successful expedition to the top of Mount Everest. On 29 May 1953, humans set their foot on the world's highest peak for the first time. Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay climbed up its southern slope.
The year is special for Lithuanian mountaineers, too. Twenty years ago, on 10 May 1993, Vladas Vitkauskas became the first Lithuanian to make it to the top of Mount Everest. Moreover, the Lithuanian tricolour was the first of the three Baltic states to crown the Himalayan summit.
In all, four Lithuanians have so far made it to the top of Everest. These are Vladas Vitkauskas (in 1993), Saulius Vilius (2003), Aldas Baltutis (2007), and Darius Vaičiulis (2007).
In spring 2011, a woman climber from Lithuania, Aldona Skėraitytė, attempted to repeat their success. However, she fell ill at 7,000 metres and was forced to head back.
Edita has lived outside Lithuania for many years, but she always stresses she is Lithuanian. She is taking the Lithuanian tricolour, hoping to raise it above the roof of the world.
You can support Edita's Everest quest. To learn more about how you can contribute, press here.
To support Edita directly, press here.
