4:30 AM leave to the airport in Kathmandu for a light aircraft flight to Lukla airport which is apparently the most dangerous airport in the world. Met Ange who is my guide for the trek and he has twice summited Everest. We did a treck for around 5 hours up to the first night lodge where we're going to stay. Ange just told me that many people have been ill this season have been unable to summit, not exactly what I want to hear on day one! Saw 2 monkeys on the way up which are apparently very rare so I took it as a good sign.

Slept well and felt fresh although it was very cold in the night. 6:30 breakfast and leave and was only a 3 1/2 hour trek today up to 3,400 metres and in truth it was very easy. Highlight of the day for sure was getting the first sight of Mount Everest which was incredibly special a moment on this journey. Hotel had a warm shower which was very nice. Spoke to the guide about seeing if we can do this trip a little quicker as it's only him and I and he seemed up for it although a little nervous that the altitude may hit me whereas I was a little more confident on that. Managed to get a video call back home Zoe and Sebastian which is always a bonus when you're away. 

630 breakfast and 7:15 leave as we climbed higher today on a trek and randomly a dog followed us for the first hour or so which was good company. What is a better day today as it felt like the trek was actually a little harder, we did 600 metre climb after lunch in an hour to take us up to 3,900 metres where we stayed the night. My room in the lodge had a stunning view of Everest and Lhotse. Feeling strong although had a little niggling cold and it's been very cold in the rooms at night so staying warm through the night has been quite difficult. I've been trying to show the guide im strong so that we can lose some days and do this quicker than previously planned.

Didn't sleep great as it was so cold in the room so my colds got a little bit worse. Hike was easy today although I didn't feel the most energetic after a poor nights sleep and I had a little headache as I got to the lodge but it soon went in the afternoon. Staying at 4,350 metres tonight and have a great view of Island Peak. It looks a little daunting from this far but I am excited for it. Hoping I sleep better tonight as tomorrow we're doing a climb up to 5,100 metres so want to feel fresh for it and show the guide that I'm strong. My eating and drinking has been very good and I've been looking forward to every meal.

Did an acclimatisation hike up to 5,100 metres today I felt good and was comfortable enough. The views from this part of the trip are absolutely stunning as is the weather.

Goodnight sleep and we walked up to 4,700 metres today where we will stay the night. After lunch we did an acclimatisation walk up to 5,560 metres which was good fun as it was a slog and we did it in a good pace and felt really strong. I think the guide enjoyed that we got a march on and did this in good time as I get the feeling he sometimes gets a little bit bored on some hikes when they’re super slow. Move into base camp tomorrow so it's important I get a good night's sleep tonight as I won't sleep much tomorrow.

1:30 AM wake up after little to no sleep and a 2:20 AM leave. The sky is clear and it looks stunning and there's not too much wind which is nice although a little bit cold. First three hours was a slog uphill to crampon point. This is where we caught the Iranian guys who'd set off at midnight. The next two hours once our crampons were on were long but enjoyable especially as the sun was coming up then we got an appreciation of the magnitude of what we're trying to achieve now and also in the future. The last 300 metres was tough an certainly the hardest I've done so far in terms of technical and really feeling the lack of oxygen in the air. We sumitted 7:30 AM so just over 5 hours, which is a decent time apparently. Views at the top were amazing and I felt very lucky to be stood there but also for the first time it felt there had been a real challenge which is great! After a few photos and a little bit of time at the top we then headed on down and past the group that we've passed and had to do some abseiling which was great. We got down to base camp in just over 2 hours packed up our stuff and then headed down do one of the villages. When we got down to one of the villages the guide informed me that it is the first time in the 200 plus times that he'd sumitted that anyone had been able to summit and return to the second village and not just stay at the base camp because they're too tired so that was nice to hear. I recovered very quickly and felt strong and to be honest probably could have carried on going down. Plan is to make our way down in two days now as opposed to the normal 4 which is great.

Felt good after a night's sleep and some food, and we started the long trek back down to Lukla to catch a flight to Kathmandu. It's been a great trip and I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot and it was nice to have a physical challenge as well on the summit night. Been great to experience Nepal for the first time and their culture and the people and I've learned a lot which will put me in good stead for future challenges within this region. Ange the guide was top class from start to finish and all the people I encountered in their huts are amazing people who care deeply about their country. I look forward to the next adventure!