Trekking to Mt Everest Base Camp

Here at the FiftyUp Club we have a term we use called Disrupt Ageing. It’s from a book by the same name by US author Jo Ann Jenkins who challenges the most common stereotypes about ageing and living life to the fullest once you get past fifty. 

When we first discussed the term, we were interested in people who are not  “climbing Mt Everest” but just living their life with passion and purpose.

On our radio program we have spoken to many people who fall into this category including 79 year old Ian Braybrook who is following his passion of broadcasting his own radio show, Tony Carr who, at 74, runs kayaking adventures around the world and Suzi Dent who is off to Las Vegas in two weeks to represent Australia in a beauty pageant at 50!

This week we found out about 75 year old Jane Squirrell who is actually climbing Mt Everest! Well part of it anyway. Jane joined her son Mark (45) and her grandson Oscar (9) to walk for 12 days to the Mount Everest Base Camp.

Before you chuckle under your breath about Jane not summiting, remember Base Camp is more than 18,000ft above sea level. Trekking gets very difficult past 10,000ft where the air is much thinner.

Jane’s reason for agreeing to do the trek reflects her maternal instincts as a grandmum. Jane’s son Mark was summiting and he was after a back up plan if 9-year-old Oscar couldn’t make it. It was a no-brainer for Jane who said “who wouldn’t want to spend that time with their grandchildren?”

So off they went together, hiking 4-6 hours daily and sharing the narrow mountain-side track with yaks and donkeys.

Jane returned home to Arthur’s Creek in Victoria 3 weeks ago and you can hear her incredible story here.

We would love to celebrate others who are on their own journey through late adulthood and it doesn’t need to be as adventurous as Jane. If you’re having fun and living your dream, we want to share your story. kayley@fiftyupclub.com.au