First Trek, general advice needed please

Hi there,

I am a 44 year old, reasonably fit male and am looking to accompany a mate who has always dreamt of treking to Everest Base Camp.

My concern is what level of fitness I need and what things I need to know about as I have never treked or even walked further than the shops ;-)

My fitness comes from martial arts and a little running (only 2 mile sessions).

So... how fit do i need to be? and what do I need to think about?

The trip we are looking at is

DAY 1 Join Kathmandu

DAYS 2/3 Fly to Lukla, commence trek through Sherpa villages

DAYS 4/5 Arrive Namche Bazaar, rest and acclimatise

DAY 6 Trek to Thyangboche Monastery

DAYS 7/8 Ascend to Ama Dablam Base Camp with views of Everest (8848m)

DAYS 9/10 Trek to Khunde and Khumjung, visit Himalayan Trust projects

DAYS 11/12 Return trek to Lukla

DAY 13 Fly Lukla to Kathmandu

DAY 14 In Kathmandu, sightseeing Kathmandu Valley

DAY 15 In Kathmandu, trip concludes.

Many thanks for any help

First Trek, general advice needed please

You sound like you%26#39;re already reasonably fit so i wouldn%26#39;t be too concerned. To make the trek more enjoyable, I might suggest stair climbing, cycling or just going for long walks with a pack on your back. One tip I might give is with regards to the long climb just before reaching Namche. It tends to get very dusty along the climb so wear a bandana around your mouth and nose or even one of those cheap respirator masks. A lot of people develop coughs due to the dust which can be very persistent once you get into the dry air at altitude. It can make your trip really unpleasant. One other point regarding the route. While it is certainly spectacular and worthwhile if you only have 15 days to spend, I would consider trekking higher up, to Gorak Shep and Kala Pattar or to Gokyo lake. These would require an extra week or so, so if you have the time available don%26#39;t sell yourself short.