After 10 days of climbing, 17-year-old local Crohn's Disease sufferer Clinton Shard made it to the bottom of the top of the world - Mount Everest base camp.
Shard set out on Thursday April 1 along with IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) Adventures to raise funds and awareness for the Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society (IDEAS).
The Howe Sound Secondary School student said the trek up to the base camp at an altitude of 17,500 feet wasn't too difficult since he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last August.
"The trek was very amazing, being able to see all the monasteries, the people, the villages. It was really a culture shock. The trek itself was not too overly difficult, as I have had experience with Kilimanjaro," he stated in an email to The Chief.
Shard said he was pretty tired once he reached the base camp because the team had set out before dawn to watch the sun rise over Kala Pathar, a 400-metre hill that apparently offers one the best view of Mount Everest.
"It felt great to finally be there and take in the whole atmosphere. It was the highest I had ever slept. I was feeling the altitude in a breathing sense."
Shard spent a day and a half at the base camp before returning back down the mountain while a few other more seasoned trekkers, including North Vancouver's Rob Hill, continued on.
"This experience was completely different than Kilimanjaro. Kili was quick, up and down," Shard wrote in his online blog. "With this trek, we had a lot of time to spend getting to know each other. Being able to stay at our summit for 36 hours allowed us to realize our accomplishment and soak in the experience."
Despite some mild altitude sickness, a bout of food poisoning and the Iceland ash cloud delaying his flight home, Shard said he's pleased with the trek.
"Having had altitude experience on Kilimanjaro before [at 19, 340 feet], I felt confident I would do okay under the circumstances."
Upon arriving to the camp, Shard and fellow IBD sufferer Carly Lindsay posed for photos at Kala Pathar. Shard wore the Olympic insignia mittens that mom Wendy wore to carry the torch through town a week before the Games.
"I was quite teary-eyed at the airport and then I said 'You guys got to do me one favour - put the mitts on and wave to me at the summit.' So when I saw that, it was really cool because they did that for me," said Wendy.
Wendy said she's very proud of her son and all of his accomplishments.
"It's exciting and I'm really happy for him because it was looking like everything was getting taken away from him when he was sick. We would never had imagined this was where he would be and what he's doing so for me I think I'm exciting."
The U-17 rep team soccer player said he hopes to show people IBD doesn't have to stop you from living your dreams.
"Like on Kilimanjaro, I learned that IBD doesn't stop me. I want to also show other kids struggling with IBD or any illness that they can accomplish their dreams too, not matter what they are."
He even took homework up to the base camp with him, so he didn't have too much schoolwork to catch up on.
Shard said being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease five years ago actually changed his life for the better.
"In the beginning, when I was diagnosed, I had to stop all the things I loved to do, like biking, running, soccer, hiking, climbing, and even hanging out with friends. Now that I am well, I know that I wouldn't be partaking in these amazing experiences if I wasn't diagnosed with Crohn's disease. It has changed my life for the better."
Since his return to 麻豆社国产on Thursday (April 22), Shard said he plans to continue working with IDEAS to raise awareness about IBD and spend his free time giving a series of talks, which he "loves to do."
For more information on Shard's trek or to donate to IDEAS visit nogutsknowglory.com.
