Indore's father-son duo successfully conquers Mt. Everest trek up till Kalapather

After preparing for one long year, Aditya and his son Avnish have finally wrapped an adventure of a lifetime. The duo started their trek from Lukla on April 14 and reached Kalapather on April 22 which is 5500 metres above sea level. Kalapather gives you a mesmerising view of the Mt Everest peak and as one would expect, Aditya describes their experiences to be adventurous and exhilarating.

As earlier decided, Aditya and Avnish were supposed to trek to the Mt. Everest South Base Camp (5364 mt), however, they decided to extend their trek to the Kalapather which is at an altitude of 5500 mt above sea level. On being asked about the challenges they faced during their trek, Aditya said, “the weather was clear and the sun was shining upon us. There were no clouds or rain to cause any problems along the way."

He also shared that his son Avnish, who is a 7 year old and with Down’s Syndrome, was extremely excited and happy to be a part of this adventure. Both of them felt immensely happy to experience the Himalayas up close.

“The amount of time we spent preparing for the trek physically and mentally proved to be fruitful. It is obvious that physical strength is of primary importance for an adventure like this but it is more of a mental challenge. I made it a point that Avnish is mentally prepared for this feat. We went through the dos and don’ts thoroughly. Needless to say, we were prepared and ready to take on challenges head first”, said Aditya.

Apart from being physically and mentally prepared for the trek, they were also backed by medical support. In addition to carrying 70 kgs of luggage, they also had to carry medicines and oxygen cylinders weighing around 10 kgs. However, as per Aditya, no medical emergencies came up during the trek, since the conditions were favourable all along. They also had their insurances, logistics, and other formalities readied beforehand.

The father-son duo who just returned back from their enthraling trek to Kalapather will continue going on treks in the months and years to come.

As of now, Aditya is working towards filing the paperwork with different world record agencies, since Avnish is the first specially-abled kid of his age to achieve such a feat. With an aim to make people aware and sensible about the challenges and ways of dealing with kids with Down's Syndrome, Aditya also plans to make a documentary film about their adventures. The short film will focus on educating parents and other caretakers of specially-abled children.

Trekking adventures with Avnish is Aditya’s way of enforcing that children with disabilities can be encouraged to pursue their dreams and interests with the right efforts. With this, he also believes that people’s perception of disabled children and their abilities will change for good.