‘It was life altering’ Abilene couple returns from Mt. Everest base camp trek

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Have you ever heard a nice Texas ‘Howdy’ as it echoes through the Himalayas? We may be unable to confirm that this exact word was shouted among the mountain range. Still, the simple fact that a few Abilenians were there walking the footpaths means the likelihood of that happening is higher than average.

Abilene pediatrician, Jami Adams, M.D., her husband Scot Miller, and Scott’s sister and her husband recently returned from a trip to Nepal where they took on an 8-day 40-mile trek from Lukla airport to the Mt. Everest base camp.

“People ask, ‘Did you have fun on your vacation?’ Well, I mean, I guess you could say fun. But it was an adventure, you know? It was life-altering,” said Adams.

The two had been discussing the possibility of this trip for over a year. This journey was a birthday gift for Adams, who has been fascinated with Mt. Everest ever since she first read “Into Thin Air.” They departed for Kathmandu on May 5, and on May 9, they took a helicopter to the airport in Lukla, Nepal, where their trek began.

“The mountains were just gorgeous. We had never been to Asia before. And it might sound a little crazy, but it really was a profound experience,” Miller said.

As they recounted their way up the trail, Miller and Adams said that they were struck not only by the beauty of their natural surroundings but also by the stark contrast in life and culture for the Nepali people.

“As you go up the mountain, the path was pretty well worn. But everything that you see up there has been brought up there on the back of a man or a pack animal, like a mule… As we were struggling our way up, they were climbing up, carrying — sometimes it looked like hundreds of pounds of supplies on their back. And if it goes up and it’s garbage, then it has to be packed back down,” said Adams.

The first major stop of the trip was the Hotel Everest View. Miller said the accommodations there were akin to a resort getaway. However, they say the real work began to set in during the second half of the trek.

“On day four, I got very sick…So there was a lot of discussion about what was going to happen to me,” Adams shared.

Due to the thin air, Adams began to feel the effects of Altitude sickness. At one point, her oxygen level read as 48. After resting and taking medication, she opted to continue the final leg of the trek on horseback. Miller continued on foot later, having his own encounter with an animal, as the couple shared.

“Everything goes up either on the back of a human or a pack animal. They are also going across those suspension bridges,” said Adams.

At one specific crossing, Miller found himself stranded in the middle of a suspension bridge just as the caravan of pack animals was preparing to cross. The guide instructed the group to vacate the bridge before the mules began to cross, but Miller was unable to reach the land in time.

“So Scot is up against the side of the bridge as this mule is stampeding towards him,” Adams said.

“I thought the Mule was gonna try to toss me over. Fortunately, he didn’t,” Laughed Miller.

Despite the challenges they faced, the couple considers the trip a significant life achievement. However, some of their fellow trekkers may not view it as such.

“People would walk by us and say ‘oh you’re such an inspiration to us’ And I was like. Hey, we’re not that old!” Adams said.

“People would walk by us and say, ‘Oh, you’re such an inspiration to us.’ And I was like, ‘Hey, we’re not that old!'” Adams said.

As they arrived at base camp, Adams mentioned that the clouds briefly cleared, allowing them to catch a glimpse of the mountain’s peak. By the end of their trek, they had ascended more than 8,000 feet, reaching an elevation of 16,863.5 feet. For reference, this is approximately 5,364 feet higher than the elevation of Abilene.