BENGALURU : This mother and son duo from Bengaluru have showed that it with sheer determination and consistent practice, even Mt Everest can be scaled with ease. The 42-year-old Neelam Goyal and her son Kanha Aboti (11), walked 12 km and climbed 12 storey buildings everyday for the last four years, to build their stamina to climb to the Everest Base Camp at a height of 5,364 metres.
Kanha is one of the youngest boys to climb the base camp. He was also awarded the CM Dasara Camp gold medal for karate in 2023.
“I had a lumbar slip disc just before the first Covid wave in February 2020. After that, the doctor advised me to go slow when taking up a physical activity. My son and I always wanted to climb the Everest. So we started working together. We would walk, and climb stairs everyday to build our physical strength. We even trekked the Kumara Parvatha and Tadiandamol in Karnataka, and other hills in Dehradun, to build our endurance for the Everest Base Camp,” said Neelam.
The mother and son proved that trekking is no longer an adventure sport for solo trekkers or only for the youth. It can also be a family-bonding sport.
Introducing children to the mountains and nature at an early age is beneficial for their physical health, character building, and personal growth, said Naveen Mallesh, Founder and CEO, TrekNomads.
“Trekking gave us joy, and we bonded on a completely different level. Our daily walking helped us complete the base camp expedition. Next, we would want to scale up the mountain itself,” Neelam said.
They were a part of a group of eight who went on a trek to the Himalayan base camp from April 21 to May 7.