Grihitha The Great!

8-year-old from Rutu Enclave completes summit to Mt. Everest Base Camp on Oct 28

Grihitha Vichare created history on October 28 by becoming the youngest female in Mumbai to climb the world’s highest Mount Everest Base Camp. The student of Saraswati Vidyalaya Ghodbunder and resident of Rutu Enclave was accompanied by her father, Sachin Vichare, who also completed the expedition, and her elder sister, Harita, 14, who could only reach Tengboche Point at 3860 meters.

Through sheer willpower, Grihitha successfully scaled the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest Base Camp, which is 5864 meters above sea level. The trio faced adverse conditions such as sub-zero temperatures, freezing winds, freezing water, declining oxygen levels, and challenging climate changes. But they continued to climb with the ambition of reaching the desired destination.

The trek is of 13 days and starts from Kathmandu (1400m from sea level). The trekkers then travel to Ramechap airport by road, which is a four-hour drive. From Ramechap, they board the flight to Lukla (2843m from sea level). The actual trek/walk is 148 kilometers upwards and starts from Lukla to Phakding (2610m) to Namche Bazaar (3440m) to Tengboche (3860m) to Dingboche (4410m) to Lobuche (4910m) to Gorakshep (5140m) to Kalapathar (5550m), and finally to Everest Base Camp (5364 meters).

Before scaling Mount Everest Base Camp, Grihitha completed the trek and climb of Shree Malang Gad fort (3200 feet), Alang Fort (4500 feet.), Madan Fort (4900 feet), Kulang Fort (4825 feet), Karnala Fort (1440 feet), Bhimashankar Jungle trek (Shidhi ghat), Harihar Fort (3676 feet), Irshalgad (3700 feet), Dhak Bahiri jungle trek, Aadrai jungle trek, Sandhan Valley trek etc. She has also completed the trek to the highest peak of Maharashtra, Kalsubai Peak, located at 5400 feet above sea level in Nashik district.