A humble and courageous personal trainer native to our scattered island nation, Muna has dared to summit Mount Lobuche of the Himalayas; becoming the first Maldivian woman to have trekked this high in history.
The conditions one faces while trekking the Himalayan mountain range are intimidating; and keeps getting harsher as they ascend – marked by inclement weather conditions and diminishing oxygen levels.
Fathimath Muna Hussein has accomplished what would otherwise be an unimaginable feat from a Maldivian – living in one of the flattest countries on Earth.
“I believe that any Maldivian woman can do what I have done, it is possible!” Muna confidently maintains “I had a tough time because my body was going through a lot of changes and I lost my appetite as we kept ascending – that was the most challenging part”
Muna’s day job as a personal trainer at Heat Health & Fitness requires her to be constantly active, but she recalls her summit to Lobuche as one of the most physically and mentally grueling experiences, she has ever had. Although she has had some experience climbing and trekking before (having climbed Adam’s peak and World’s End, namely) – nothing compared to what she faced at Lobuche. At 6,119 meters above sea level, Mount Lobuche, to the eastern Himalayas of Nepal, is also the second base camp to the highest peak of the world, Mount Everest.
Her mountain adventure began from the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu where she stocked on gear needed for the venture. Muna reflects on the moment she nervously embarked a flight to the infamously dangerous Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla – the gateway to Mount Everest. The airport’s small landing strip is perched on a steep cliff and they have no radar system. The erratic weather and outdated communication systems have caused deadly crashes for years.
From Lukla the route to the mountain’s summit takes around three weeks, making for a daily climb and trekking time of seven or eight hours. As they ascend oxygen levels drop to just forty percent, with numb fingers and toes to weave through uneven mountain surfaces, the climbers caress slippery slopes whilst carrying heavy backpacks.
The now highly commercialized route to Mount Everest has not only accumulated much waste over the years, it has also become a graveyard of frozen corpses. Many have perished en route since the first ascent in 1953. The risky nature of this feat did not deter Muna; in fact, having not read much prior to her venture, she had to put a great amount of trust in herself and her highly experienced co-trekkers from DhiExplorer – Inthi, Zaeem, Ushafath, and their local guide Ang. She learned a lot about mountaineering from them.
As the only Maldivians to have ascended such an altitude, the four quickly became like family – looking out for each other while they made their way on the icy Lobuche.
“They would constantly ask me if I was drinking enough water”, says Muna. Trekkers must drink at least four liters to stay hydrated in the cold and dry conditions.
“Zaimbe, Usha and Inthi took care of me when I fell sick. I was not eating well because of the altitude changes. And because it’s important to eat a good amount of carbs before trekking, they would encourage me to have my food. They would try to make the meal times enjoyable and would sit together telling jokes and sharing stories for hours. They were like brothers to me and I would not have made the summit if it was not for them” Muna added as she began to tear recalling the experience.
Albeit the exhaustion caused by changes in oxygen levels and the continuous trekking; the grim ordeal was smoothened by the scenery.
“I love to travel and explore. Even though we would trek for hours every day, it never seemed like it took as long because I loved the picturesque view of flowing rivers and yaks passing by”
To complete such a physically and mentally strenuous task, Muna – with her background in fitness – suggests that anyone who intends on taking this challenge must take at least six months of physical training.
“The back and legs must be strong”, says Muna. “You have to do a lot of running, sprinting. And not just light jogging. I was doing a lot of workouts that focused on strengthening the back and even trained with a 10kg backpack”, she added.
According to Muna going up the mountain for thirty minutes was tougher than running ten to twelve consecutive rounds around Malé.
“We reached the peak of Mount Lobuche by morning. We were relieved, happy, with a myriad of different emotions. But what I did not expect was the amount of energy it required to descend from the peak, it was intense. We had to be extra cautious because the ice had already started to melt since it was getting warmer”, she recalled.
Muna then added, “This was an extremely challenging task and I am very thankful to those who have been supportive throughout – the Heat management, my family, friends; Shaphy, Moonty, Shiya and two of my very closest Kanbo and Saji. I was away for a month yet my clients were very understanding and would check up on me via texts or calls. And last but certainly not the least! The DhiExplorers team; Zaimbe, Inthi and Usha and guide Ang – without whom I would not have been able to complete this challenge!”
She remembers being active as a child, having had a natural inclination for climbing. She would climb the roof of her home and trees in the neighborhood she grew up in.
“I have always wanted to climb Mount Everest. When I was younger, I used to wonder what it would be like to be a mountaineer making her way up the Everest”
A childhood dream came true for this daring trainer.
“I would love to climb the peak of Everest too one day. It will be risky but I will try to get there”
