Our average hike each day was about 9 miles climbing up and down thousands of steps and rocky ancient trails, some which are thousands of years old.

We traveled on the average of 1,000 feet up from the beginning of the day to the end, with many ups and downs.

Of course one of the greatest thrills and emotional moments for me was finally reaching ABC. I was so thankful that I actually made it. I was told that I was one of the oldest people that have ever done this. This made the experience even more rewarding. We passed younger people half my age that could not do it. We were also thankful that neither John nor I got sick from what we ate, the water we drank nor the altitude.

After getting settled at the camp I took a long look at the spectacular scene that was surrounding me and recited the "She-he-chi-ya-nu," the Jewish prayer expressing thankfulness for experiencing a momentous occasion.

I am also very thankful my to doctors, Michael Braun, my Cardiologist, Michael Gilinsky, my GP and Drs. Naaman Abdullah and David Galbut, my surgeons, for without them, not only would I not be able to do this trek, but I probably would not even be here.

ABC is situated in a bowl surrounded by Annapurna South, Fishtail, and Annapurna 1 as well as other mountains that are the highest in the world. The view is not to be believed and changes constantly as clouds roll over the tops of the mountains and gradually drop into base camp. This forms a surrealistic experience as the mist one moment completely obscures the view of the mountains and then breaks to reveal a stunning view of sparkling sun reflecting glaciered peaks.