Toddler from Bhopal becomes youngest girl in her age group to complete Mt Everest Base Camp trek

PTI, Mar 26, 2024, 8:15 PM IST

Bhopal: Siddhi Mishra, aged two-and-a-half-years who hails from Bhopal, has become the youngest girl in her age category to complete the Mt Everest Base Camp trek, as per a statement issued on Tuesday.

Siddhi, along with her parents Bhavna Dehariya and Mahim Mishra, completed the Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek on March 22, as per a certificate issued by Expedition Himalaya.Com Pvt Ltd.

Notably, Siddhi’s mother had scaled the world’s highest mountain peak on May 22, 2019.

The toddler and her parents set out on the expedition on March 12 via Lukla in Nepal and completed the EBC trek after ten days, said Nabin Trital, managing director of the expedition company.

“Siddhi became the first child aged two-and-a-half years to complete the Everest Base Camp Trek with Expedition Himalaya,” the statement said.

Everest Base Camp (EBC) is situated 5,364 metres above sea level.

Bhavna Dehariya said reaching EBC is not an easy task.

Bhavna, who hails from Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh, started scaling hills around her village Tamia since childhood and developed a passion for scaling peaks all over the globe.

“The Everest Base Camp is not as easy as it seems but Ginni (Siddhi) managed it really well and showcased complete passion for reaching the destination despite adverse weather conditions,” Bhavna told PTI over the phone after reaching Kathmandu from EBC.

She said one of the most surprising elements at the base camp is the new landmark–a signboard welcoming visitors which featured the images of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. It is a graffiti-covered boulder that for years symbolised the official arrival at the base camp.

Standing against the backdrop of the landmark, Bhavna held the banner of Madhya Pradesh Government’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign, while Siddhi displayed the National flag.

“Earlier, there was only a big rock with red letters mentioning ‘Everest Base Camp 5364 M,” Bhavna added.