61-year-old woman to celebrate retirement with hike to Mount Everest base camp

A woman from Paradise Village, near Richer, is using her retirement time to cross off big adventures from her bucket list. 

These adventures include a lot of physical training as well as breathtaking scenery. 

Rhonda Leochko is getting ready to hike to the base camp at Mount Everest. Her previous adventures have proven her strength and determination. 

“I wanted to be in a triathlon and I kind of dived in deep and did Iron Man twice,” she says. “I had to learn how to swim, had to learn how to actually shift gears on a bike, and I did it in Penticton, which is all mountains which we don't have here, right? So, after that, I guess that there's no hiking involved there at all; swim, bike, run, and then I went and did the northern route of the Camino.”

Rhonda Leochko with her co-worker Julie at the end of the Camino trail. "Santiago is where the tomb of St. James is... the whole point of the walk,” says Leochko. (Photo submitted)

It was in 2019 that Leochko hiked the Camino de Santiago, a physically demanding trek. 

“When I did Spain, that was the most I ever hiked, I guess if you want to call it hiking because it is the second most mountainous country in the world, which I didn't know till after,” Leochko says. “I mean, we did choose the hardest route to do because of the mountains, but it was breathtakingly beautiful. We walked 800 kilometers in 30 days.” 

She got to see the site where they filmed Game of Thrones. 

“That was super, super cool,” Leochko adds. 

This upcoming hike will be a challenge with the terrain as well as the altitude. 

“I think it's about 90 miles in total,” she says. “And we're going to Everest Basecamp first, and then we're going to Goyko Lake, which is the highest freshwater lake in the world. Then we're coming back down.” 

The highest elevation will be 18,200 ft (5,500 metres) at Kala Patthar, where the ascent is very popular because it offers the most accessible close-up view of Everest. 

 How does one go about training for such a hike while living on the Prairies? 

Leochko is getting some help from a couple of different trainers and using Abe’s Hill in Steinbach as well as the incline on her treadmill. She is also accessing the stairs at the Steinbach Fire Hall. 

With the significant change in altitude, she is also working on breathing techniques. 

It seems that aspect of the trip might be her biggest concern. 

“I don't like the feeling of losing my breath,” she says. 

How confident is Leochko that she will be able to handle this part of the trek? 

“I have a really strong mind and I'm hoping that will pull me through.” 

Leochko has until September 30th to get ready to face this 14-day journey. And when this is completed, she has plans to prepare for another big adventure. There are many options for her to pick. 

“I’ve seen two of the three biggest waterfalls in the world, so I have to see the third one,” she says. “That’s in Brazil.” 

The Kumano Kodo is also high on her list. It’s a pilgrimage route on one of Japan’s largest islands, the Kili Peninsula. 

She says that when the time comes for her to sit on a rocking chair instead of being active, there will be many great memories and no regrets.

-With files from Carly Koop