Meet the 2017 Hike Nepal Team: Jen Buick

Jen has been on most of our gym trips, but she wanted to come back to Nepal because she had such a great time at Annapurna, and Binod and the Hike Nepal team where so good. She has enjoyed all of the Into you adventures, with the standout being the Samoan and New Zealand trips. She commented here “Clare is such a genuine and straight forward person.. what you see is what you get and that suits me fine.” For Jen it is a win-win, she gets to participate in all these amazing and varied adventures, without any of the rigmarole of actually organising one! “So easy just to turn up at the airport and the whole thing is organised.”

Never one to say “no”, Jen braved the ice-cold river on the Annapurna Base Camp trek

Jen is actually looking forward to the toughness of the trek: “When the going gets tough I’ll probably have a pity party for one! Then wash my face suck it up and keep on going! I am one of the luckiest people on the planet doing what I love, living on the Beaches in good health. I need a bit of tough that’s what I’m paying for.” While she appreciate’s Clare’s straight-forwardness, we appreciate hers! She is very realistic, grounded, and matter-of-fact; a great combination when the going gets tough.

These swinging bridges will be terrifying for some, but not Amazing Jen!

On this, Jen will assist other members of our team that are struggling by telling them to breathe! Jen is a yoga and mediation instructor, a massage therapist, and business owner. She is well qualified to coach someone to breath, and says “the power of the breath is awesome, how we breathe  affects our whole nervous system its the only reflex that we can control we can infact ‘trick’ ourselves that everything is ok by changing our breath. If you learn to breath properly we can learn to ‘respond’ rather than ‘react’…..I try to  breathe deeply and slowly and this also helps to focus energy it keeps your power close to your chest to energise yourself, if you puff and blow and complain failing is only moments away as power is lost. This is a soap box topic for me I could bang on all day change your breath change your life!!” If you want to talk to Jen more on this (she is also offering a discount on her massage for our Hikers), you can contact her here.

Jen adopted the nickname “Amazing Jen” in 2016, when she had one of the lightest bags in the group, but kept pulling amazing items from it (her “Mary Poppins” bag) including essential oils to re-energise and re-invigorate our team!

Jen forsee’s her biggest challenge being adequate nutrition, specifically having enough protein to properly repair and re-energising during the night. She says “I need to eat the dahl and rice but sometimes I am too tired at night to eat, and the food that appeals and is familiar are the potato-based dishes and that’s not going to do it. there is no meat and few eggs. I am looking at alternatives and will probably take protein powder.”

The thing that Jen is looking forward to the most is spending time with the group. She love’s the “Women Energy“; “the collective the caring and sharing the humour and silliness. Love it!”

Jen’s mantra is “I can I will I can I will“, and she knows that some days she will say it a thousand times!

Another river crossing on the Annapurna Base Camp Trek in 2016

Do it she will, and next is a Mountaineering course in New Zealand, and then Aconcaqua (the highest peak outside Asia, in Argentina 6962m)! Jen has a full itinerary of adventures up her sleeve, and has been inspiring us on our Adventures group with more!

Appreciating the scenery on ABC. For Jen, the journey is the best part.

For Jen, the most important thing in this particular trip is “the spirituality, the accomplishment, making new friendships, the fitness journey….The complete rest! I know most people don’t think my adventures are restful but for me they are. Not having to think but just to walk and eat and sleep i find extremely re-energising. Put me in a resort and I’m stressed with what to do. Out in the mountains life is simple you walk you eat you have friends around you and you sleep. ” Because of this attitude; “if i don’t make it to Base Camp, [it’s] no biggy, I will enjoy the scenery, the company, the simplicity. I can’t fail. and, it’s a good excuse to come back!”

We love having Jen on our adventures! You can read more on Jen and her experiences with us here and here.