Saltcoats IMC Project team make it to Everest base camp

Young trio of Devin Cameron, 21, Ross McKinnon, also 21, and 14-year-old Marley Johnson joined Jim Montgomerie, chairman of the IMC Project gym in Saltcoats, on the trip to Asia, with the aim of making it to Everest's base camp.

The base camp lies some 5,364 metres up the mountain - a fair trek from the summit, 8,849 metres high, but still a hugely challenging mission in itself.

Jim and the three youngsters have been organising a host of fund-raising events since 2021 to meet the cost of the epic adventure.

When the youngsters flew out to Asia last month, they knew what lay ahead would truly be a trip of a lifetime...though they may not have realised how close the group of four would come to returning home as a trio.

The group, who were joined by groups of English and American trekkers, including a medic and a Marine, began their journey on March 14, when they flew out to Nepal, before a second flight towards Everest and the start of their trek two days later.

The first stages took the team to Phakding and Namche Bazaar and across the Hillary Suspension Bridge.

The IMC group continued onwards to the Everest View Hotel and completed training sessions along the way as they got to grips with the altitude.

Our boys running at 15,000 ft in the Everest Region Nepal @RunningKilt @WhiteRibbonScot pic.twitter.com/U0XPb0QlZh

— The IMC Project (@IMCProject) March 21, 2024

Treks through Tengboche, Dingboche and Lobuche, amongst other places, followed before the ultimate goal of reaching base camp was achieved on March 23.

It was an outstanding achievement for Devin, Ross and Marley - thanks in part to the expert guidance provided by Jim, who climbed as high as Everest's 'death zone' in 2018.

Jim said: “There were a lot of other groups there, but not many made them to base camp.

“I’m not sure whether it was weather conditions or exhaustion, because you’re just running on empty.

“It was a great trip, but it was absolutely brutal. We all struggled in our group, but the young team loved it."

The group then made their way back to Gorak Shep on their descent - but despite going down rather than up, the challenges facing them were far from over.

“It was a fight to get back there," Jim said.

"If you said to us you had another two hours to go, mentally, we couldn’t have done that.

“When we got back that’s when you started to see everyone on a downer – sleeping, sore and not wanting to go anywhere.”

The group then went to bed, before the trip very nearly took a sinister turn - for Devin in particular.

Jim explained: "For every five breaths he was taking, he was coughing half a dozen times.

“He was sleeping with his T-shirt on, which was ringing alarm bells.

“At 4am he was still the same. I got him out his bed, dressed and got him downstairs.

“The only reason I knew do to that is because when I was up the mountain in 2018 I saw people showing the same symptoms as Dev.”

After discussions with the group's Sherpa, and with the medic from the US, Devin's oxygen saturation levels were taken - and it was discovered they'd dropped from the high 80s to only 34.

“I was looking at him and he looked like death." Jim added. 

"Every person in the room could see it.

“He was talking nonsense. It was like a baby talking. He was white and grey.

“The medic told me to demand oxygen, which we got from the Sherpa, then his oxygen sats went back up to 75 within minutes.

“He was getting more chatty, he was on his phone, I was starting to see signs he was getting better.

"Then they said they were going to chopper him off the mountain.”

Our boy Devin had a rough night after reaching Everest BaseCamp. During the night his sats fell to 34 and the quick reaction of our chairman @RunningKilt more than likely saved his life.He is in Kathmandu Hospital and has made a full recovery.Go Dev pic.twitter.com/GBeJxCzvri

— The IMC Project (@IMCProject) March 24, 2024

Group leader Jim was then left facing a quandary after he was asked to leave the mountain along with Devin.

That would mean leaving 14-year-old Marley with Ross, alongside the remaining members of the group outwith the IMC Project team.

Jim continued: “I knew Ross would look after Marley and he did an impeccable job after we left.

“I also knew the two English boys, and the American group were there, who we got friendly with.

"They really knew what they were talking about.

“I felt 100 per cent safe and secure to leave them on the mountain and get the chopper down with Dev.

“Once I get down I was in continual contact with Ross and Marley and it worked out all right.”

It proved to be a decision worth making when Devin and Jim arrived at hospital.

He explained: “We got into hospital and the doctor asked 'what made you move him?'.

"I explained I had seen people like that in 2018.

“He told me that if we hadn't moved him, in another hour or two the outcome could have been totally different.

"Dev spent two nights in the hospital and made a full recovery, I couldn’t believe it.

“The hard thing was seeing Dev like that, because you don’t want to go out with four and come back with three.

“I don’t think Dev will ever truly understand how close to death he was. Everybody could see it bar him."

Jim added: “Anything can happen, I can’t put into words how quickly life can change up there.

“People may read this and think 'it can’t be that bad', but that’s exactly what it’s like.

“He made a full recovery and by the grace of God he’s all right.”

Ross and Marley were later airlifted off the mountain too due to mounting concern over weather conditions and the risk the local group could have missed connecting flights to get them home.

And with everyone now back home safe and sound, Jim says he has no doubt that the memories made on the trip will live with everyone involved for the rest of their lives.

"It’s made them a lot more humble," he said. 

"They got an almighty shock – it all quite easily could have been different.

“It was absolutely a trip of a lifetime – they will never experience anything like that in their lives again, and neither will I.

“I can’t put into words what the three boys were like. For Dev, for all he went through, he did brilliantly to handle it all.

“For Ross, having that responsibility to look after a boy of 14 when really it should be me – he really stood up and I knew he would.

"For Marley, for someone at 14 to do what he did was frightening. He stood up and was unbelievable.

“I’m proud of them all in different ways.”

Jim also singled out KA Leisure for their support and made sure to mention White Ribbon Scotland and Veterans First Point who were the group's two chosen charities for the trip.

He also thanked all others who made the journey possible.

Jim added: “From 2021 we’ve been fund-raising and every time I fund-raise in this town everybody is so generous and kind.

“I can’t thank those people enough.”