Glend Lumbao on EBC and Lobuche

What EBC and Lobuche Peak Taught Glend Lumbao

^{Our Associate Editor Tash de Castro sits down with adventurer and artist Glend Lumbao to unpack what 18 days in the Himalayas — from Everest Base Camp to Lobuche Peak — really taught him about endurance, fear, and showing up anyway.}

I met Glend at Manila Illustration Fair (MIF) in 2023. When I went to Glend’s booth, he had art pieces that reflected the world he explored as well as some inside jokes on his stickers, “Sabi mo banayad,” which stems from his many years of hiking. 

Since following Glend (@glendlumbao) on Instagram, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing his many adventures in art and the outdoors through his lens. 

This year, Glend and his hiking group went on an 18-day odyssey through the Khumbu Valley, all the way to Everest Base Camp and up Lobuche Peak. This high-altitude climb was a long time coming for them, and it’s also one of his major milestones in his decade of being outdoors.  

The Unending Cycle of “Where’s Our Next Hike?” 

The dream started in 2022, after Glend and his then-girlfriend-now-wife (yiee!), Chic Cordero (@chiccordero), completed the Annapurna Basecamp trek. They loved the journey, but it also left them wanting more since they spent less than 24 hours at Basecamp. It was at that moment that their group agreed that their next adventure should be longer, more personalized, and allow them to explore the Himalayas the way they wanted. The next step was Everest Base Camp (EBC).

Initially, Lobuche Peak was not part of the original itinerary. Glend knew someone who had done it before and described it as brutally hard. “The idea of doing it myself felt kinda impossible,” he admits. But once EBC was locked in and their friends suggested adding Lobuche Peak, he didn’t hesitate. “Syempre game na din ako. I wasn’t about to back down from a great adventure.”​

Preparing for EBC and Lobuche Peak

There was no structured training block built solely for this hike. Instead, Glend leaned on his lifestyle that already revolved around movement. “It wasn’t like we set this for such a long time, so there was no training regimen specifically for the climb,” he says. “It was just the usual mix of things I like to do – long runs, trail runs, swimming, biking, hiking, and weights.”​

Glend’s hiking experience dates back to 2015, through local peaks like Guiting-Guiting, Apo, and Sicapoo. “Each of those trips slowly shaped the way I experience the great outdoors. In a way, it has become a 10-year hiking journey, with Lobuche Peak as the culmination of everything I’ve learned so far.”​

^{shot with the Insta360 X5}

Good Boots and Kind Weather

If the temperature was harsh, the weather itself was unexpectedly kind. “Thankfully, we were blessed with ideal conditions during our Lobuche summit push,” Glend says. The snow was firm, giving them solid footing, and deep enough to cover some of the more technical rock sections. 

^{shot with the Insta360 X5}

The group didn’t experience a single drop of rain until the day they were supposed to fly back to Kathmandu, when they had consecutive days of cancelled flights at Lukla. But hey! At least their hike was done. 

Seeing the Himalayas in 360

On this trip, Glend carried an Insta360 X5 action camera for the first time, and it really changed how he documented his climb. “The 360 camera was mind-blowing. Just one press, and it captures everything in its full glory,” he says. The app’s rendering options allowed him to create multiple POVs from a single take. “Parang may three cameras ka, shooting all at once.”​

^{shot with the Insta360 X5}

A chest mount let him keep filming even when his hands were busy with ropes, ascenders, or trekking poles. This helped him document everything hands-free during the ridge walk to Lobuche East Peak. “The ridge was so narrow that shooters couldn’t step back to get a wider shot,” he explains. “The 360-type camera made it possible to capture the whole background without needing extra space.” 

An Outdoorsman Held Up by a Village

Glend is quick to credit the people around him. Messages and prayers from home helped, as did their “fun, chill little group” on the mountain. For him, seeing his wife strong and well-acclimated was a huge relief. “Having her as my buddy system made everything easier, even if that meant my daypack was heavier at times,” he laughs. “For the record, she was the one who insisted we do this trip this year.”​

One of Glend’s core memories about this trip is a single reassuring line from their team leader, Miguel Mapalad (@miguelmapalad), during the last 500 meters before the summit: “Safe na kayo. Pagod lang ’yan, pero safe na kayo.” Given Migs’ background in safety and rescue, his words carried weight. “It was an instant confidence booster,” Glend says. “Also parang feel ko, kaya niya ako buhatin pag hindi ko na kaya maglakad.”​

What Comes After the Himalayas?

On the way back to Kathmandu, after 18 days in the Everest region, Glend and his wife joked that this might be their last big Himalayan push. Their legs were wrecked, their bodies tired, and the general mood was the typical lies you tell yourself of “last na ’to, ha.” A week of rest later and the joke shifted. “My wife keeps teasing us about Ama Dablam, pero mahal ko pa buhay ko,” he says, followed by a half-serious, “I guess we’ll see.”

In the end, Everest Basecamp and Lobuche Peak didn’t turn Glend into a different person. If anything, it just sharpened who he already is: an artist who happens to love long days on his feet, a self-proclaimed “mid-endurance” athlete who shows up anyway, who’s now turning his focus toward 100km ultras and a return to the local mountains that shaped his early twenties.

The Himalayas were a great reminder to him that you don’t have to feel like a “pro” to belong on intimidating peaks. You can come as you are and earn your place there, as long as you’re willing to learn what the mountains are willing to teach.