A data guy who enjoys travelling and being outside.
That’s the honest answer I give at parties — usually followed by a quick pivot to ask what the other person does, because large groups aren’t really my natural habitat.
I’m Andrew Dillon. This is my wife Elaine. We’re Scottish, we live in Auckland, New Zealand, and in October 2026 we’re trekking to Everest Base Camp via Gokyo with Evertrek.
This site is where I document the journey — the planning, the preparation, the trek itself, and whatever comes after.
Where It Started — Scotland
I grew up in Denny, a small town not far from Stirling. I studied Computer Science at the University of Stirling, which is where I met Elaine. We graduated, got married in 2009, and fairly soon after discovered that what we really loved doing with our weekends was getting into the hills.
We started bagging Munros in 2010, initially with our friends Lorna and Ollie. Scotland got into us quickly. Glencoe, the Lawers range, the Cairngorms — some genuinely brilliant days on the hills, usually in weather that required a decent sense of humour. We had a tradition of leaving a jelly baby and a jelly snake on every summit cairn. Don’t ask us why. It just felt right.
We kept at it until 2013, when we made the decision to move to New Zealand. The hills of Scotland remained — and still remain — a huge part of who we are.
The Move to New Zealand — and a Fresh Start
Arriving in Auckland in 2013 was exciting and slightly terrifying in equal measure. I was nearly 100kg, could barely run a kilometre, and the Munros felt like a previous life.
What changed everything was finding a genuinely active community and connecting with Gayle Clark at Bodywise — a personal trainer who became a real friend and has guided both our fitness journeys ever since. Bootcamp sessions, running groups, training plans for half marathons and triathlons — Gayle has been a constant throughout.
Elaine and I both made the same journey, albeit in our own ways. From barely running in 2013 to completing multi-day Great Walks, half marathons, and a half iron distance triathlon at the Mount Festival of Multisport in January 2025.
The mountains never left us. They just got bigger.
Why Everest Base Camp
EBC has been on the bucket list for years. Not because we’re mountaineers — we’re not, and we’ve never pretended otherwise. But the lure of the big Himalayan peaks, the Sherpa culture, the sheer scale of the place — it’s been pulling at us for a long time.
The opportunity came when family members decided they were ready to book and invited us along. That was all the excuse we needed.
We’re going with Evertrek via the Gokyo Valley route — a more remote variation that adds the turquoise Gokyo Lakes and the dramatic Cho La Pass before rejoining the classic trail to Base Camp. We start in Kathmandu on 23 October 2026.
We’re nervous. We’re excited. And we’re more prepared than we’ve ever been for any adventure.
What This Site Is
Above the Cloud Treks is an honest journal of high altitude adventure — written by two people who love the outdoors, travel deliberately, and believe that the mountains are for everyone, not just mountaineers.
You’ll find:
- Detailed planning guides for EBC and Himalayan trekking
- Honest cost breakdowns with real numbers
- Gear reviews based on actual use
- Training insights from a triathlete preparing for high altitude
- Trip diaries from the trek itself — published as we go
We write for people like us. People who’ve looked at EBC and thought “could I actually do that?” The answer, with the right preparation, is almost certainly yes.
The September Adventure — Getting There
We leave New Zealand on 11 September 2026 — five weeks before the trek begins. The journey to Nepal is an adventure in itself.
Three weeks in the Canadian Rockies — Whistler, Jasper, Banff — hiking daily at altitude that serves as the perfect natural warm-up for Nepal. Then two weeks exploring eastern Canada — Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto. Then a week back in Scotland before flying to Kathmandu.
It’s the kind of trip that makes you feel lucky to be alive.
The Day Job
I work as an independent data consultant — twenty years in data and analytics across multiple industries. It’s what enables the adventures.
The work is interesting. The mountains are better.
Get in Touch
If you’re planning EBC and have questions, or if you just want to say hello — use the contact page. We’re happy to help where we can.
And if you’re booking with Evertrek, use our referral link — you’ll get £200 off your booking and you’ll be supporting this site at no extra cost to you.
Above the Cloud Treks — Adventures at Altitude