ADAM Edsall hasn’t quiet got his feet back on the ground. He has just returned from a once in a lifetime trip to the base camp of Mount Everest – and confesses the enormity of the expedition hasn’t quite sunk in.

The achievement has been a personal journey of discovery that has left him with lasting memories of snow capped peaks at altitudes of more than 5,000 metres (16,500ft), isolated Nepalese communities and admiration for those who are driven by a strange mystical urge to pit their lives against mountains.

It has been all the more remarkable because only a few years ago, 48-year-old Adam believed a debilitating heart murmur meant he would never be able to trek to the foot of the highest mountain on earth.

However, in 2011 Adam’s condition worsened and he was told he needed open heart surgery at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth.

‘One of the questions I asked the consultant was could I travel to Nepal if they fixed me up and it became a bit of a target to aim for,’ he said.

‘The Himalayan trek has been at the top of my bucket list for more than 25 years.

‘I thought I had long lost the opportunity and it was one of the things that helped me through the operation.’

Since his early 20s, Adam has been fascinated by climbers like Mallory and Irvine, Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary.

‘I was completely absorbed by their efforts,’ he said.

‘I love hiking, but am not a climber, yet to go to Everest base camp, the place where all of these people started their journey, was something I have always wanted to do.’

Adam, who with his wife Helen Lloyd, runs White Sails Gallery in St George’s Square, Dartmouth, shared his trekking dream with close friend Mark Godfrey, former general manager at the town’s Dart Marina Hotel.

‘Mark and I have known each other for about 13 years and he is the most positive person I’ve ever met,’ said Adam.

‘When I told him it was something I wanted to do, he didn’t hesitate, but said it sounded fantastic. Suddenly I had a partner to go with.’

The duo were later joined by two others, Paul Bushby, former manager of the Palace Hotel in Torquay, and Ed Perry, a Plymouth University graduate, who now lives in South Africa.

More on this story plus pictures of their amazing journey in this week’s Dartmouth Chronicle