Couple from northwestern Ontario wave their First Nations' flags at Mount Everest's base camp

A couple from northwestern Ontario say they're breathing a little easier after becoming the first people from their First Nations to reach base camp on the world's highest mountain.

Marietta and Travis Duncan carried the flags of Muskrat Dam and Bearskin Lake up Mount Everest last week.

"It was a year in the making," said Travis, who spoke to CBC News from Kathmandu after returning from the trek. "There's just one thing you can't train for, and that's the altitude."

Everest Base Camp is about 5,364 metres above sea level.

WATCH | Waving their First Nations' flags on the world's highest mountain 

A couple from northwestern Ontario proudly wave their First Nations' flags at Everest Base Camp

2 months ago

Duration 2:27

Marietta Duncan and her husband, Travis Duncan, recently carried the flags of Bearskin Lake and Muskrat Dam to a place few Indigenous people from Canada have been before: a base camp on the world’s highest mountain. The CBC's Matt Fratpietro had a chance to catch up with them over video chat in Kathmandu.

The married couple flew from Thunder Bay to Montreal before taking a 15-hour flight to Qatar. From there, it was a four-hour flight to Kathmandu. After staying in Nepal's capital for a few days, they took a five-hour bus ride to Ramechhap before flying to Lukla, the starting point for the trek.

A severe storm nearly foiled their plans. The couple went with a group of two guides and four porters, leaving in the early hours of the morning to bypass the congestion of other trekkers and to forge a path through the snow.

Physically, mentally challenging

Marietta recalls the cold, crisp air and breathless moments ascending higher and higher up the mountain, and being treated with spectacular sunrise views along the way.

At the same time, "it was one of the most physically challenging and mentally challenging experiences I've personally ever underwent," said Travis.

"It was a little bit of a self discovery. I'm learning that we had the ability to maybe dig a little bit deeper to achieve some of our goals and find out a little bit more about ourselves."

The Duncans shared photos on social media of them holding the Bearskin Lake and Muskrat Dam flags against a backdrop of sharp mountains edged with a burgeoning blue sky.

To represent our communities by showcasing our flags and showing people that we're a little bit more than maybe some of the perceptions that we might get of Indigenous people in Thunder Bay or in Canada.- Travis Duncan on reaching Everest Base Camp

"I just want to honour that connection that I have with my community and my extended family there, and I just wanted to show them that I'm proud of where I come from," Marietta said. 

The couple are trying to determine how many Indigenous people from Canada have made it to Everest Base Camp, but say they're the first from their communities to go there. A member of Constance Lake First Nation in northern Ontario made the trek last year, they said.

"The goal was to inspire maybe somebody from our community to venture out and get our footprint a little bit further than where we are situated at," Travis said.

"At the same time, to represent our communities by showcasing our flags and showing people that we're a little bit more than maybe some of the perceptions that we might get of Indigenous people in Thunder Bay or in Canada."