Travel humor by Mark E. Johnson
Doofus Dad Does
Everest Base Camp
One of Planet Earth’s epic adventures, told by a slightly-less-than-epic guy.
Growing up a North Carolina farm boy, I had never been out of the U.S., let alone to the mysterious continent of Asia, when I launched a Nepal trekking company after meeting a Sherpa in Nashville, Tennessee. This is what happened next.
Follow along as I and a group of fourteen trekkers make our inaugural assault on the ultimate bucket list adventure, from 23 hours of hilarious air travel through the epic two-week journey along the Dudh Kosi River to the foot of the world’s tallest mountain.
Paperback · Audiobook · E-book · Foreword by Alan Arnette · Narrated by the doofus himself
“A must-have for the bookshelf of yesterday’s, today’s, and tomorrow’s traveler.”
Alan ArnetteAmerica’s premier Everest blogger · oldest summitter of K2
A page from the book
How I became
Doofus Dad.
It wasn’t that I had become incompetent in real life. After hanging up my guitar, I worked as a freelance writer and communications professional for twenty years. Many perfectly sane people considered me (somewhat) “smart” and “accomplished” and “able to get around and drive a car without injuring myself and everything.”
My dramatic fall from grace was mostly in the eyes of my teenaged children, but after a while, you start to believe your own bad press, even from kids. And that is how I took on the role of Doofus Dad without realizing it. I began wearing denim shorts, used phrases like “good grief,” and became too well versed in the workings of a barbecue grill. Instead of watching edgy shows like “Nip/Tuck,” I went back to “The Andy Griffith Show” (the greatest show ever).
Simply put, I began to embody the Doofus Dad stereotype that Hollywood has been feeding us for years. Don’t believe me? Watch practically any commercial or TV sitcom.
As the years passed, I decided to embrace my Doofus Dad persona rather than fight it. It’s so much easier to fly under the radar and out of the paparazzi’s glare when so little is expected of you.
That’s why the concept of my not only trekking to Mt. Everest Base Camp but also launching a Nepal trekking company so shocked the world that its rotation nearly ground to a halt. I’ll save the details of how Hobnail Trekking Co. was born for later because it’s so crazy, it may distract you from the business at hand.
I’ve written this book for three reasons: 1) to provide a very honest, helpful, and hopefully entertaining account of the EBC trek for travelers considering this adventure for themselves; 2) to provide hope and the promise of an epic future for all you fellow Doofus Dads and Hot, Smart Moms out there, and; 3) to become stupid rich and famous and have this book made into a blockbuster motion picture.
(Holly has already made it clear that she wants to play herself, but votes for Brad Pitt to play me. I’m not sure how I feel about this.)
My point, if I may continue, is that even plain ol’ normal folks like us can embark on epic adventures and complete them in one piece. As a result, our teenagers might even think we’re cool again.
But probably not.
Funny, and also genuinely useful
There’s an appendix,
because you’ll need one.
If you are actually considering this trek, the back of the book is the part you will dog-ear.
- Everest Base Camp itinerary
- Trekking statistics
- Extensive gear lists
- Training tips
- Free extras and high-res downloads
What readers said
Trekkers, armchair
travelers, and one uncle.
“I did EBC with my cousin and 76-year-old uncle. It’s as much a mental game as a physical one, and I couldn’t have done it without your book.”
Tom Rebozo · EBC trekker, May 2019- “A hilarious but truly useful read!”
- “Best trip to Mount Everest I’ve never taken!”
- “The best EBC trekking book I’ve read!”
- “Mirth and merriment on the trail amongst massive mountains”
- “A great story about what trekking EBC is really like”
- “Armchair travelers, this book will take you to Nepal!”
- “Excellent, entertaining and inspirational”
- “Couldn’t stop reading!”
On the radio
Two interviews,
zero preparation.
WKSK Radio · West Jefferson, N.C. · Mike Powers
WATA Radio · Boone, N.C. · Bill Fisher
For media, libraries and bookstores
There’s a media kit.
Book blurb, biography, downloadable photos, and everything else you would need to write about it or stock it.