May 26, 2009 8:08 am US/Pacific
Costa Mesa Man, 67, Climbs Mount Everest
Bill Burke May Be Oldest American To Scale World's Biggest Summit
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Bill Burke, 67, of Costa Mesa is an avid climber who successfully scaled Mount Everest. (Photo from other climb)
CBS
They used to ask people why they climbed Mount Everest and the age-old, somewhat comedic response was, "Because it's there."
Now, Bill Burke, a 67-year-old Costa Mesa resident, can answer "Because I wanted to be the oldest American who ever stood on top."
And with Burke's successful ascension of the world's tallest peak -- a climb that is dangerous and treacherous and has claimed countless lives -- he has started on the long and arduous road back, according to his wife, who, thanks to modern technology was able to get a satellite phone call from her husband early this morning.
"He tried to call several times at 3 a.m. but his satellite phone ran out of battery," Sharon Burke said in phone interview. "He and his Sherpa, Mingma, came down together."
Even though Burke had already reached the summit of the world's highest mountain and fulfilled his dream, Sharon Burke said she couldn't relax until he was through the Khumbu, where Himalaya record-keepers say most fatalities on Everest occur.
Another Sherpa on Burke's expedition had already died in the Khumbu, his daughter said. Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa disappeared May 7 when a massive avalanche swept through the icefall, according to Burke's Web site.
The Khumbu is a shifting maze of ice blocks and yawning crevasses that climbers typically navigate with aluminum ladders.
Burke has photos of the Khumbu on his Web site, as well as ladders being used in some sections. "I would not rest until he finished that part of his trip," Sharon Burke wrote online earlier today. "He promised me he would call me as soon as he got to base camp, no matter what time."
The final relief came at 6:30 a.m. Monday, Sharon Burke said in an interview. The satellite phone connection was poor, but it was still clear that her husband was finally safe from the worst Everest could dish out.
Heavy rains are possible in the Himalayan foothills in the next week, which may slow Bill Burke's return to Kathmandu and then Costa Mesa, Sharon
Burke said.
The earliest he may be home in Costa Mesa is June 7, she said.
On Saturday, Burke described by satellite phone his efforts to reach Everest's summit, which stands at an estimated 29,035 feet above sea level.
"I've never been in a storm like that in the mountains," Burke said in the call, which his wife of 47 years transcribed and posted online.
"Snow, freezing, freezing cold, high winds, it was quite a wild ride," Burke told his wife. "It was really difficult, a very hard mountain. There is nothing about it that is easy. But, thank God we made it and we made it back
safely."
This was Bill Burke's third attempt on Everest. In 2007, he stopped about 100 yards below the summit, fearing he would not have strength to get
back down after making the final push to the top.
He tried again in 2008 but had to be evacuated by helicopter after he began suffering from pulmonary edema, said his daughter, Lisa Giger of Newport
Beach.
The Burkes believe Bill may be the oldest American ever to stand on top of Everest. Dawes Eddy, 66, of Spokane, Wash., was cited in some news accounts earlier this month as the oldest American to reach the summit.
Bill Burke turned 67 in March.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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